Women’s bowling announced as next new sport at Defiance College

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College athletic department announced the addition of a women's bowling team for the 2025-26 academic year and will be the College's 19th varsity sport. The move continues DC's brand initiative of DEFIne Your Future launched in October 2023.

Defiance becomes the 12th school with a women's bowling team in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. The competition season is classified as a winter sport beginning in late fall with the conference championship held in February. The sport is also recognized as a championship sport by the NAIA with the annual national championship in March.

"We are excited to start women's bowling next season, and I believe it is long overdue for Defiance College," says DC Athletic Director Tiffani Selhorst. "Bowling is very popular in Northwest Ohio and coupled with the ability to offer athletic scholarships, we are able to continue to attract student-athletes from around the 419 area code."

DC has secured newly-renovated South 66 Lanes on South Jefferson Ave. to serve as the home competition and practice venue for the new women's bowling program. The alley is certified by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) and meets all professional standards for competition.

"It is an exciting partnership with South 66 Lanes to become the home lanes for our new women's team. The new owners have been excellent to work with and also are passionate about growing the sport of bowling," says Selhorst.

Women's bowling becomes the third new sport that the Yellow Jackets have announced since becoming an NAIA institution, joining men's volleyball and club powerlifting. All three programs are beginning competition during the next academic year, 2025-26.

DC is in the process of securing a qualified head coach to build the foundation of the new program. Student-athletes interested in bowling for the Yellow Jackets can enter the recruitment process by contacting Athletic Director Tiffani Selhorst at tselhorst@defiance.edu and by applying to Defiance College at Defiance.edu.

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