A's Player of the Month: Del Sol Academy's Hannah Baum

Hannah Baum, a Junior at Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts, takes home the 4A State Girls Bowling Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, February 6, 2025. Photo by Brian Ramos

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Del Sol Academy bowler Hannah Baum started doing the math as her opponent in the state championship match was preparing to roll in the final frame at the Orleans.

Kendall Parker from Las Vegas High would need to complete a spare to earn an extra roll and then record a strike to send the match into a roll off, Baum calculated.

Parker missed the spare, and Baum stood in silence trying to process the outcome: She was the Class 4A champion.

Baum, who comes from a family of bowlers, is Del Sol’s first individual champion in any sport since 2017. A few days later, she grabbed another state crown when the Dragons won the team title.

“It’s really cool. It gives me some bragging rights,” said Baum, who won 312-300 in the two-game match for the individual championship.

Baum, a junior, has found success because of the time she dedicates to bowling, coach Will Schultz said. Between local leagues and practice, she’s at the alley five or six days a week.

And, Schultz said, she makes good use of her practice time by rotating in different sized bowling balls and challenging herself in lanes with contrasting oil patterns.

“It’s quality practice,” the coach said. “She just doesn’t arrive at the lanes, go through the motions and leave.”

Baum has been a regular at the lanes since childhood because her dad is active in leagues. Her brother and sister have also competed.

“It’s a family thing. This is what I grew up doing,” said Baum, who studies theater production in Del Sol’s magnet program.

Del Sol’s last state champion was wrestler Victor Torres-Parra, who won the second of two state titles in 2017. Parra was also coached by Schultz, a former assistant in the wrestling program and longtime Del Sol educator.

Champions are listed on a wall in the school’s gym. “It’s a great reward being able to see your name and knowing you made a difference at the school,” Schultz said.

Baum had her hand in another championship.

The Del Sol girls won the team state bowling championship Friday, capping an undefeated season at 15-0. After finishing as runners-up in two of the last five years, the Dragons were able to secure the elusive win in impressive fashion — they didn't surrender a point in the posteason.

Baum is a regular in junior leagues at the Suncoast and next month will travel to Reno for a national tournament. There, she hopes to continue the winning ways to catch the eye of recruiters for a spot on a collegiate roster.

She’ll be a lifelong bowler, regardless of the level of competition, but likely won’t make a career out of the sport. She carries a 4.1 grade-point average and aspires to become a lawyer.