Women's Bowling | 10/9/2026 11:47:00 PM
HARAHAN, La. — The highly decorated North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University bowling team returned to action in a powerful way on Friday.
The Aggies, ranked ninth in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Top 25 poll, opened their 2026-27 season with a 5-0 start at Colonial Lanes during Tulane University's Colonial Classic. In Friday's Baker play, the Aggies posted a 4,650 total pinfall, the fifth-highest of the day. Seventh-ranked Louisiana Tech and eighth-ranked Sam Houston State University also went 5-0. Tech led with 4,856 total pinfall, followed by SHSU (4,783), Alabama State (4,732), 17th-ranked Tulane (4,728), and A&T.
A&T opened against Texas Southern, with preseason Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Bowler of the Year
Victorya White leading off. Sophomore Charissse Graham, junior
Jasmine Hall, and senior
Payton Hartgrove bowled in positions 2, 3, and 4, with senior
Savannah Burgin anchoring. The Aggies out-pinned the Tigers 351-304 over the first two games.
Texas Southern gained ground by out-pinning the Aggies 178-151 in Game 3, but A&T answered with a 178-157 win in Game 4. Despite getting out-pinned 194-170 in Game 5, the Aggies held on to defeat Texas Southern 850-833. Another fellow HBCU awaited the Aggies in their second matchup, the Southern Jaguars.
Sophomore
Alexa Escamilla entered the lineup as the No. 3 bowler against the Jaguars. The Aggies took command with a 217-132 Game 1 win. They out-pinned the Jaguars 579-428 over the first three games and won 918-756. The Aggies' third matchup of the day was also their first against a ranked opponent, the Tulane Green Wave. A&T used the same lineup it used against Southern—White, Graham, Escamilla, Hartgrove, and Burgin. The Aggies and Tulane battled tightly over the first two games, with A&T holding a slight edge, 363-361. Tulane took the lead in Game 3 by out-pinning the Aggies 211-181.
The Aggies inched a little closer with a 197-186 win in Game 4 before launching to a 966-945 victory by out-pinning the Green Wave 225-187 in Game 5. A&T dominated Prairie View A&M 986-840 to improve to 4-0 on the day. They took control in Game 2 with a 257-147 win. Oklahoma Christian served as the Aggies' final opponent on Friday. The Eagles took an early lead, out-pinning the Aggies 389-237 in the first two games. The Aggies shaved 24 pins off the Eagles' lead in Game 3 before putting together their best showing of the day with a 236 total pinfall to enter Game 5 with a 761-692 advantage. The Eagles out-pinned the Aggies 183-169 in Game 5, but the Aggies held on to win 930-875.
A&T will continue playing in the Colonial Classic on Saturday with traditional play. The Aggies will open Saturday against back-to-back ranked opponents in La Tech and SHSU.
