So, I guess it really doesn’t matter what you call it, when it comes to college bowling there has been one group of teams that has stood out in recent years.
For several years they have bowled under the mantle of the Southland Bowling League. But as of last week, it is now the property of Conference USA.
Not sure if the Southland Conference decided it wasn’t a benefit for them or Conference USA pursued a transition but it has happened and some of the nation’s best women’s bowling teams will compete for an automatic berth in the NCAA championships under the C-USA banner — Arkansas State, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tulane, Valparaiso, Vanderbilt and Youngstown State.
Six of those nine programs were a part of the 2023 NCAA championships, including national champion Vanderbilt and runner-up Arkansas State. Dating to 2014, this group of institutions has won five of the past nine championships (Stephen F. Austin in 2016, 2019, Vandy 2018, 2023, Sam Houston 2014).
Bowling has been an NCAA-sponsored sport since the 2003-04 season, with the first NCAA championship taking place in 2004. For the 2022-23 academic year, 100 NCAA institutions participated in the sport.
Tulane and Louisiana Tech are moving over to C-USA and will be joined by Jacksonville State, which will be starting its program in the 2023-24 season.
After the announcement of the new league, Jacksonville announced that PWBA star and national championship coach Shannon O’Keefe would be the one leading the program at the Jacksonville, Alabama, school.
“We are excited to add women’s bowling as our 18th NCAA sponsored sport at Jax State,” athletic director Greg Seitz said in a release. “Women’s Bowling is a sport that’s popularity is on the rise, specifically with the younger crowd, and that is evident by the fact that 219 high schools within Alabama offer the sport. This will create an opportunity for another group of student-athletes to compete at the next level at JSU.”
O’Keefe, one of the top names in professional and international bowling who has won at every level, comes to Jacksonville State after nine seasons as the bowling coach at McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois. She led the Bearcats to four national championships — two NCAA national championships and two USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships — and was named the National Ten Pin Coaches Association Coach of the Year for seven consecutive seasons.
She also has 15 titles on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour, including three major championships. She was also named the PWBA Player of the Year three times – in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
In this college bowling that’s a big-time hire. Now how many McKendree bowlers are going to go with her and if they do, Jacksonville is right in the hunt right away.
PBA history
History was made Sunday when Kevin McCune won the final PBA major of 2023, the Players Championship. His grandfather Don won on the PBA Tour. His father, Eugene, won on the PBA Tour. Now Kevin is a winner and the first win a major worth $100,000 is something special.
Some of you might not remember or be familiar with Don McCune but what he did in 1973 was voted one of the top 60 moments on the 60th anniversary of the PBA Tour in 2018.
Don McCune used chemically softened bowling equipment to create unmatched hooking power. He won six titles and was named PBA Player of the Year in 1973. The results of the “soaker era” caused organizations to make several rules that prohibited chemical usage but the results of the soaker caused bowling manufacturers to come up with several new bowling balls that put the hooking properties of the soaker legally into play.
The McCunes are the first three generation winners on the national PBA Tour. Kevin will be part of the special two-day Super Slam on Saturday and Sunday on FS1 and FOX Sports featuring the five major winners.
We’re back with you on May 30. Until then, good luck and good bowling.
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