The Lady Aggies are making bowling history for North Carolina A&T, achieving their third straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title. Their 16-0 play in the regular season conference earned them their 7th MEAC title win.
The Aggies are 70-24 overall with a nine-game winning streak. They have held a top 10 ranking all year and are currently ranked 4th in The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) poll.
Some of the best bowlers in the nation represent the Lady Aggies, setting record-breaking numbers and achievements.
Lauren Tomaszewski, a graduate student bowler, ranks 24th nationally in player composite (83.369), 12th in anchor bowler (95.0), and 10th in frame scoring average (20.621). She received the first-team All MEAC honors for the second straight season after being voted the 2022-2023 preseason bowler of the year.
Tomaszewski reflects on the team’s victories; she shares the reasoning behind their successful seasons.
“I think the leading contributing factor to our victories is that we all have a strong will to win. We also don’t give up; we have a lot of fight in us,” she said. “I also think our coaches have a huge part in our success as a team. With their continued guidance and support, it helps us tremendously in not only wanting the win for ourselves but for them and the university and Aggie Nation.”
In addition to their will to win and coaching, Tomaszewski credits the chemistry among each other to their success. This chemistry is rooted in loyalty and shared determination.
“Our chemistry helps because no matter what, we know that we have each other’s back,” she said. “And that we all want the same thing in winning a national championship.
Kim Terrell-Kearny, the head coach of women’s bowling and professional bowler, said Wednesday that the biggest challenge they face in the upcoming 2024 NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship is breaking into the final four rounds.
“We had a couple [of] opportunities over the past years and just couldn’t make it happen,” she said, “I believe it comes down to believing we belong there. Believing goes a long way.”
The regional competition will occur on April 5-6 with four team sites and on April 4-6 with five team sites. The final four will compete in the NCAA on April 12-13 at Thunderbowl Lanes. The Aggies have been focusing on two things as they prepare for this postseason.
“We have been trying to improve our shot repeatability and strengthening our mental game,” Kearney said.
Grace Stull, a junior player, said Thursday that they are sharpening their skills with every tournament to become eligible for the NCAA.
“Every tournament we come away from, whether we won, placed in the top three, or otherwise, we come home focused on something we saw that could use fine-tuning for the next tournament, ” she explained. “We are using each competition as a building block, gaining knowledge about what makes us good or what we don’t need, in order to be ready for the NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship.”
Outside of bringing pride to Aggie Nation with their commitment to perform at their highest ability, their victories forge a bright legacy for women’s sports. Stull shares her honor in representing women in sports and coach Kearny’s encouragement of women’s alliance in sports.
“As individual players, this team [tries] to represent women in sports to the best of our ability. We recognize the honor and privilege it is to compete for our school and to stand alongside our female athletes, who we also love to celebrate,” she said. “ Our coach, Kim Kearny, is one of the most celebrated females in our sport, and with privilege, she reminds us every day how important it is to handle ourselves to support female athletes in every sport.”
To stay updated on their season and or support, you can find them at @NcatAggieBowling on Instagram.
They kicked off their Stallings Invitational at Triad Lanes. The Lady Aggies are home this weekend from Feb.23 – Feb.25; come and show them, love!
