Women's Bowling | 4/3/2026 6:24:00 PM
LANSING, MICH. – A stiff challenge stood ahead of the North Carolina A&T bowling team during the 2026 NCAA Lansing Regional on Friday at Royal Scot Bowling Center.
The Aggies made their sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance on Friday. They find themselves in a region with defending national champion Youngstown State. The region also includes the No. 1 team in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Top 25 poll, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. The Aggies met the first half of that challenge with vigor. They beat the Penguins in a best-of-three Mega Match Friday morning, 2-0.
The other half of that challenge proved harder. Jax State dropped A&T into the elimination bracket with a 2-0 win. After losing to the Aggies, Youngstown State defeated Carroll 2-1 in an elimination match. Now the Penguins will face the Aggies in an elimination match at 9 a.m. Saturday from the Royal Scott Bowling Center.
Jax State will await the winner in the regional final. That winner will head to the Final Four, April 10-11, at Yorktown Lanes in Parma Heights, Ohio.
A&T opened the day with a traditional team play match against the Penguins. The Aggies, ranked 12th in the nation, took a 1-0 lead in the Mega Match by defeating the seventh-ranked Penguins 965-896. Senior
Juliana Sams led the way with a 204 total pinfall. Freshman
Sara Giraldo and sophomore Victory White each posted a 199 total pinfall.
The second Mega Match, played in Baker format, became a seesaw affair. A&T's lineup featured Giraldo as leadoff, followed by Sams, junior
Payton Hartgrove, and White. Junior
Savannah Burgin stepped in as anchor. The match was so competitive that after the first two games, the teams were tied at 380-380.
A&T took the advantage in Game 3, out-pinning the Penguins 209-160. The Penguins tightened the match by shaving 40 pins off A&T's 49-pin advantage. The Aggies held on in Game 5, out-pinning the Penguins 180-167 and winning the match 943-921.
"I don't know if either of us was at our best, but in the end it only matters who's standing at the end of it," said A&T head coach
Kim Terrell-Kearney. "I'm proud of the ladies fighting until the end. It got a little close there in the Baker match, but we held on. We are excited about the way we finished, and we are just going to keep fighting."
A&T had a tougher time against the Gamecocks. Three Jax State bowlers each knocked down more than 200 pins. Annalise O'Bryant led with 244, and the Gamecocks defeated the Aggies 1,057-807 in traditional team play. In the Baker portion of the Mega Match, the Aggies made it closer. The Gamecocks led by only 21 pins after the first game. Jax State added 14 pins to its lead after Game 2, beating A&T 213-199. They took Game 3, 216-166. That win propelled Jax State to a 1,117-955 victory.
"I don't think we played very well," said Terrell-Kearney. "In order to beat them, them being the best team in the country, we need to show up better."
