EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T bowling made program history by earning the No. 2 ranking in the nation in the latest National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) poll released Thursday night.

The Aggies moved up five spaces from their No. 7 preseason ranking. It was the highest jump of any top-10 team. McKendree is at the top of the poll with 1,462 points, receiving 32 first-place votes. A&T received 1,300 points and six first-place votes.

Vanderbilt (1,257 points), Nebraska (1,157 points) and Stephen F. Austin (1,099 points) all dropped a spot to round out the top-5. McKendree and A&T have matched up twice this season, with each team coming away with a victory.

A&T's previous highest rank was No. 4, a ranking they reached on March 6, 2021, and December 2021. The Aggies have won their last three tournaments and sport a 40-6 record overall and an 8-0 mark in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

Their most recent tournament win came in the UMES Hawk Classic, where they defeated then No. 2 Vanderbilt twice in bracket play. A&T has three wins over Vanderbilt and a 10-1 showing over ranked opponents.  

The other tournament wins came in the MEAC Meet and the Sam Houston Kat Klash. Chloe Newberry leads the team with 3,130 pins to average 208.67 in 15 games. Preseason MEAC bowler of the year Lauren Tomaszewski follows with 3,118 pins to average 207.87 over 15 games. Melanie Katen, the 2022 MEAC bowler of the year, has played 15 games. She has 3,058 total pins (203.87).

The Aggies begin the second half of the season with the SHU Northeast Classic from Jan. 20-22 in Deptford, N.J.