Women's Bowling | 3/15/2026 10:57:00 PM

FORT WORTH, Texas – North Carolina A&T is headed to the Intercollegiate Team Championship (ITC) nationals sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) for the second straight year as the top qualifier out of its sectional.

The Aggies totaled 13,109 pins over 64 games at Cityview Lanes, averaging 204.8 for the two-day Fort Worth Sectional.

The Aggies excelled, outpacing Louisiana Tech by 705 pins and finishing Sunday with a 6,605 pinfall (32 games, 206.4 average). Last season, A&T was also the top qualifier, but from the Allan Park, Mich., Sectional. Junior Payton Hartgrove provided early good news, qualifying individually for the Intercollegiate Singles Championship (ISC) nationals with a fourth-place finish.

Hartgrove is headed to Green Bay, Wisc., April 13-18, to compete for the ISC national championship at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley. Hartgrove will also join her Aggie teammates in Wisconsin to compete for the ITC national championship. The Aggies are after their first ITC national championship in 11 years. A&T, the 12th-ranked team in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Top 25 poll, is one of four teams that qualified out of the Fort Worth Sectional.

In addition to fifth-ranked Louisiana Tech, which finished second with a total pinfall of 12,404, 15th-ranked Newman University (12,327), and 17th-ranked Tulane (11,849) are also headed to Wisconsin to compete for a national championship. Top-ranked Jacksonville State, the defending ITC national champions, led the way out of the Smyrna, Tenn., Sectional. Lindenwood, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and Cumberland University also qualified out of Smyrna.

Seventh-ranked Maryville was the top qualifier from Addison, Ill., along with 10th-ranked Sacred Heart, Mount Mercy, and 23rd-ranked Central Missouri. Thirteenth-ranked McKendree earned top qualifying honors out of Pittsburgh. No. 20 St. Vincent College, 22nd-ranked Duquesne, and Trine complete the 16-team field headed to Green Bay.  

The Aggies entered Sunday in first place after a 6,504 pinfall Saturday and played 64 games in four blocks of 16 over the weekend. Starting the third block Sunday, they totaled 3,200 pins, with a high of 231 in Game 33 and seven other games over 200 within the block.

After a low 159 in Game 49, the Aggies rebounded with six straight games over 200, peaking at 235 in Game 54. The streak ended in Game 57, but they finished strong, bowling 254, 236, 257, and 246 within their final seven games on Sunday.

The Aggies now shift their focus to the MEAC Bowling Championship Tournament at Triad Lanes in Greensboro, NC, March 20-22, aiming for their fifth title in six years and a sixth consecutive NCAA tournament bid.