Women's Bowling | 10/1/2026 10:33:00 AM

GREENSBORO – The drumbeat continues for North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University bowling.

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) released its preseason accolades and predictions on Tuesday, with the Aggies predicted to win the regular season for the sixth straight season. A&T secured every first-place vote, totaling 88 points and finishing 21 points ahead of conference rival the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES).

Another continued theme for the Aggies' bowling program is the preseason player of the year designation. MEAC head coaches and sports information directors voted A&T junior Victorya White as the 2026-27 MEAC Preseason Player of the Year. It marks the sixth straight year the Aggies have entered a season with a preseason player of the year, including White earning the accolade two straight preseasons.

White was the only Aggie to secure first-team preseason All-MEAC honors. White likely did not win the 2025-26 MEAC Player of the Year award because she did not play enough frames to qualify. Why? Because the Aggies have tremendous depth and talent. They not only should be expected to do well in the MEAC, but the Aggies have one of the better teams in the nation.

The Aggies return eight bowlers from a team that made the NCAA's Elite Eight last season and won its second straight MEAC tournament title. In fact, the Aggies have won five of the last six MEAC tournaments. Payton Hartgrove returns for her senior year after transferring from Alabama State. The Aggies also reached the semifinals of the Intercollegiate Team Championship sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) before losing to eventual champion Jacksonville State. Hartgrove won three MEAC Bowler of the Week awards last season. Hartgrove fell short of winning a USBC-sponsored Intercollegiate Singles Championship last season.

The Aggies also return Sara Giraldo and Charisse Graham, who dominated the conference's rookie-of-the-week awards last season. Giraldo made the Colombian junior national team last season. Another promising freshman from last season returning to Aggieland is Alexa Escamilla. Senior Savannah Burgin and junior Jasmine Hall are also big-time names returning to the lineup.

Burgin made the USA junior national team a year ago, and Hall was a preseason All-MEAC selection before the 2025-26 season. Another member of the US junior national team from a year ago is White. She returns for her third year at A&T after winning MEAC Rookie of the Year in 2024-25.

During last year's regular season, White bowled 1,025 total frames. She ranks 15th in the nation in single-pin spare conversion (93.4). She had a 49.9 strike percentage, a 70.6 single-spare percentage, and made 83.1 percent of her makeable spares. During team traditional play this season, White had a total pinfall of 6,900 over 34 games, averaging 202.94.

A&T opens the season in Harahan, La., for the annual Colonial Classic hosted by Tulane University, Oct. 9-11.







Predicted Order of Finish
1 – North Carolina A&T State 88 (11)
2 – Maryland Eastern Shore 67
3 – UAB 66
4 – Delaware State 62
5 – Morgan State 45
T6 – Coppin State 27
T6 – Howard 27
8 – Norfolk State 14
 
First place votes in parenthesis 
 
Preseason Player of the Year
Victorya White, North Carolina A&T State
 
Preseason All-MEAC
Victorya White, North Carolina A&T State
Mariane Almeida, Maryland Eastern Shore
Amina Hall, Delaware State
Ryan Starke, Delaware State
Hannah Perry, Delaware State
Soraya Brinson, Howard