SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The No. 18 ranked Bryant women's bowling team earned an automatic bid to the 2026 NC Bowling championship, announced by the organization this afternoon.

Bryant will face the No. 4 seed Louisiana Tech (77-34) in the Regional Round in Arlington, Texas at the International Training and Research Center on April 3. The round is a double-elimination mega-match format. Wichita State (73-33) and Newman (73-30) are also in the region.

The Bulldogs are making their first NC bowling championship appearance in program history. They're took home their first ECC championship this weekend, defeating Molloy in a mega-match format in the championship round on Sunday.

Bryant had their best season in program history with a 55-32 record during the regular season. The Bulldogs are led by two-time ECC Coach of the Year Morgan Walsh, who has led the program since it began in 2022. 

Seniors Olivia Hillman and Laura Clark have been major contributors to the Bulldogs success this season. Hillman, the ECC Bowler of the Year and a First Team All-ECC selection, led the team in traditional and baker format during the regular season, scoring 20.03 per frame in traditional and 20.84 in baker. Clark, a First Team All-ECC selection, ranked second on the team in traditional, scoring 19.41 per frame. She ranked third in baker format, scoring 19.28 per frame.

Sophomore Madison Damer and freshman Madison Lewis have also been crucial to Bryant's success this season. Damer, a First Team All-ECC selection, ranked second on the team in baker format, scoring 19.35 per frame. Lewis, a Second Team All-ECC selection, scored 18.96 per frame in traditional and 18.90 in baker.

For more information on Bryant University women's bowling, follow the Bulldogs on Instagram and Facebook @bryantbowl and on X @BryantBowl.