Just a few months after joining the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL), Chestnut Hill College Director of Athletics and Recreation Lynn Tubman is proud to announce the addition of women's bowling to the College's athletic roster. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) program will begin play during the 2015-2016 academic year, bringing the number of intercollegiate athletics programs offered at Chestnut Hill College to 20.

"We are excited to bring another sport to our campus and to be able to reach out to potential student-athletes of this sport," stated Chestnut Hill College Director of Athletics and Recreation Lynn Tubman. "Bowling has been identified as the fastest growing high school sport in the country, and in the state of Pennsylvania alone there are nine school districts that carry programs, including the Philadelphia Catholic League."

In 1994, as part of the NCAA's Gender-Equity Task Force, bowling was identified as an emerging sport for women. Since then, it has showed immense growth in popularity among female athletes and has achieved championship status. At the high school level, bowling has seen a 183.7 percent increase in sponsorship according to data compiled by the National Federation of State High School Associations, making it the fastest growing sport for young ladies.

While Chestnut Hill College's 19 other athletic programs compete at the NCAA Division II level as a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), bowling is classified as an NCAA "National Collegiate" sport in which a single national champion is named, with members of all three NCAA Divisions eligible. Chestnut Hill College becomes the 65th bowling program nationally with fellow CACC members Caldwell University, Felician College, and Post University all adding the sport for the 2014-2015 academic year. The Griffins are the 22nd NCAA Division II institution to include bowling, and the third in Pennsylvania, joining Cheyney University and Kutztown University. 

The search for the inaugural head coach of the women's bowling team is underway. Interested student-athletes can complete and submit a prospective student-athlete questionnaire or contact the College's Athletic Department through use of the provided email address; bowling@chc.edu.

For more information about this exciting new venture for the College, please visitgriffinathletics.com.