Why now was the right time for Wichita State to add women’s bowling as an NCAA sport
After a decade of attempts, the Wichita State women’s bowling program has won its battle to become an NCAA-sanctioned sport.
WSU athletic director Kevin Saal met with the women’s bowling program on Friday morning to inform them women’s bowling will become the athletic department’s 16th NCAA-sanctioned sport, beginning on July 1, 2024.
The women’s bowling program has carved out a reputation as the premier varsity-level team in the country with a record-high 10 Intercollegiate Team Championships. Now the Shockers will be able to chase NCAA championships.
“We’ve been talking about this for a long time, so there was some anxiety this time around wondering if it was really going to happen,” women’s bowling coach Holly Harris said. “When it finally did happen, there was just a whole bunch of excitement mixed with some relief. Like, ‘Wow, we got there. This is actually going to happen.’
“It has been such a long time coming and I’m just glad things finally aligned where we could do it because it really is the perfect time for us to continue the tradition that we’ve built for so long.”
So what made now the right time to turn women’s bowling into an NCAA-sanctioned sport?
There are multiple reasons, but a major one has to do with the increase of women in the demographics of WSU’s student population. Women now make up 57% of WSU’s undergraduate population, which means WSU’s student-athlete scholarship distributions need to be within 1% of that mark to satisfy Title IX rules, according to Saal.
Instead of cutting down on male scholarships, Saal found the best solution in adding women’s bowling, which will carry five equivalency scholarships for a roster likely between eight and 10.
Because the bowling program already has a top-notch facility in the Rhatigan Student Center, transitioning the program to NCAA standards will be a minimal lift. The men’s program will continue to be a varsity sport and be supported by the RSC.
“Basically what we’re saying is we are going to prioritize championship-level women’s sports at Wichita State,” Saal said. “This is just another opportunity for us to do that.”
Without NCAA status, Shocker bowling is still known as a powerhouse program in the bowling community. But with more than 100 programs participating in NCAA-sanctioned bowling, recruiting the nation’s best bowlers to compete at the varsity level has become increasingly difficult for Harris at WSU.
Being able to sell bowlers on competing for an NCAA championship is a “game-changer” in recruiting, according to Harris, who joked she will spend the next 10 months reading up on the NCAA guidelines she will have to follow beginning next season.
“Over the last five to 10 years, recruiting has gotten pretty difficult with a majority of the really good, high-caliber bowlers heading to NCAA schools,” Harris said. “Now we get to match the resources the athletic department can provide with the championship-level program that we already have. That’s going to make a huge difference for us and hopefully allow us to compete for an NCAA championship.”
WSU has won ITC titles in 1975, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1990, 1994, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2021, with individual champions in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2017 and 2023. The program has missed advancing to the national tournament only one time since 1975 and logged a top-four finish 35 times out of 40 trips.
The program has produced eight current full-time members of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour with several others on a part-time basis.
Harris doesn’t see why the Shockers won’t be able to compete at a high level as soon as they join the NCAA.
“From a training side, from a competitive side, we’ve been competitive against a lot of NCAA teams the last four or five years in ITC competitions,” Harris said. “I see that staying the same.”
The program will hold a special event at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20 at Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes inside the Rhatigan Student Center to celebrate the news.
After advocating for the transition for years, Harris felt victorious on Friday.
“I feel like sometimes we are forgotten because we’re not with the athletic department,” Harris said. “So hopefully this will put us on people’s radars. I’m excited we’re going to be in the mix now with the other sports on a regular basis.”
This story was originally published September 8, 2023 at 11:15 AM.
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