Elmira's Madison Smith named Star-Gazette/Leader Girls Bowler of Year

Elmira High School senior Madison Smith led the way this past season for an Express girls bowling team that won conference and sectional titles before placing among New York's top teams.

Smith's efforts have landed her Elmira Star-Gazette/Corning Leader Girls Bowler of the Year honors for the 2025-26 season. She was also named the papers' top girls bowler last season.

She closed her prep career by topping Elmira girls with a six-game score of 1,237 at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships at AMF Syracuse Lanes.

Elmira's Madison Smith bowled a 681 series to lead the Express to the girls title at the Southern Tier Athletic Conference championships Feb. 9, 2026 at Midway Lanes in Vestal.

Smith had the third-highest score among competitors in the girls Division 1 team competition, highlighted by a 257 game. She led the Express to a seventh-place state finish.

She was tops among Section 4 girls with a 200 season average.

Her division-best composite score of 1,448 pins led Elmira to the team title in the Section 4 Division I state qualifier.

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Smith also helped the Express repeat as Section 4 Class A team champion with a 519 series.

Prior to that, she was the tournament's top scorer with a 671 series that paced a repeat team triumph for the Express at the Southern Tier Athletic Conference championships. Elmira was STAC West champion during the regular season.

Smith has signed to bowl collegiately at Division I Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland.