The Lady Rams bowlers have had an up-and-down season, but things are looking good for the future.
The Lady Rams have only been bowling for five short years, but by 2003, the team – led by former head coach Leon Kay, and now head coach Tyrone Scales – had already won its second Western Division regular-season title and secured a No. 1 seed in the 2003 CIAA Bowling Championship Tournament.
In 2003 the Lady Rams bowlers also competed their first-ever NCAA Women’s Bowling National Championship.Lady Rams bowling has been making slow but steady progress. With the arrival of WSSU in the MEAC, the opposition has stiffened, putting the team in a difficult but also promising situation. The Lady Rams could use more support at their matches, but they understand that most of the matches are pretty far from campus, with their closest tournament being the NC A&T Aggie Invitational in Greensboro.
After getting off to a rocky start in 2006, the bowlers showed a tremendous effort by turning things around in the recent 2007 MEAC Southern Division Classic, winning their first three matches of the tournament. With seasoned veterans such as Patrese Nesbitt, Alexa Jeffries and Candice Leatherberry increasing their already high averages and ever-growing commitment to the team, the Lady Rams could finish their 2006-07 season on a high note at the Releaser’s NCAA Invitation in Tallahassee, Fla., Feb. 9 through 11.
“The team is showing significant improvements, and with the help from their new recruits, things can only get better,” said Nesbitt, the team captain.
Coach Scales is equally happy with his team’s improvements, and he believes the move to the MEAC should increase the team’s fan base.
“We keep improving and are ready for the MEAC, and this team is going to make it back to the nationals,” Scales said.