Women's Bowling | 10/8/2026 3:57:00 PM
GREENSBORO — The North Carolina A&T women's bowling team enters the 2026-27 season as the top program in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
A&T enters the season as the reigning back-to-back MEAC tournament champion after capturing its 10th conference title in 2026. The championship marked the Aggies' fifth MEAC title in the past six years. A&T has also won five straight MEAC regular-season titles.
As the Aggies open their season this week in the Colonial Classic, hosted by Tulane University at Colonial Lanes in Harahan, La., on Friday, Oct. 9, they will look to raise their national profile. The team returns eight players who reached the NCAA Elite Eight last season and also advanced to the semifinals of the Intercollegiate Team Championships (ITC) sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC).
A&T is ranked ninth in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) preseason poll after finishing 10th in the final poll last season. Defending NCAA national champion Jacksonville State is No. 1. Jax State eliminated A&T in the NCAA and ITC tournaments.
Two other MEAC teams are ranked in the top 25, including No. 20 UAB and No. 25 Maryland Eastern Shore. The three-day Colonial Classic includes 14 teams. Five teams are ranked in the top 25: No. 7 Louisiana Tech, No. 8 Sam Houston State, No. 17 Tulane, No. 20 UAB, and A&T.
The first day will use the Baker format. The traditional format will be played Saturday, and bracket play in the Baker format will be held Sunday. The Aggies will open the season against Texas Southern before facing Southern, Tulane, Prairie View A&M, and Oklahoma Christian on Friday.
The Aggies return the 2026-27 preseason MEAC Bowler of the Year and former MEAC Rookie of the Year,
Victorya White. The rest of the roster is strong too. Senior
Payton Hartgrove was an Intercollegiate Singles Championship (ISC) finalist last season, and
Savannah Burgin and White made the USA Junior National Team a year ago.
Freshman standouts
Alexa Escamilla,
Sara Giraldo, and
Charisse Graham are back for year No. 2, and junior
Jasmine Hall was a preseason first-team All-MEAC selection in 2025-26. As usual, the Aggies' schedule will take them across the country and give them chances to compete against some of the nation's top programs, starting with the Colonial.
A&T will then compete in the Penguin Classic, hosted by Youngstown State University, Oct. 16-18 in Struthers, Ohio. The team will close out October at Destination Orlando, hosted by Sacred Heart University, Oct. 30-Nov. 1 in Orlando, Florida.
In November, A&T will travel to Houston for the Kat Klash, hosted by Sam Houston State University, Nov. 13-15. After the New Year, the Aggies will return to competition in January with two tournaments, the NE Classic (Jan. 15-17) and the Prairie View A&M University tournament (Jan. 22-24).
UMES will host the MEAC Meet, Feb. 5-7, in Pocomoke, Md., before the Aggies head to Lincoln, Nebraska, for the Big Red Invite, hosted by the University of Nebraska, Feb. 19-21.
The Aggies will return home Feb. 26-28 to host their annual Vernell Stallings Invitational at Triad Lanes in Greensboro. Their final regular-season tournament has traditionally been the Music City Classic, and that is the case again this season, with Vanderbilt hosting the event March 5-7.
From there, the Aggies will chase national and conference championship aspirations, starting with the USBC sectionals March 12-14 before attempting a three-peat as MEAC tournament champions March 19-21. The Aggies will then try to win an NCAA national championship and an ITC national title in April.
AMF Mt. Lebanon Lanes in Pittsburgh, Pa., will host the NCAA Final Four. ITC nationals are nearby at New Victory Lanes in Mooresville, NC.
