Men’s bowling is back at Saint Vincent.
The college announced the addition of the sport, which was part of the Bearcats’ athletic program until 1982 but has been absent for 38 years.
The club team will begin play in the fall and will be coached by Jeff Zidek, who also coaches the SVC women’s team, which formed in 2017 and competes in the NCAA Division III Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.
The NCAA does not sponsor men’s bowling.
Men’s bowling is the only sport to win a national championship at SVC, capturing a NAIA title in 1978 with late Br. Patrick Lacey, O.S.B., as coach.
Zidek hopes the Bearcats can return to prominence and popularize the sport again.
“I am excited to get started immediately recruiting for our new men’s program,” Zidek said. “There is a ton of talent in this area at the high school level, yet only one other college in Western Pennsylvania offers men’s bowling. Those bowlers will now have another outlet to continue their athletic careers at the next level.”
The new team will compete independently and play in United States Bowling Congress events.
