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We need a Bowling sub forum. There is no sport on campus that can match the history and potential of this new women's program. Well, except for maybe mens bowling that is. ;)
Wichita State women's bowling is an NCAA sport and brings its championship tradition to the university's athletic department after winning its 11th national title in April. Coach Holly Harris and senior Piper Reams explain why the move makes sense and how NCAA membership benefits the program. We also discuss the growth of bowling in Kansas, how recruiting changes and how the NCAA tournament field is determined.
Harris is the women's bowling coach at Wichita State, a program that is now part of the athletic department and will begin NCAA competition in 2024-2025. Reams is a senior bowler from Haysville and a member of the 2024 team that won the program's 11th Intercollegiate Team Championship in April in Louisville.
Rising sophomore Sara Duque will represent her home country of Colombia in the 2024 International Bowling Federation World Youth Championships in Incheon, South Korea.
The 2024 World Youth Championships run from July 7-18 and are contested at Incheon's 32-lane Fiesta Bowling Center. The biennial event is considered to be bowling's most prestigious event for young competitors. It features more than 300 bowlers, all under the age of 21, representing 39 countries. Each member federation may register a maximum of four male and four female athletes to participate in the 2024 IBF World Youth Championships. Braden Mallasch from the Wichita State men's bowling team will also take part in the competition, representing the United States.
Duque is coming off a banner 2023-24 season in her debut campaign with the Shockers. The native of Envigado, Columbia helped Wichita State to an 11th ITC national championship and shortly afterward claimed the ISC national championship, defeating Lindenwood's Hailey Bozych, 234-167.
Karma and Gary Mason have given a lead gift of $100,000 to support the Wichita State Women's Bowling facility enhancement project. This $300,000 initiative will include a new locker room, conference room and offices for coaching staff inside the Rhatigan Student Center.
"Gary and I are thrilled to kick off this fundraiser for Women's Bowling," said Karma Mason. "This program was deeply enriching to my own life, and I have no doubt it will continue to enrich the lives of many talented young women for years to come."
Mason was recruited to the women's bowling program at Wichita State in 1975, and the team went on to win the first-ever national collegiate team championship held that year. Since that first win, the program has claimed a total of 11 Intercollegiate Team Championships (1975, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1990, 1994, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2021, 2024) and six Intercollegiate Singles Champions (2006, 2007, 2009, 2017, 2023, 2024). Mason is the only person in the program's history to be on three national bowling championship teams.
The renovations to the Women's Bowling facility will position the program for growth and excellence as they seek to continue recruiting top-tier student-athletes to compete at Wichita State.
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