GREENSBORO – It is December 2022. The North Carolina A&T bowling team has been at it for two months as the holidays approach.
In those two months, the Aggies defeated all the NCAA national championship contenders, including Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, Nebraska, the eventual 2022-23 national champion Vanderbilt, and even the No. 1 team in the country at the time, McKendree.
The Aggies even received an early Christmas present on Dec. 15, 2022. The Aggies learned they were ranked second nationally in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) top-25 poll. As 2023 approaches, they are an impressive 40-6.
Could this be the season? Could this be the season the Aggies, led by legendary head coach Kim Terrell-Kearney, win that elusive national champion? It would be the crowning achievement for a program with eight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships (MEAC), including the last three and four of the last five.
Could this be the season for a program with numerous All-Americans and MEAC bowlers of the year to its credit? Could it?
When the Aggies returned from the semester break in 2023, things did not go as smoothly. They did win another MEAC title and excelled at the Intercollegiate Team Championships (ITC) and Intercollegiate Singles Championships (ISC) in Daytona, Ohio. The Aggies nearly won a national championship via the ITC, going to the eighth of the originally scheduled best of seven before falling short. A few weeks later, Arkansas State eliminated the Aggies from the NCAA tournament in April.
But the Aggies are back as the 2023-24 season begins on Friday at the Tulane University Tulane U Colonial Classic. They are primarily the same Aggies from last season. A team that went 89-32 a year ago and reached a ranking of No. 2 in the nation returns the reigning two-time MEAC bowler of the year, Melanie Katen.
Lauren Tomaszewski is the 2023-24 MEAC preseason bowler of the year. She is the program's only first-team NTCA All-American in history and the reigning two-time MEAC tournament's most outstanding bowler. She is also back. The Aggies also return first-team All-MEAC Chloe Newberry, along with Laura Garcia, Juliana Sams, Grace Stull, Maya Avilez, and Katie Robb.
All have championship experience. All have NCAA tournament experience. Therefore, the pieces to win a national championship are in place. Thus, the Aggies, the fourth-ranked team in the country going into the season, will seek the crown again.
"We have fallen short the last few years but have had some of the best seasons we ever put together," said Terrell-Kearney. "As a coaching staff, we're always looking for that one thing that will put us over the top, that makes us better than everyone else out there. It wakes us up in the morning. It's what drives us to come here day after day.
"It's important for us to continue to educate ourselves as coaches and to educate the players on the lanes so that they are prepared for whatever is out there."
While capturing a national title is important to Terrell-Kearney and her husband and assistant coach, Eric Kearney, they don't want winning a national championship to weigh as a burden on the ladies. The Kearneys also want their bowlers to enjoy the experience that is A&T.
"Winning a national championship is our No. 1 goal, but at the same time, what is important to us is that it is enjoyable," said Terrell-Kearney. "We very much believe that getting better every day builds confidence, and there are many things we can do to put us in a position to win when March rolls around and when April rolls around the postseason. We want them to have an incredible experience while at A&T. We want them to know that they will leave a better player and human being. If we get some rings in the meantime, then we have completed that aspect of our job. Ultimately, we want them to have the experience they expected."
As always, the Aggies will play some of the top bowling programs nationwide in preparation for a national championship run. The Aggies have most of their traditional tournaments on their schedule, which includes two MEAC Meets. One will be hosted by Coppin State (Nov. 11-12) and the other by Norfolk State (Feb. 17-18).
A&T will also host the annual NCATSU Stallings Invitational, Feb. 24-26, at Triad Lanes. The Aggies will go for their fourth straight MEAC title, March 22-24, in Raleigh, N.C. The Aggies hope to move on to regionals before advancing to the NCAA championship round, April 12-14, in Allen Park, Mich.
"The highlight of last season had to have been ITC Nationals because it was the culmination of all of our hard work of the season," said Maya Avilez. "We did go through a slump from January to early March, and it was rough. Our seasons are really long so it takes a lot to get through it, but we showed we can fight with the rest of them and come out doing well at the end."
