A class of ‘21 alumnus of the school, Justin Thomas, has returned this year to coach the bowling team, with the goal of teaching the younger generation about a sport that he loves.

“I enjoy passing down the sport that I’ve done for this long in any capacity,” Bowling coach Justin Thomas ‘21 said. “I think that the sport of bowling is uniquely interesting because you can be creative. You can craft the shot to do what you want, and you don’t have to do it in any particular way.”

Justin was originally approached by the other coach of the team, Brian Fenili, about taking the job, and accepted the offer about a month ago. The team recently started competitive play on October 5th.

“We’re still early in the season, but I’m definitely seeing some mentality changes between the kids,” Thomas said. “They’re getting better, sharper mentally now that the season started, and taking it more seriously.

While at the school, Justin bowled for all four years, placing 2nd at state his freshman year and setting what was at the time a team single game record. Following graduating from De Smet, Justin bowled at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, for two years, then came back to St. Louis and bowled at Lindenwood for another two.

“What sticks out to me about De Smet is the brotherhood we have as a school,” Justin said. “I think it shows in all sports, but in bowling in particular, because it’s so team-oriented, you have to work together as a cohesive unit, and everyone at De Smet does that perfectly.”