Women's Bowling | 3/22/2026 8:57:00 PM

GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T bowling remains one of one in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

The Aggies, ranked 12th in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Top 25 poll, reinforced their dominance in the MEAC. On Sunday, they captured the 2026 MEAC Bowling Championship Tournament by sweeping the University of Maryland Eastern Shore 4-0 in a best-of-seven Baker format match at Triad Lanes. UMES and A&T have now battled for the MEAC tournament title six times in the 26-year history of the tournament.

It marks A&T's 10th overall MEAC tournament title. The Aggies are now only one behind UMES for the most in MEAC history. A&T has now won five of the last six MEAC tournaments. That includes the last two. Additionally, the Aggies played in their ninth straight MEAC championship match. This breaks A&T's department of athletics record for consecutive conference finals reached. They surpass the men's basketball team's streak of eight straight (1981-88).

A&T head coach Kim Terrell-Kearney has always propelled the Aggies to the MEAC championship match, compiling a 6-3 record in those contests. The seven-time MEAC Coach of the Year has captured the last six awards. She now boasts seven MEAC tournament titles: six at A&T and one at Delaware State (2009). Sunday's victory secures A&T's sixth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Bowling Championship Tournament, marking its eighth overall berth.

"I think it is certainly the support that comes from the university," Terrell-Kearney said about why A&T has remained a national power. "(A&T Athletics Director Earl Hilton) and (Chancellor James R. Martin II) and everybody else that has continued to support us have been so important. They have allowed us to have everything we need to win. We've done a pretty good job recruiting.
We brought in some really talented kids who want to continue the tradition and the standard that is in front of them. That makes our job easy, but at the same time, there is the responsibility of making sure we show back up every single year."

A&T showed up big all tournament long. UMES gave the Aggies a fight in the second round on Friday, but A&T took control and showed dominance in its other three matchups over the weekend, playing exceptionally well in all four.

Junior Savannah Burgin earned most outstanding player honors. Her name now joins legends such as Lauren Tomaszewski, Melanie Katen, and Melissa Comfort, who have also claimed the honor. Burgin also earned all-tournament accolades. Earlier this year, she made the Junior USA Team. Burgin served as anchor on Sunday, a position she did not know she would occupy until that morning.
Burgin recorded a 256 total pinfall on Saturday in A&T's victory over UAB, which led to the decision.

"She wasn't bowling a year ago," Terrell-Kearney said about Burgin. "The growth and the hard work … She comes back every summer and spends a week with me. She just continues to fight and work hard, making Team USA. We put her down at the bottom, and she rose to the occasion by being the MVP here."

Freshman Sara Giraldo and senior Juliana Sams set the table in all four games on Sunday. Only three times in their combined 16 attempts did either fail to bowl strikes. Sophomore Victorya White also made a statement for the Aggies early. She faced a difficult 4-7-9 split during her second bowl attempt of Game 1. She made the incredible 3-pin spare, and Burgin then followed with a one-pin spare, which gave A&T an edge. UMES anchor Mariana Santos Rivero failed to strike out, giving the Aggies Game 1, 195-191.

"We talk about this every single week," said Terrell-Kearney. "Get your work done early and do it at the front end of the game. Having the right people at the start of the lineup is important. We've moved around some people in and out of different spots. It feels like these five are the five that may bring us forward."

Giraldo and Sams went strike, strike in their first two attempts. Burgin converted two 4-pin spares to help A&T win Game 2, 176-169. In Game 3, Giraldo and Sams got off to their usual hot start. Junior Payton Hartgrove came alive with her first strike of the match, leading A&T to a 211-180 win.

"I just made sure I kept my eye on my mark, and I made sure I hit that mark," said Sams, who won her third conference tournament title as an Aggie.

UMES had its best showing in Game 4. Giraldo bowled two strikes. Sams, Hartgrove, White, and Burgin each scored a one-pin spare and a strike in their two attempts, clinching the title, 233-223. The Aggies won with a freshman leadoff bowler, a sophomore two-time first-team All-MEAC bowler, a junior who qualified for the Intercollegiate Singles Championships, and a junior who earned MOP honors. The Aggies did not play freshman Charisse Graham, who has won two MEAC Rookie of the Week awards this season. Even scarier for foes, A&T also did not play preseason All-MEAC bowler, sophomore Jasmine Hall.

"We had a bit of a slow start to the season," said Terrell-Kearney. "We had a bunch of new players on the team, so trying to get the culture understood, and all the hard work that is involved in being a part of this program took time. They gladly took it on, so we're super proud of that. They just believed we could get better every single week. They believe there is nothing holding us back and that we're peaking at the right time. I think that's what makes it so special because it has been so fun."