Women's Bowling | 3/23/2025 8:36:00 PM
RALEIGH, NC – Kim Terrell-Kearney is quietly becoming one of the most accomplished head coaches in the history of North Carolina A&T Athletics. Throw in her professional bowling career, and she is one of our nation's most accomplished sports figures.
She added to her collection on Sunday by leading the A&T bowling team to the 2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Bowling Championship Tournament title by defeating the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) Blazers 4-1 in a best-of-seven Baker format series at Buffaloe Lanes.
Terrell-Kearney now has a ring for the thumb as the head bowling coach at A&T and one for her other index finger as a head coach in the MEAC because she led the Delaware State Hornets to a MEAC title in 2009.
Throw in six MEAC Coach of the Year awards, including the last five, 10 professional bowling titles, including three majors, eight inductions into various Halls of Fame, and likely two more once the MEAC and the North Carolina A&T Sports Halls of Fame come calling, gold medalist and All-American, and the California native ain't done too bad for herself.
"I think it's crazy. I'm actually pretty surprised and shocked about the continued success I've had," said Terrell-Kearney. "I hope people do appreciate how hard it is. I know our team does. Our kids are working their behinds off to bring this championship home. I'm always excited about it, and I hope it continues."
Sunday's win added to the head coach's legacy and served as redemption from last season's disappointing loss in the MEAC title match. It cemented some individual legacies and made some history for the athletics department.
The Aggies played in their eighth straight conference championship match. That ties the men's basketball record of eight straight times playing for a conference championship title as Don Corbett and the Aggies were in the MEAC title game every year from 1981-88. In addition, fifth-year seniors Laura Garcia and Melanie Katen now have four conference tournament titles, and seniors Maya Avilez, Chloe Newberry, and Grace Stull have three.
"Everyone of the ladies I've bowled with is really hard-working," said Garcia, who claimed her first-ever first-team All-MEAC honor this season. "They really wanted to win, so winning these four championships is surreal to me. When I came to A&T, I couldn't imagine we would be so successful in conference and as a program. I'm really, really proud."
Heading into the 2024 MEAC tournament, the Aggies had a chance to win four straight conference tournament titles. Those plans were thwarted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) as the Hawks took down the Aggies to win their 11th MEAC tournament title. It took some time to get over it.
"A lot," said senior Maya Avilez when describing how much last season's defeat affected the team. "We talked about it every day for the next three months, and then we talked about it frequently leading up to this season. We love UMES. We're good friends with the team. But just the way it went down, we were very bothered by it."
The Aggies sent UMES into the elimination bracket on Saturday by defeating the Hawks 2-0 in a semifinal Mega Match. UAB defeated the Hawks Sunday morning 2-0 to advance to face the Aggies. While the Aggies played in their eighth straight title match, UAB played in its first.
Throughout the tournament, the lane conditions were difficult because of the pattern. Therefore, it was a low-scoring best-of-seven final.
It looked like the Aggies were destined to win after what occurred in Game 1. Avilez, serving as the A&T anchor, looked like she knocked down seven pins on her 10th-frame bowl. Instead, one pin inexplicably wobbled before falling, knocking down the pin to the right. Once that pin dropped, it spun to the right to knock down the last pin for a strike.
Avilez walked back to her teammates, shrugging her shoulders as if she had no explanation, and proceeded to bowl another strike, leading to the Aggies winning Game 1, 183-163. The Aggies won Game 2 behind freshman Victorya White and Newberry strikes before Avilez closed the game with a strike. Despite the Blazers bowling three straight strikes in the final frame, the Aggies had a big enough lead to take a 3-0 lead in the series with a 187-175 win.
UAB held off elimination by winning Game 4, 171-162, before White, the MEAC Rookie of the Year, overcame her early struggles to seal the deal. White, who had four open frames during the match, including during her first bowl of Game 5, came through big with a strike in her final bowl. Newberry followed by delivering another crushing blow to the Blazers with a strike before Avilez added the sweetener with a spare.
Avilez completed the trifecta on Sunday by winning the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer award. That will go along nicely with her MEAC Preseason Bowler of the Year and MEAC Bowler of the Year awards. The Aggies will now prepare to play in their fifth straight NCAA Bowling Championship Tournament as the automatic qualifier out of the MEAC.
It will be A&T's seventh overall appearance in the NCAAs. Terrell-Kearney has a Final Four appearance to her credit, leading the Hornets there in 2009. But she and her Aggies want more.
"You're going to get a fire-filled team," Avilez said about the NCAA tournament. "We haven't made the Final Four since I've been here, so we want it. I know the seniors want it. I know the seniors are imparting that want on the freshmen. We want it."
