Women's Bowling | 3/26/2025 6:11:00 PM

 Listen to a podcast with coach Holly Harris on WSU's NCAA berth

By Paul Suellentrop
 
The NCAA added women's bowling to its roster of sports in 1994. Gordon Vadakin immediately knew Wichita State needed to join. He kept the Power Point presentation he used that year to make his case to university officials in Morrison Hall.
 
On Wednesday, Wichita State qualified for its the NCAA bowling championship in its first season as a member after moving from independent varsity status in July. The Shockers are the fourth overall seed in the 19-team field and will face Felician (N.J.) University on April 4 in the Lansing (Mich.) Regional.
 
"This what we dreamed about," said Wichita State coach Holly Harris. "It's always been the goal."

 

Nobody dreamed harder than Vadakin, who retired in 2019 as Wichita State's head bowling coach after building the men's and women's teams into powerhouses after taking over in 1976.
 
While WSU women's bowling thrived in the Intercollegiate Team Championships, Vadakin knew that NCAA schools would someday enjoy an edge over WSU and other independent varsity (or club) teams. In 2003-04, enough schools sponsored bowling that the NCAA added championship competition and now more than 100 across the three divisions compete (the NCAA does not offer men's bowling).
 
Vadakin watched Wednesday's selection show on NCAA.com with the Shockers, coaches, staff and fans at the Champions Club in Charles Koch Arena. That was the scene he envisioned when he campaigned for NCAA status for more than 20 years.
 
"I knew our ability to create championship-caliber teams was there due to the structure that the team has," he said. "It did not matter we were a so-called club-level program. I knew we had the ability to get to that level (in NCAA). I didn't know we would get to this level, this championship level as quickly as they have."
 
The Shockers won 11 ITC titles (and 13 for the men) before moving to the NCAA and under the umbrella of the WSU athletic department. On Sunday, they defeated 2024 NCAA champion Jacksonville State twice to win the Conference USA title and an automatic bid to the NCAA regional.
 
"I'm so proud of these girls, but I'm also so proud of (coaches) Holly Harris and Mark Lewis," he said. "It's things they learned over the decades. The girls learn. The coaches learn. We all learn more. That's how it's been for us over the past 30 years."
 

Harris and Lewis, director of Shocker bowling who assists with the women's team, are both lifelong Shockers. They know how Vadakin built the program by setting high standards athletically and academically. Wichita State, under Vadakin, prided itself on mental and physical training that most programs don't reach.
 
"(Harris) knows the program as a player from the roots up," Vadakin said. "What we learned is unique. It's a culture of success. It's expected. We work at it."
 
The Shockers are in a four-team, double-elimination regional. Vanderbilt faces Fairleigh Dickinson (N.J.) in the other match.
 
Senior Piper Reams bowled on last season's ITC champions and is part of the roster taking the Shockers into the NCAA era.
 
"It was super-exciting going through the transition," she said. "It shows that us, and everybody before us, all the hard work we put in is finally proven. It's something that's been in the works for years."
 
The NCAA finals are April 11-12 in Las Vegas for a four-team, double-elimination format.
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.