Ariy-El Boynton

While the women’s SDSU basketball team is making a post-season run, there is another lesser known, yet just as successful women’s team on campus.

The club bowling team, who practice out of Prairie Lanes, has received national headlines after being ranked 21st in the nation in the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association poll. Through their performance, the girls are linked with schools like Florida State, Ohio State and Michigan State.

“It feels great to be ranked so high,” said SDSU women’s coach Roxie Nelson. “They have worked very hard for their national ranking, and I am very proud of their achievements as their coach.”

“Being nationally ranked feels great; it shows how talented our team is, even when competing against bigger schools,” said team member Jovan Ebalaroza. The SDSU bowling club faces bowlers/teams who offer scholarships and compete against larger schools that have had bowling teams for many years.

“I can believe that we are nationally ranked so high because we work hard during practice and do our best at every tournament,” said Ebalaroza.

While the girls share their enthusiasm with their coach for their ranking, some say they deserve a higher ranking.

Ebalaroza claimed that, “We would probably be ranked higher but our last tournament got cancelled because there were not enough women’s teams competing,”

Despite the lack of turnout, the girls still have a lot of fun as a team.

“I love my teammates. We have a lot of fun bowling with each other, and we support each other during practice and tournaments to help build team morale,” said Ebalaroza. “Not too many people know that SDSU has a bowling club. We try to represent SDSU in the best way possible at every tournament and get our name out on campus through fundraisers.”

Nelson said, “We always have so much fun together as a group; they are a great group of girls.”

While the success has ranked SDSU as one of the nation’s best, the team is aware that their name recognition is limited.

Perhaps if they do well in the Fairview Heights section of the National Bowling Sectional, they will be given greater recognition. The team will stay in St. Louis and compete in Fairview Heights, Ill., on March 15-16. The top four teams will advance to the nationals.

The other three sections are Allentown, Pa., Chattanooga, Tenn., and Las Vegas, Nev., who will send four teams to nationals, as well.

“I am looking forward to competing against the best schools in the nation at the Intercollegiate Qualifier in the singles and team events to prove that we deserve to go to the championships,” said Ebalaroza.