BOWLING

The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) has announced that Huntington University has been accepted as an affiliate member to compete in the sports of men’s and women’s bowling starting with the 2018-19 season.

The Foresters join its conference peer Spring Arbor (Mich.) as affiliate members in the two sports and bring the total number of teams sponsoring to 13 in the league with UM-Dearborn and Lourdes both adding bowling this fall. HU is a current member of the Crossroads League for all other sports.

“The WHAC has several outstanding and well-established bowling programs that will provide great competition for our teams as well as provide our student-athletes an opportunity to compete for a conference title and automatic berth to the national championship,” said Huntington athletic director Lori Culler.

The WHAC was the first conference in the NAIA to sponsor bowling as a championship sport during the 2012-13 season. Now considered an invitational sports for the NAIA, 51 schools sponsor men’s bowling while 53 sponsor women’s bowling, up from 36 and 35 respectively in 2013.

“The addition of Huntington allows the WHAC to expand into the largest bowling conference in the NAIA,” said WHAC commissioner Rob Miller. “We are encouraged with the growth of the sport and are excited for the competitive spirit in the league.”