The William Smith College bowling team will make its NCAA National Collegiate Bowling Championship debut just an hour down the road from their campus, facing Fayetteville State University in the opening match of the Rochester Regional at Bowl-A-Roll Lanes at 9:00 a.m. Thursday, April 4. In just their second varsity season, the Herons qualified for the 18-team tournament field by securing the AMCC Tournament Championship and its accompanying automatic bid.
William Smith is led by AMCC Co-Coach of the Year Heather Sterner and AMCC Player of the Year Michaela Morgan. The Herons are 49-21, including an 18-2 mark in AMCC play. William Smith, which was picked to finish eighth in the AMCC preseason poll, earned a share of the league's regular season title and went undefeated at the AMCC Tournament. The Herons earned their first national ranking when they debuted at No. 11 in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Division II/III poll.
William Smith's roster also includes All-AMCC first team selection freshman Colleen Jump and AMCC All-Tournament selection, sophomore Caitlyn Anschutz.
Fayetteville State, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, also earned an automatic bid into the field, winning the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship. The Division II Broncos are 60-13 overall and enter the NCAA championship riding a 22-match winning streak.
William Smith and Fayetteville State will play a mega match, a best of three format which includes a five-person team match, Baker total pinfall and, if the teams are tied, a best-of-seven Baker match. The winner will advance to the double-elimination portion of the bracket, facing 2023 national runner-up Arkansas State on April 5. The Red Wolves are ranked second in the NTCA Overall Coaches Poll.
Defending national champion Vanderbilt, ranked fourth in the NTCA Overall Coaches Poll, and Merrimack, ranked 16th in the overall poll, will also compete in the Rochester Regional.
The four regional winners will meet at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan, April 12-13 to determine the national champion.
NCAA Selection Show: https://www.ncaa.com/news/
Post Selection Show interview with William Smith Head Coach Heather Sterner: https://youtu.be/YwfjTFZLmJU?
Post Selection Show interview with junior Michaela Morgan ’25: https://youtu.be/zysaUB_Kujw?
NCAA Bracket: https://www.ncaa.com/_