Conference Carolinas Announces Addition of Men’s and Women’s Bowling and Unique Partnership With Great Midwest Athletic Conference for Championships
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Conference Carolinas is excited to announce the addition of men’s and women’s bowling as sponsored sports in the 2021-22 academic year and the addition of Lincoln Memorial as an Associate Member.
The addition of men’s and women’s bowling is unique in that Conference Carolinas will partner with the Great Midwest Athletic Conference for its bowling championships. The inaugural Conference Carolinas/Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s and Women’s Bowling Championships are scheduled for the spring of 2022. More information will be made available in the future.
“This is another truly important day in the history of Conference Carolinas,” Commissioner Chris Colvin said. “We are thrilled to be able to announce the addition of men’s and women’s bowling in our efforts to continue to offer our member institutions new opportunities for their student-athletes in our efforts to build Champions in Body, Mind and Soul.”
Colvin is particularly pleased to be able to partner with the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
“When we first started discussing this idea, Commissioner Tom Daeger, and all involved in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, have worked hard behind the scenes to determine what worked best for our two conferences,” Colvin said. “I think this collaboration is perfect for both conferences and I am already looking forward to our inaugural Men’s and Women’s Bowling Championships next year.”
Conference Carolinas and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference will work in concert for the bowling championships, but during the regular season both conferences will operate separately in governance and with awards (except during the championships).
Based on current NCAA rules, the joint women’s bowling championship will receive automatic qualification to the National Collegiate Championship in the sport in 2024.
“The Great Midwest is excited to join Conference Carolinas in this bowling partnership,” said Daeger. “Our goal is to provide quality championship experiences for the student-athletes of our league and this endeavor fulfills that goal for our bowling members. We look forward to continuing to grow both women's and men's bowling programs within the league. I am thankful for Commissioner Colvin and his willingness to partner on this initiative and appreciative of the work he and his staff have put forth to develop this championship.”
Conference Carolinas’ bowling membership will include Belmont Abbey, Chowan, Emmanuel and Associate Member Lincoln Memorial.
“Not only do we get to announce the addition of men’s and women’s bowling, but we also have the opportunity to welcome a new Associate Member in Lincoln Memorial,” Colvin noted. “I appreciate Lincoln Memorial Director of Athletics Jasher Cox working with us to provide their student-athletes this tremendous opportunity. Lincoln Memorial is a fantastic addition.”
The Great Midwest Athletic Conference members in bowling will feature Kentucky Wesleyan, Ursuline and Walsh.
Men’s bowling is not currently sponsored by the NCAA, but the collaboration between Conference Carolinas and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference marks the first time an NCAA multi-sport conference will host a championship in the sport of men’s bowling.
Conference Carolinas is a sole sponsor of 23 sports, which is among the most in all of the NCAA. Including the collaboration with the South Atlantic Conference in men’s wrestling and field hockey along with the new partnership with the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in men's and women's bowling, Conference Carolinas now provides its member institutions sports sponsorship in 27 different sports.
The ability to provide its membership sports sponsorship in 27 sports is the most in all of NCAA Division II. In addition, Conference Carolinas also provides championship opportunities for its member institutions in Esports. Conference Carolinas held its inaugural Madden and NBA2K Championships during the 2020-21 academic year.
