Placing first at the Greater Middlesex Conference Individual Tournament has been a long-sought goal for Colonia senior Reyna Martinez.
Her first three seasons saw her make the top five each time.
She reached the finals as a freshman and placed third last year in the competition.
With this being her last shot to win a GMC individual title, Martinez knew it was now or never.
After two days on the lanes, Martinez ended her last run at a GMC individual crown on Wednesday in Hopelawn with gold around her neck.
“It’s feels absolutely amazing,” Martinez said after winning her first GMC individual championship. “I’ve been bowling for so long and I feel like all the hard work paid off.”
It came down to Martinez needing a spare in her 10th frame to set herself up for victory against Monroe’s Preet Kaur Kalsi in the finals.
The first roll by the senior saw her knock down nine pins.
There were no nerves nor any feelings of anxiety for Martinez as she stepped up to lane for her next roll.
She calmly delivered a bullet down the lane to knock down the last pin for her game-clinching spare.
Martinez finished off her game with a strike to claim a 195-190 victory over Kalsi.
“You always want to finish off a game with a bang,” Martinez said after her game-ending strike. “It felt glorious.”
Martinez is the second bowler in school history to win the GMC individual crown. Laura Zollo won Colonia’s first conference title back during the 1998-99 campaign.
“I know how badly she (Reyna Martinez) truly wanted this [GMC individual title],” Colonia head coach Mike Scialfo said. “She was able to overcome everything from the last few years and finally get it done. She deserves every bit of it.”
It was a wire-to-wire championship victory for Martinez throughout the tournament.
The senior racked up a 1,170 pin total to lead all competitors through the first six games of the competition.
She then had the best two-game mark (439) among the top eight qualifiers in the quarterfinals, which included a high game of 247.
In the semifinals, Martinez tallied a 221 that topped all four bowlers to stamp her spot in the finals.
“I was so focused this year on my fundamentals, hitting my spares and getting a good shot off,” Martinez said. “It all worked.”
Kalsi, who placed fourth in the tournament last year, recorded a 195 in the semifinals to make it to the finals.
Martinez soared out to an early lead in the finals, but opened the door for Kalsi to climb back in with a split in her eighth frame.
Kalsi finished her game in the finals with two straight strikes and a seven pin on her final roll.
Martinez’s strike in the ninth frame set her up to need a strike or spare to win it.
After falling short in her previous three attempts, the senior made her last opportunity count and brought home an individual conference title to Colonia for the first time in 27 years.
“I’m very happy to bring it home,” Martinez said.
Woodbridge’s Gianna Gonzales (third place) and Cadence Grimes of North Brunswick (fourth place) each made it to the semifinals of the tournament.
Woodbridge’s Natalie Haulenbeck (fifth place), Kimberly Chin of St. Thomas Aquinas (sixth place), J.P. Steven’s Shayna Zimmermann (seventh place) and South Plainfield’s Angelica Cseko (eighth place) rounded out the top eight finishers in this year’s tournament.
Top 10 Scores From Qualifying Round
1-Reyna Martinez, Colonia, 1,170; 2-Kimberly Chin, St. Thomas Aquinas, 1,043; 3-Preet Kaur Kalsi, Monroe, 1,030, 4-Shayna Zimmermann, J.P. Stevens, 1,001; 4-Natalie Haulenbeck, Woodbridge, 1,001; 6-Gianna Gonzales, Woodbridge, 984; 7-Cadence Grimes, North Brunswick, 959; 8-Angelica Cseko, South Plainfield, 925; 9-Savanah Funk, Old Bridge, 913; 10-Jayde Luong, Colonia, 907.