Nationally-Recognized Keslar Announces Retirement as Baker Head Bowling Coach

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. - After rebuilding the programs and guiding them into the national spotlight, Baker head bowling coach Cheryl Keslar has announced her retirement after a decorated 14-year career with the Wildcats that saw them earn a total of five conference championships and qualify for Nationals four straight years on the women's side.

"I can't believe that Baker took a chance on me to be their bowling coach," said Keslar. "The best part for me was to give back the love that I have for this sport and pass it on to those that wanted it. Bowling was my salvation in life and saved me from going in the wrong direction in life. I felt it was time for me to pass this knowledge on to others."

Coming to Baker in 2010, Keslar led the BU women to four straight NAIA Championship appearances (2020-2023) with the first official national championship being canceled due to Covid in 2020. She was selected as the NAIA Women's Bowling National Coach of the Year in 2022.

"I cannot thank Cheryl enough for all she has done for Baker bowling and Baker University," said Baker Athletic Director Susan Decker. "Without her constant commitment to Baker, the bowling programs would not be where they are today. Under Cheryl's leadership, both programs have grown tremendously, won numerous Heart conference championships and brought national attention to the Baker bowling teams."

Keslar and the Wildcats have won four of the six conference titles on the women's side since the Heart of America's first championship in 2019 and swept the league competition in 2020 with the men winning their first conference title. She earned the Heart's Coach of the Year award in four consecutive seasons from 2020-2023.

"I've had so many wonderful young men and women pass through my program in the last 14 years, and I just want to thank them all so much for trusting me in so many ways," expressed Keslar. "You were so very important to me, you taught me patience, you taught me how to be a better person in life, and, most importantly, you taught me the fun part of bowling and, for that, I will always be so grateful to you all. Thank you to my husband Gerry, who was the one who believed in me the most and has been involved with me from the very beginning. I couldn't have done this without his love and support."

After Kinsey Miller became the latest to receive the accolade, the Wildcats have boasted an NAIA First Team All-American in five straight years with two-time honorees Megan Carpenter (2020, 2021) and Caitlin Lucas (2022, 2023) preceding Miller, who was named to the 2024 All-America team last week. Baker has also taken home the Heart Player of the Year award in five of the six years it has existed with Lucas going on to become the program's first NAIA Bowler of the Year in 2023.

"The student-athlete awards at both the conference and national level shows her ability to develop young bowlers year after year," added Decker. "Her dedication to the student-athletes both in the classroom and on the lanes has been incredible and I will forever be grateful for her time as the head bowling coach at Baker University. I would also like to thank her husband, Gerry, for his time and dedication to the program as a volunteer assistant coach. I can only imagine how many hours the two of them put into this program. Both of them will be truly missed and I wish them well in their retirement."

With Baker sporting a men's bowling program from 1963 until 1982, Keslar played a crucial role in helping to relaunch the men's team in 2018 and produced a championship-level squad in just two years with a Heart title in 2020.

Originally from Shawnee, Kan., Keslar has been involved with bowling her entire life and joined the Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) tour in 1980. She went on to win 25 regional titles in the Great Plains Bowling Association and 15 Kansas State Titles. In 2021, Keslar was inducted into the Greater Kansas City Hall of Fame to go along with her induction into the Kansas Bowling Hall of Fame in 1994.

"Thank you to Baker University for providing the education for my athletes to succeed," said Keslar. "Thank you to my mentor and friend Frank Bisignano for helping me make Baker University a bowling school. A special thank you to President Lynne Murray, Athletic Director Susan Decker, and VP for Student Affairs and Enrollment, Dean of Students Cassy Bailey for providing the environment for me to do my job. My job was to bring athletes on campus, provide the student experience with bowling, and help them to graduate from the No. 1 private school in Kansas where they were given the opportunity to get amazing jobs after graduation. There are many things that I am proud of, but mostly that I just did my job."

This past season, the Wildcats finished fourth in both the men's and women's team standings at the 2024 Heart Bowling Championships, which was hosted by Baker at Gage Center Bowl in Topeka, Kan. in late February. BU featured a pair of bowlers on the Heart's All-Conference Team with Miller earning first-team honors and Josh King being selected to the second team on the men's side.

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