Bowling may not be the most popular sport on N.C. A&T’s campus, but it’s certainly in the running as the most accomplished.
N.C. A&T’s bowling team has six MEAC Southern Division Championships, a 2022 MEAC Championship, and a 2015 Intercollegiate Team Championship (ITC). The best part is the lady Aggies have a chance to add to their decorated resume.
Seniors Cristina Acosta and Lauren Tomaszewski qualified for the Intercollegiate Singles Championship (ISC).
Before the season started, Tomaszewski was the preseason MEAC Bowler of the year and certainly lived up to the hype. At the ISC sectionals, Tomaszewski hit over 200 for five out of six games, placing third place behind Acosta.
Acosta held her own, finishing second out of 154 bowlers by knocking down 1,294 pins in six games.
Head coach for the Lady Aggies, Kim Terrell-Kearney, was pleased with her team’s performance at sectionals.
“We started slowly this semester, but now, we are starting to play at our best and turning the corner at the right time,” said Terrell-Kearney in a press conference.
Bowling is the only sport at N.C. A&T that is still in the MEAC since a majority of the sports teams are in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Considering Black colleges make up the entirety of the MEAC, the direction of N.C. A&T is in question as the university seemingly strays away from HBCU competition.
“Shout out to the Bowling team for staying in the MEAC,” senior psychology student Harper Carson said. “It seems like we stray further and further away every year from upholding our title as an HBCU. We need some representation in a conference specifically for HBCUs.”
Although there is pressure on the bowling team to represent the Aggies in their conference, the team handles the pressure well and takes pride in their position.
“We’re happy to stay in the MEAC,” Acosta said. “Being independent of the rest of the sports teams puts us in a tough spot, but we take a lot of pride in being the top team in our conference and even more pride in representing the number one HBCU.”
Despite its dominance for the last six years, bowling is one of the less recognized sports at N.C. A&T. Acosta admits that the lack of recognition can be frustrating.
“It can be annoying when people realize we exist and start making jokes about it,” Acosta said. “People will say, ‘Oh, we have a BOWLING team?’ Yes, we do. Please look us up.”
The bowling program is the only program keeping the Aggies alive in one of the only HBCU conferences, yet the university does not equip the program with the proper necessities to reach its full potential.
“We could for sure use a bowling alley for practice. We have to go to another bowling alley and drive ourselves to practice, which is money coming out of our pockets,” Acosta noted. “This affects recruiting too since most athletes want to attend a school with lanes.”
Despite the lack of funding and recognition, Acosta is appreciative and expresses how much it means to be an Aggie bowler and have the chance to become a national champion.
“It means so much to me to be a part of this team and winning would be the best way to finish my collegiate career,” Acosta said. “This is what we work for, and I think a win could help us put a spotlight on us and get us closer to having our own lanes on campus.”
The ISC will showcase the top 24 men and women to compete for the individual title held April 17-22 at South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas.
