Wichita State Athletics Adds Women's Bowling

[1972Shocker]

https://goshockers.com/news/2023/9/8/wichita-state-athletics-adds-womens-bowling.aspx

Wichita State Athletics announced plans to add women's bowling as a NCAA Division I sport competing in 2024-25. Women's bowling will become the 16^th sport at Wichita State, launching July 1, 2024. Current women's bowling coach Holly Harris will serve as the program's first NCAA Division I women's head coach.

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Not sure if this is a Title IX driven move or not. But it is interesting that the Men's bowling team has not made this move.

[SubGod22]

Has NCAA bowling gotten better? I know one of the reasons they avoided it earlier was because the competition level was better where they were.

I also acknowledge that they weren't allowed to accept prize money for tournaments if they were in the NCAA, but now with NIL and whatnot that may no longer be an issue. Not entirely sure. I know it was said that not collecting prize money would hurt recruiting back then.

[WuShock16]

Has NCAA bowling gotten better? I know one of the reasons they avoided it earlier was because the competition level was better where they were.

I also acknowledge that they weren't allowed to accept prize money for tournaments if they were in the NCAA, but now with NIL and whatnot that may no longer be an issue. Not entirely sure. I know it was said that not collecting prize money would hurt recruiting back then.

I think your second point is the key driver here. That was my understanding as well. If it was an NCAA sport under the former amateur model, then the USBC was a better deal. With NIL being a thing in NCAA land, that apparently makes it better. Perhaps the backing of the athletics department will open up some more resource/revenue opportunities for the bowling program.

[1972Shocker]

RH: Podcast With Holly Harris On Shocker Bowling

https://goshockers.com/news/2023/9/8/the-roundhouse-rh-podcast-with-holly-harris-on-shocker-bowling.aspx

[ShockBand]

Me thinks we're going to get some more NCAA nattys. Per the article, the NCAAs are a combined all divisions, with a total of about 100 schools in Women's Bowling.

[SubGod22]

Am I going to have to change my Twitter to We're a bowling school now?

[shocker43]

Was bowling like, a club before this? I know we had/used to have a wrestling "club", I'm assuming it was similar?

[Kung Wu]

Was bowling like, a club before this? I know we had/used to have a wrestling "club", I'm assuming it was similar?

Yes, it was a club sport.

[WuShock16]

It seems like I remember that the official term was “independent varsity sport” as opposed to club sport.

But you know. PoTAYto, PoTAHto.

[SubGod22]

Does anyone actually say PoTAHto?

[DwShock]

Thanks goodness it’s bowling and not soccer!

[SubGod22]

Thanks goodness it’s bowling and not soccer!

You're going to get banned with that attitude

[WuDrWu]

Me thinks we're going to get some more NCAA nattys. Per the article, the NCAAs are a combined all divisions, with a total of about 100 schools in Women's Bowling.

Kind of seems like that might have been the purpose.....to help meet already existing goals?

[1972Shocker]

Does anyone actually say PoTAHto?

Probably only people who say ToMAHto.

[1972Shocker]

Kind of seems like that might have been the purpose.....to help meet already existing goals?

If that is the case why are they only adding the women's team and not he men's team. Smells like a Title IX move to me. One that doesn't carry a lot of additional expense since it is an already existing program. Hopefully, the current funding sources can be diverted to the athletic department as well.