Palmetto’s Evan Viener, Dr. Krop’s Thalia Nelson are Dade bowlers of the year

Palmetto’s Evan Viener accomplished a feat few high school bowlers have hit at the state championship meet. Thalia Nelson was integral to Dr. Krop’s run of district championships in the sport and then thrived on an individual level at state.

Viener and Nelson, as a result, are the Miami Herald’s 2022 Dade bowlers of the year.

Viener’s grandest impression of the season came during his second game of the four-game qualifying session at state in November when he bowled a perfect 300.

He became just the seventh boys’ bowler to roll a perfect 300 game at state and only the second from Miami-Dade County — Krop’s Shawn Humphreys also accomplished the feat in 2006.

Viener let out an emphatic scream before celebrating with his coach and teammates when he rolled the final strike.

His overall four-game series score of 1,009 pins in the qualifying round was the top among the field of 202 bowlers, the ninth-best in state history and the highest ever by a Dade County bowler at the state championship, besting the 994 mark by Miami Christian’s Igar Rodriguez in 2016.

His success ultimately ended there, though, as Viener went 1-2 in the individual bracket that featured the top 16 bowlers from the qualifying session.

Nelson, meanwhile, capped her junior season by finishing tied for 56th individually at state with a four-game score of 710, 77 pins and 35 places higher than the next best performer from Dade.

Nelson also won the individual title at the Dade Youth Fair Tournament and was the individual runner-up in District 16 while helping Krop win its fifth girls’ bowling team district title in the past six years.