neighbors
5
THINGS YOU SHOULD
KNOW ABOUT
MARISSA
COSENTINI
Wayne Valley High School bowler
commits to prestigious college program
WRITTEN BY GREG TARTAGLIA PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNE-MARIE CARUSO
M
arissa Cosentini knew she wanted to go to Nebraska when
she saw Nebraska come to her home state.
Cosentini, a 17-year-old Wayne Valley High School senior,
is a four-year member of the Indians’ girls bowling team and
has averaged better than 200 ever since her sophomore season.
As an eighth-grader, she watched the 2016 NCAA
women’s bowling final at Bowlero North Brunswick, where the University
of Nebraska fell to Stephen F. Austin in a seven-game series.
“I’ve wanted to go to Nebraska since then,” Cosentini says.
Her dream took a big step toward fruition in December, when she
signed a National Letter of Intent to compete for the Cornhuskers.
Here are five things you should know about Cosentini.
1
SHE HAS ENJOYED PLENTY OF
TEAM SUCCESS AT WAYNE VALLEY
During her freshman and sophomore
years, the Indians won the Passaic County
championship, which capped a string of five
straight titles overall.
Her role on the team evolved throughout
her varsity career, and by senior year, she
was better able to share her experience with
newcomers to the program. “I was always
very shy, and bowling helped me [break] out
of that,” Cosentini says. “I really like helping
out the underclassmen, because I want to see
them succeed.”
12
SPRING 2020 WAYNE MAGAZINE
2
COSENTINI WAS NAMED TO THE
NORTH JERSEY ALL-DECADE GIRLS
BOWLING TEAM AT THE START OF
HER SENIOR SEASON
Cosentini, a 5-foot 5-inch right-hander, is
one of two Passaic County girls to average
200-plus in multiple seasons during the
2010s (the other is Clifton’s Sonja Shirak).
Cosentini carried a 202 average as a sopho-
more and 209 as a junior, and won the Passaic
County individual title in the latter. She also
went into senior year as a two-time qualifier
for the NJSIAA singles finals.
“I’ve been bowling since I was 7,” she says.
“I used to go and practice every Sunday
morning with my dad. When I learned that
there were things like Junior Gold and Teen
Masters, I wanted to go out and travel,
and I was fortunate enough to do that.”
3
BOWLING HAS TAKEN
HER ALL OVER THE U.S.
The furthest Cosentini has traveled for a
tournament is Las Vegas. She lists Cleveland
as the best place she has ever bowled —
more for the results than anything else.
“I was a part of the USA National Bowling
Team, and we made it to the finals, which
were shown on television on CBS Sports
Network,” Cosentini says. “That is something
I will never forget.”