The thunderous clatter of overturning pins is a familiar sound for Bryant University’s women’s bowling team. On weekday afternoons at East Providence Lanes, the Division I student-athletes practice launching balls down the sleek, 60-foot-long runways — watching as the spiraling spheres unapologetically level the pins.
Head Coach Morgan Walsh-See, who was named East Coast Conference (ECC) Coach of the Year in the spring of 2024, spends practice running the women through a series of drills, shots, and matches.
Charged with establishing the women’s bowling program in 2022, Walsh-See’s once empty roster has rapidly transformed into a team of athletes who’ve established themselves as powerful contenders. The team placed second at the 2024 ECC Championships, increased its overall win percentage, and had three players receive all-conference team honors.
As the Bulldog Bowlers begin year three, Walsh-See plans on continuing that upward momentum.
“We’re focused on building off last year’s conference championships,” says Walsh-See, who was a collegiate bowler herself. “They were so close with that second-place finish, so we’re looking to harness that energy again.”
Bowling season stretches from October through April, with Bulldogs attending nine weekend tournaments that last several days. This year, the team is competing against more advanced opponents across the East Coast and Midwest. They still have a good chance of making the conference championships in 2025, with Walsh-See noting that the goal is to reach the National Collegiate Women’s Bowling Championship.
Much of the team’s success is the result of Walsh-See’s coaching strategy. Originally a teacher, she combines her experiences as an educator, bowling knowledge, and understanding of pedagogy to execute a program with exceptional results. At the core of that program is a focus on mental health and team chemistry, which has helped the Bulldog Bowlers develop a strong foundation of communication, trust, and openness.
“When I started the program, I had six first-year student-athletes. Bonding was priority number one, and they had to learn to use each other as resources,” Walsh-See says. “Every year brings new challenges, but that’s the beauty of creating comfortability on our team. They’re able to jump right into it no matter what and trust that it’s always going to work out; we’re in it together no matter your role on the team."
