By Matt Browning

Victoria Cocannouer of East was voted as the Wichita Large School Preseason Girls Bowler of the Year. Cocannouer received nearly 13,000 votes, which was 39 percent of the vote. “I feel humbled by the votes; everyone in the poll deserves the recognition so much but being the “underdog” who was the most voted is such a cool thing,” Cocannouer said. “Decoration isn’t always everything when it comes to predicting outcomes of a season, so it means a lot that even though my accomplishments were not as strong last year as they have been in the past, people are still willing to give me a chance.”

Cocannouer qualified for state her freshman and sophomore seasons, while also winning the City League and placing 14th at state her sophomore year. She took a step back last season, but that provided her all the motivation she needed to get back to the state tournament again this year. “I had a rough season last year mentally, but I have worked hard outside of the school season to not only strengthen my mental game but also improve my physical game, which I am confident has gotten better,” Cocannouer said. “Overall, I just want to make the best of this season and work my hardest to achieve what I know I can and help my team be the best that we can be.”

Cocannouer is highly decorated in academics at East, as she is a member of International Baccalaureate Program, National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, and East’s chapter of Tri-M, the National Music Honor Society. She wants to major in Vocal Music in college and hopefully continue to bowl.