WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita State women's bowling opens the 2026-27 season ranked No. 3 in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Preseason Poll, the organization announced Thursday.

Earning 1420 points, the Shockers enter as one of the nation's top three teams, joining Jacksonville State (1620) and Vanderbilt (1484) at the top of the preseason poll.

Coming off a No. 5 preseason ranking, the Shockers posted a 79-36 record last season. Wichita State claimed three tournament titles at the Track Kat Klash, Big Red Invite and NCAA Arlington Regional before advancing to the NCAA Final Four, where they finished as the national runner-up. This marked the second-straight Final Four appearance and first national championship appearance in the Shockers' two seasons since beginning NCAA competition in 2024.

With head coach Holly Harris back at the helm, Wichita State returns a seasoned roster, including four All-American honorees Aleesha Oden, Sara Duque Jiménez, Ashtyn Woods and Morgan Kline. The Shockers also bring back Beau Anderson, Madi Phillips, Kendall Bollea and Erica DeBello, while adding freshmen Olivia Lizzi and Clara Campbell to the roster.

The Shockers start the 2026-27 campaign Oct. 17-18 at the Mid-States Championships in Wichita before heading to the Destination Orlando tournament Oct. 30-Nov 1.

NTCA PRESEASON COACHES COLL

Rank	School, Location, Conference Affiliation	1st Place Votes	Point Total	Previous Rank
1	Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL (CUSA)	38	1620	1
2	Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (CUSA)		1484	2
3	Wichita State University, Wichita, KS (CUSA)		1420	3
4	Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR (CUSA)		1336	4
5	University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (CUSA)		1330	5
6	Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH (CUSA)		1232	8
7	Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA (INDEPENDENT)		1156	6
8	Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX (CUSA)		1058	9
9	North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC (MEAC)		1012	10
10	Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT (CUSA)		914	11
11	Wright State University, Fairborn, OH (CUSA)		779	13
12	Newman University, Wichita, KS (GLVC)		764	12
13	Maryville University, St. Louis, MO (GLVC)		659	7
14	Niagara University, Niagara University, NY (NEC)		632	14
15	McKendree University, Lebanon, IL (GLVC)		614	15
16	Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA (NEC)		529	19
17	Tulane University, New Orleans, LA (CUSA)		511	18
18	Mount St. Mary's University, Emmitsburg, MD (INDEPENDENT)		506	17
19	Bryant University, Smithfield, RI (ECC)		486	16
20	University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL (MEAC)		413	20
21	Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN (CUSA)		307	21
22	Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA (AMCC)		269	22
23	University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO (GLVC)		266	23
24	Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ (NEC)		236	23
25	University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD (MEAC)		114	NR