Wichita State Athletics Adds Women's Bowling

[Kung Wu]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/why-now-was-the-right-time-for-wichita-state-to-add-women-s-bowling-as-an-ncaa-sport/ar-AA1grAfR

Nice article ... I love how it opens.

"After a decade of attempts ..."

Feels like somebody sat on his ass explaining why we can't, instead of showing us how we can. ADKS has only been here for 14 months and got this done already.

[SubGod22]

No it has to be close to student body ratio. Which due to more young men choosing to not go to college is increasing. Think WSU is roughly 56-44 women to men. That’s why bowling and eventually women’s soccer will help get WSU back to ratio it should be at. Or at least that’s my understanding, not sure what current scholarship ratio is.

My quote was in reference to someone posting about enough women’s sports for football. I was simply pointing out all of those sports he listed wouldn’t even cover the scholarships added by men’s football.

There's also a reasonable belief that the ratio would change some if we had football, as more men may very well choose to stay/come to Wichita if they offered the football experience that other schools offer.

[1972Shocker]

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.

..

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.

Read more at: https://www.kansas.com/sports/colleg...#storylink=cpy

So it sounds like that even if the NCAA had men's bowling they would not move the men's program to the NCAA.

I have no problem with providing women the opportunity to compete in sports at the collegiate level. Unfortunately, the current system seems to penalize the opportunities for men to compete.

[shoxlax]

Can hear it now;

That’s another Spirit Machinist strike!

[1972Shocker]

Shocker Bowling Joins Conference USA as Affiliate Member

https://goshockers.com/news/2023/11/13/athletics-shocker-bowling-joins-conference-usa.aspx

Conference USA has added Wichita State University as an affiliate member in bowling for the 2024-25 season. The league's Board of Directors unanimously affirmed the recommendation to extend an invitation for affiliate membership.

The addition of Wichita State increases current league membership to 10 schools for the 2024-25 season, as the Shockers join Arkansas State, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tulane, Valparaiso, Vanderbilt and Youngstown State as members of Conference USA.

"Shocker Athletics is thrilled to add Women's Bowling as our 16th sport, beginning July 1, 2024," Director of Athletics Kevin Saal said. "We are incredibly excited to be joining the most competitive women's bowling league in the country as an affiliate member of Conference USA. We look forward to aligning Shocker Bowling in a highly competitive environment regularly competing against the nation's best programs."

[WstateU]

Shocker Bowling Joins Conference USA as Affiliate Member

https://goshockers.com/news/2023/11/13/athletics-shocker-bowling-joins-conference-usa.aspx

Conference USA has added Wichita State University as an affiliate member in bowling for the 2024-25 season. The league's Board of Directors unanimously affirmed the recommendation to extend an invitation for affiliate membership.

The addition of Wichita State increases current league membership to 10 schools for the 2024-25 season, as the Shockers join Arkansas State, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tulane, Valparaiso, Vanderbilt and Youngstown State as members of Conference USA.

"Shocker Athletics is thrilled to add Women's Bowling as our 16th sport, beginning July 1, 2024," Director of Athletics Kevin Saal said. "We are incredibly excited to be joining the most competitive women's bowling league in the country as an affiliate member of Conference USA. We look forward to aligning Shocker Bowling in a highly competitive environment regularly competing against the nation's best programs."

Interesting...

[flyingMoose]

Update me here. There was a time when another entity held a collegiate bowling championship, and it was held in much higher regard than the one eventually conducted by the NCAA. Where does all of that stand now?

[1972Shocker]

Update me here. There was a time when another entity held a collegiate bowling championship, and it was held in much higher regard than the one eventually conducted by the NCAA. Where does all of that stand now?

I think that would be the United States Bowling Congress. Still a thing and that is what the Shockers are leaving behind for the NCAA Championships. While at one time I think the USBC was held in higher regard apparently that is no longer the case. When exactly that happened I am not sure.

Why now was the right time for Wichita State to add women’s bowling as an NCAA 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.

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.

“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,” Coach Holly Harris said.

Read more at: https://www.kansas.com/sports/colleg...#storylink=cpy

[1972Shocker]

While it is called Conference USA Bowling it has more affiliate members (7) than CUSA members (3):

CUSA Teams: Jacksonville State, LA Tech, Sam Houston
AAC Teams: Tulane, Wichita State
SBC - Arkansas State
WAC - Stephen F. Austin
MVC - Valparaiso
SEC - Vanderbilt
HZN - Youngstown State

I suppose not uncommon in these smaller niche sports plus NCAA Bowling is not dominated by the big schools (yet). For the 2023-24 seasons there are 102 NCAA women's programs compete as members of the NCAA. Wichita State begins NCAA play in 2024-25. The 102 NCAA schools are across all Divisions with 37 D-1 programs, 40 D-II programs, and 24 D-III programs. The NCAA holds a single championship open to all 3 divisions.

There is a grand total of two P-5 conference members participating in NCAA women's bowling. Vanderbilt and Nebraska. Nebraska is an independent.

The USBC and the NCAA are not really competing organizations. The USBC's mission is to promote bowling at all levels in in all forms including collegiate bowling at the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA varsity level and at the Collegiate Club level.

Regarding NCAA bowling the USBC's Collegiate Guide states that in recent years the National Collegiate Athletic Association aided the growth of college bowling, elevating women’s bowling to NCAA championship sport status in the 2003-04 season. Women’s bowling was originally given NCAA “emerging sport” status Sept. 1, 1994. This was done so institutions could provide greater opportunities for female student-athletes to participate in athletics and also to comply with Title IX guidelines and requirements regarding revenue distribution, minimum financial aid awards, minimum sports-sponsorship and player distribution numbers.

USBC Collegiate is dedicated to assisting the NCAA and its member institutions in implementing varsity bowling opportunities. This process includes educating university administrators, athletics personnel, prospective student-athletes and the general public of the benefits of having a varsity bowling program on their campus.

The Shocker men continue to compete in USBC sanction tournaments and national championships as a club sport supported by the Rhatigan Student Center. The difference between club and varsity intercollegiate bowling programs is the origin of the program’s funding. A club intercollegiate bowling program may receive school funding through the student union or student activities. Other funding resources for club programs include fundraising and out-of-pocket to cover expenses. A varsity bowling program receives funding through the athletic department.

It is hard to say if men's bowling will ever be elevated to an athletic department supported varsity sport. Title IX issues in their present from makes that problematic.

I count a total of 478 collegiate bowling programs listed by the USBC to include both varsity and club level programs including all NCAA divisions, NAIA schools and NJCAA schools. About 50 of those are P-5 programs.

The Intercollegiate Team Championships and the Intercollegiate Singles Championships sanctioned by the USBC are the championships the Shocker men and women have been competing in and presumably, at least the Shocker men, will continue to compete in.

Intercollegiate Team Championships
First contested in 1975, the Intercollegiate Team Championships is the pinnacle event of the college bowling season. The ITC brings together the top 16 men's and top 16 women's teams in the country to compete for national titles.

For a school to participate in the ITC, it must compete in certified college tournaments and conferences throughout the season. By either winning a conference or being one of the top-ranked teams in the country, schools advance to postseason sectional qualifying events. The top four men's teams and top four women's teams from each sectional tournament earn berths into the ITC.

Intercollegiate Singles Championships
The Intercollegiate Singles Championships, first contested in 2003, features the top 24 male and top 24 female collegiate bowlers in the country competing for national singles titles. Players advance to the ISC through sectional qualifying.

[1972Shocker]

So, in fact, Conference USA, which apparently is a new Women's bowling conference this year, does seem to be on of the best, if not the best, women's bowling conferences in the NCAA.

Seven CUSA Teams Ranked in Top 10 of NTCA Preseason Poll

In its first year with the addition of women’s bowling, Conference USA secured seven of the top-10 rankings in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Preseason Poll. The poll is voted on by NCAA head coaches.

Conference USA women’s bowling encompasses nine programs during its first season – Arkansas State, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tulane, Valparaiso, Vanderbilt and Youngstown State.

The CUSA bowling institutions have won five of the last nine national championships, including Stephen F. Austin in 2016 and 2019, Vanderbilt in 2018 and 2023 and Sam Houston in 2014.

NTCA 2023-24 Pre-Season Coaches Poll (First place votes)
1. Vanderbilt (51)
2. Arkansas State (3)
3. University of Nebraska
4. North Carolina A&T
5. Stephen F. Austin
6. Youngstown State
7. Jacksonville State (2)
8. Sam Houston
9. Maryville University
10. Louisiana Tech

22. Tulane

[1972Shocker]

So last year it appears that LaTech and Stephen F. Austin competed in both the NCAA Championships and in the USBC ITC Championships. So apparently by moving to an NCAA varsity level sport a team is not precluded from competing in both the NCAA Championships and the USBC Championships. At least that appears to me to be the case.

[1972Shocker]

More details about NCAA Women's Bowling:

Considered one of the NCAA's winter sports, Women's Bowling's season runs from October through the end of March. The NCAA Championship being held in April, and each NCAA program must bowl a minimum of 15 dates to be eligible for the NCAA Championship.

In NCAA Bowling, programs from all classifications compete together for one championship each year. Seventeen teams, nine automatic qualifiers and eight at-large selections, are chosen by the NCAA Bowling Committee to compete in the Championship.

The field is split into four regions, competing at predetermined sites; each of the top four seeds as chosen by the NCAA selection committee is placed in a separate regional. Each regional is played as a double-elimination tournament.

All regional matches, except for what the NCAA calls "if necessary regional finals", are best-of-three matches bowled in the following order: five-person team, Baker total pinfall, Baker best-of-seven match play. Any "if necessary regional final" will be Baker best-of-seven.

Regional winners advance to the championship event, which will also be double-elimination. All matches are bowled under the standard format for regionals (best-of-three matches using specified formats in a specific order) except the championship final, which will be Baker best-of-seven.

Explanation of Bowling scoring/games:
Team Game (Five-Person). A team game consists of five members of the same team each completing one full game of bowling, completing the 10 frames. The completion of the game is done by each player (1 through 5) completing frame one, then completing frame two, frame three, etc., until all 10 frames have been completed. All five completed games are then added for a sum total.

Baker Game. A Baker game is defined as a modified scoring format consisting of five players, with each member completing only two frames of a tenpin game. All team members follow each other in sequential order, each bowling a complete frame (Player No. 1 = frame No. 1, Player No. 2 = frame No. 2, etc.) until each member has completed one of the first five frames; this process is completed again (starting with Player No. 1) in frames six through 10 until the game is complete. All 10 frames of the game are added together to determine a final score.

The most successful team in NCAA play is Nebraska with 6 titles. Nebraska is the only program to qualify for all 19 NCAA Bowling Championships since the NCAA started sponsoring bowling in the 2003-04 season.

Division II McKendree won the women's NCAA Championship in 2021. McKendree's women won the USBC ITC in 2017 and 2022.

So at this point I feel semi-edumacated about this WSU women's bowling stuff.