Sandy Sheppard captures another high-average crown

This bowling column launched its coverage of league bowling at the Virgin River Bowling Center with the 2015-16 season and when the grind of a long season ended it continued by giving some serious ink to the two bowlers who won the coveted high-average title.

And for the umpteenth time, Sandy Sheppard won the women’s high-average crown for the 2025-26 season with a 185 average over 81 games competing in the City High Rollers League.

And looking at her stats in the extraordinary League Secretary program, consistency was the hallmark of her season. And it began with a 181 average in all of her first weekly 27 games over of the season, followed by 185 in her 27 second games , and a 184 average over her 27 third games.

Meanwhile, her two high scores of the season were a 670 series and 246 game.

By way of comparison, she finished the 2024-25 season with a 193 average over 78 games, while her highest average in Mesquite is a record-setting 196 compiled in the 2020-21 campaign, and she’s also  one of only two Mesquite women who’ve bowled a 700 (706) series in league play at the V.R.B.C..

Amazingly, with the exception of the 2024-25 season when Lori Jo Turner’s 186 won the high-average drown, Sheppard’s won the title each season beginning with her first in the 2015-16 campaign after changing her zip code to Mesquite from one in Colorado.

Sheppard is an avid Denver Broncos fan, her resume sports a career-high 749 series and 297 game, and given all the scoring titles won over the years, you can’t help but be bullish on her chances of winning another high-average scoring title next season.

Switching gears here to another average is Diane Marget’s 187. I know, you’re thinking that must be a typo because Sheppard finished with a 185. Nosiree! Yes, she did finish her C.H.R. League with a 187 average which would have won the high-average crown, but she fell just one game shy of winning it because she needed to bowl the league required minimum of 56 games, and she bowled 55. Her high scores for the season were a 646 series and 254 game.

Marget is a tremendous bowling talent. And while both Mesquite and St. George have some top-notch women bowlers, Marget’s resume stands alone with her mind-boggling achievements and you’ll concur with that assessment even after listing just a handful of her truly exceptional bowling highlights.

Let’s begin with her 10 career 300 games and for her third perfecto was even featured on an NBC TV affiliate KARE 11 sports show in Minneapolis. She also sports a career-high 216 average, a personal-best 786 and 768 series scores, and she’s in both the Minneapolis and state of Minnesota Bowling Hall of Fame’s.

Meanwhile, Margie O’Neill is a heckuva good bowler from St. George who finished with the next highest average, a 182 in her Early Risers League on Wednesday mornings in Mesquite where she posted a season-high 653 series and 243 game. In her St. George leagues she fired a season-high 708 series and 269 game.

Autumn Telford’s 179 was the next best average and she rolled season-high 649 and 242 games in her Monday Scratch League.  And before she became involved with the school activities of her three children she was bowling two leagues a season and had multiple years where she averaged over 200 along with multiple 700 series scores. And if she were still bowling two leagues a week she’d probably have a deuce average or close to it.

Bev Cormani ended the season with a season-high 178 average and with her explosive strike ball led to the highest series booked this season with a 699 series gem and she also had a season-high 269 game. And her eye-popping 716 series in 2021 was the first-ever 700 thrown by a woman bowler in league play at the V.R.B.C..

And Lee Ann Harmes also finished the season with a 178 average in her King & Queens League with high scores of 630 series and 239 game, Kim Marshall wrapped up the season with a 178 average and tossed season high scores of 631 and 226.

We’re on a roll here with 178 averages which is what Cathy Garnder also booked and included a season-high 610 series, and Cheryl Rogers racked up a 177 average and her top scores on the season were a 635 series and 235 game.

Finally, the next bowling column with feature an update to the bowling poster featuring all the top bowling achievements over the years in Mesquite bowling which I compiled and put online last season. The way things work between proofing it and the like, it might two to three weeks before Clark County Printing in Mesquite will have it completed and be ready to have me post it online. And you will also be able to purchase a copy of the poster at their print shop at a super reasonable price which some bowlers did last year.