Hailey Johnson, a senior on the Klahowya High School girls bowling team, has signed a letter of intent to play on scholarship at Marian University in Indianapolis.

Before committing, Johnson toured five schools and met the bowling teams. She used her engineering mindset to choose her best option. She ranked each school with multipliers on what categories meant more to her. Similar to the scoring in bowling, she ranked the programs and biomedical engineering program like a strike and spare multiplier to the score. The style of the jerseys were similar to getting nearly all the pins knocked down and food options were like a split.

“Part of the reason I chose Marian was because I really liked the coaches and team,” Johnson said. “The other reason was their biomedical engineering program. They seemed to be in a good location for that because they are partnered with businesses you can intern with.”

Johnson began bowling when she was 5. But she did not enjoy the sport until a few years later. “My mom has bowled since she was a kid, and my grandpa bowled professionally,” Johnson said. “The main thing was my cousin bowled, and my brother wanted to join the league with him. So, my family joined a fun family league, and I began to enjoy it.”

Once Johnson took bowling seriously, her father and grandpa Jim Campbell helped her grow exponentially. “When I visited my grandpa in California, I brought my bowling stuff, and we did some doubles tournaments,” Johnson said. “My dad has helped a lot too because we got into bowling around the same time, and he enjoys it.”

When Johnson began bowling for Klahowya, she dealt with inconsistent scores. However, she continued to stay positive and work through her challenges. Despite having lower scores than usual this season, Johnson holds the highest individual score for the Eagles anyway. When Klahowya faced Bremerton last month Johnson scored a career-high 264 and 209 in her two games. During the season, Johnson has been averaging 177.

“I practice a lot,” Johnson said. “I feel like I’m pretty accurate and consistent, especially on spares…The hard work is paying off,” she said.

Johnson tries to practice daily at All-Star Lanes in Silverdale. She has been great at picking up spares and scoring in the final frame.

“The best part of her game is her dedication,” coach James Roadruck said. “She works hard at practice and loves to compete in tournaments.”

Johnson’s offers began to roll in last summer from schools across the country. When Marian University reached back out to her, she was ecstatic. “I’m really excited to get more experience in bowling and learn more in college,” she said.

“She will do great in college because she will out-work everyone and pays attention to every detail,” Roadruck said.