WICHITA, Kan. -- The Wichita State women's bowling team captured their 31st Mid-States Championship on Sunday afternoon at Bowlero Northridge, defeating #8 Sam Houston 3-1 in the best-of-five final.

The Mid-States win is the first for Wichita State since capturing the title in 2020-21 and the first tournament championship for the program since the elevation to an NCAA sport this season.

"It's always a little sweeter to win at home in front of the people who support us," head coach Holly Harris said. "We have been welcomed into athletics and having so many familiar faces in the crowd certainly made this win a memorable one. The girls played awesome from the start. The lanes were tricky and the team stayed patient. It's cool to see the skills they are working on in practice be translated to competition. It's early in the season and they are already making some big improvements." 

The Shockers ended Saturday ranked second in total pinfall after six team games, racking up 5,744 pins to trail Sam Houston by 62. But Wichita State made up the ground and then some over Sunday morning's Baker games, surging to the top of the leaderboard with 8,673 total pins, 108 clear of second-place Savannah College of Art and Design. By virtue of their total pins, the Shockers earned the #1 seed heading into the eight-team championship bracket, decided by best-of-five Baker matches.

Wichita State got a strong test from the #8 seed Oklahoma Christian, the #24-ranked team in the nation. The Eagles led 2-1 after a 212-189 victory in game three, but WSU put together dominant showings in games four and five, cruising past OCU 236-179 and 226-178, respectively, to advance to the semifinals.

The Shockers again had to rally in the semis against William Penn, a top-five finisher at last season's NAIA Nationals. WSU dropped a heartbreaking first game, 233-232, but bounced back with wins of 204-158 and 230-171 to take a 2-1 lead. The Statesmen forced a decisive game five with a 246-190 victory, but the Shockers were able to capitalize on a handful of open frames from William Penn to secure a 189-146 win and a berth in the finals.

After going the distance in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the Shockers were able to close out the #8-ranked Bearkats in four. After trading wins in the first two games, Wichita State seized the initiative with a 195-176 decision in game three and wrapped up the championship in game four, 195-186.

The Shockers placed three on the All-Tournament team, with Sara Duque Jiménez in second, Piper Reams in third and Madi Phillips in fifth.

Wichita State is off next weekend before heading to Kenosha, Wisconsin for the SFA Ladyjack Motiv Classic beginning November 8.