25 May HU Adding Bowling as Varsity Sport

In 2012, Huntington University will become the first Christian college in Indiana to offer bowling as a varsity sport. Only three other Christian colleges compete in bowling–in Missiouri, Kentucky, and Georgia.

The university will launch a men’s team and a women’s team, with 12 athletes per team. The season will run October through April, with multiple weekend tournaments.

“We are very excited to add bowling as an intercollegiate sport for both men and women,” said Athletic Director Lori Culler. “We know we have a tremendous number of outstanding bowlers here in our own community, and the success they’ve had has created a lot of enthusiasm for the sport. We hope to be able to tap into that talent pool often to give our programs some local flavor.”

In 2010, bowling became an emerging sport in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as a result of 25 member institutions declaring participation for that academic year. Fifty varsity programs are needed to become an NAIA championship sport.

Last year alone, more than 300 boys and girls bowling teams competed in Indiana, and many local high schools host teams.

The Huntington University Foresters currently compete in 14 intercollegiate sports for men and women.