Troy High School senior Bryce Massingill is shown with his family after signing his letter of intent to bowl for the University of Northwestern Ohio men’s bowling team.
Troy High School senior Kiandra Smith is shown with her family after signing her letter of intent to bowl for the Wright State University women’s bowling team.
Troy High School senior Chloe Fecher is shown with her family after signing her letter of intent to play for the University of Northwestern Ohio women’s soccer team.
TROY — Three more Troy High School senior athletes made their college choices official Thursday in the Trojan Activity Center.
Bryce Massingill
Anyone who knows the multi-talented son of Jason and Megan Massingill, will not be surprised he chose go to the University of Northwestern Ohio.
The Racers are called that for a reason — with one of the top High Performance Motorsports Technology programs in the country.
Which is a natural fit for Massingill — who races midgets and sprint cars at Eldora Speedway, along with being a standout in boys golf and boys bowling for the Trojans.
“I am going to major in Motorsports Management,” Massingill said.
He is hoping to be a involved in NASCAR on the management level one day.
He may also get the opportunity to be part of the UNOH race team.
“They have a 20-person team that gets cars ready to race on Friday nights,” Massingill said. “They also have three guys who actually get to race the cars and I am hoping to be one of them.”
He will also continue his bowling career after much success at Troy.
Massingill had a breakout season as a sophomore.
After finishing third in the MVL with a 208.3 average, he finished eighth in the D-I boys state tournament with a 663 series.
After leading the MVL his junior season with 214.1 average, there were high expectations heading into the state tournament. But, he sprained his ankle and finished 26th.
He saved his best for last as a senior, averaging 221.5, before his season ended in a highly-competitive district tournament.
“This was the first year I really took bowling seriously,” Massingill said. “You can see that by my average this year. Definitely (he feels like his best bowling is in front of him). Bowling is a growing sport. It is NAIA, but everybody i NAIA so you are competing against everyone. They (UNOH) has a great team that is nationally rankled. I am looking forward to see what I can do.”
Kiandra Smith
Smith, the daughter of Tracy and Troy Applin, is an impressive story.
She went from having no experience when she started bowling in seventh grade to one of the top bowlers in the state this winter and will take her talents to Wright State University.
And Smith understands what is important.
“The reason I chose Wright State is I want to go into nursing and they have one of the top academic programs for that,” she said. “I wasn’t sure for a long time if I wanted to keep bowling in college, but I know a lot of girls on the team, so I think I will be comfortable. And it will give a chance to extend that (bowling with Troy High School teammate Aiyana Godwin).”
After averaging 170.8 as a sophomore and 177.2 as a junior, Smith took it to another level this year.
She averaged 204.3 this season to lead the MVL and capped her high school career by leading Troy to a second-place finish at the D-I state tournament and earning All-Ohio honors by finishing fifth with a 617 series.
“It took a lot of hard work to finish fifth (at the state tournament),” Smith said. “I am really proud of that.”
And Troy girls bowling coach Rob Dever feels like Smith’s best bowling is in front of her.
“If you look at it, Kiandra (Smith) just exploded this year,”Dever, a former Wright State University assistant coach, said. “I am familiar with program and know coach Jeff Fleck well. He will do a great job with Kiandra (Smith).”
Smith feels like her best bowling is still in front of her as well.
“I think I can make an impact right away,” she said.
Chloe Fecher
The daughter of Lance and Melanie Fecher will play soccer for the University of Northwestern Ohio.
Fecher had a breakout season this past season for Troy, responding with her best season to help Troy to a 14-5-1 record.
After five goals and two assists as a sophomore and six goals and three assists as a junior, Fecher had 17 goals and three assists this past season.
“I have always loved to play the game of soccer,” Fecher said. “I couldn’t imagine a year where I am not playing soccer.”
And she said UNOH was an easy choice for her.
“They were in the state,” she said. “They have a good program and it is close, where my family won’t have to travel far to see me play.”
She looks to continue to be an offensive weapon.
“I will play soccer and wing,” Fecher said. “I am hoping to have an impact right away.”
After all three made a big impact at Troy High School.
Sports Editor Rob Kiser can be reached at [email protected]
