Season Preview: 2023-24 Men’s Bowling

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (October 23, 2023) – The Milligan University men's bowling team enters its third season of competition in 2023-24 with sight on continuing its improvement this year.

Visual Preview

Milligan begins its season at the Mid-South Conference Greater Nashville Open and Brandon Burns Memorial on Oct. 28-29 at the Smyrna Bowling Center.

2022-23 Season Review: The Milligan University men's bowling team saw its roster size jump from five freshmen in the program's inaugural season to a 10-man squad in 2022-23. The Buffs were one of the most improved teams in the nation last year as the Buffs' final United States Bowling Congress (USBC) ranking improved from No. 149 in 2021-22 to No. 75 last season.

In the Buffs' first tournament of the season, Milligan won multiple bracket games to finish as the runner-up Orange & Black Classic. That event saw the Buffs pick up the program's first all-tournament and first Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) weekly award.

Milligan attended four Tier 1 tournaments in 2022-23 and finished around the middle of the tournament field at each event. The Buffs received an invitation to the USBC Intercollegiate Sectionals for the first time.

In the Buffs' first SSAC Championships appearance, Milligan finished second in qualifying to earn a first round bye. The Buffs won a pair of matches in the consolation bracket to reach the consolation bracket final before bowing out with a third-place conference finish. Three players went on to receive all-conference honors from the SSAC.

Cameron Shockey took home the Smyrna ISC sectional title with the nation's No. 1 qualifying score to become the Buffs' first individual tournament champion. He was the first bowler in program history to represent the Buffs at the ISC National Championship in Las Vegas.

"Last season we started out with a ton of energy and the guys saw some early success at the Orange & Black," said head coach Brian Rickert. "For much of the rest of the regular season we certainly lived out the quote "If you're not winning, you're learning" and spent a lot of time learing a lot about the type of team we want to be and what it will take to get there. By the end of the year, we know we were really close to becoming a special team."

Key Returners: All 10 members of the Buffs' 2022-23 team return to action this season.

"For the past two seasons, these guys have put their blood and sweat into building this program," said Rickert. "I'm excited that everyone gets a chance to return and continue establishing the culture we're trying to build. It's been a joy to see every single one of our young men grow and become stronger bowlers and young men."

Shockey returns for his sophomore campaign after collected All-SSAC First Team and SSAC Rookie of the Year honors last year. He posted an average of 188.333 pins with four top-25 finishes. He finished the season ranked No. 48 freshmen in college bowling.

At the ISC Intercollegiate Singles Sectional, Shockey totaled 1,451 pins across six games to win the individual title by 58 pins. He scored Milligan's single-game record of 299 in his second game and finished with an average of 241.83 pins. At the ISC National Championship, Shockey qualified 23rd and bowed out in the first round of bracket play.

Junior Tristan Crawford led the Buffs in tournament average for the second-straight season. He posted an average of 191.00 and was a top-250 player across all of collegiate bowling. Crawford earned All-SSAC First Team honors and collected all-tournament laurels at the Orange & Black Classic with a fourth-place individual finish. Crawford added a top-10 showing at the MSC Brandon Burns Memorial and had four total top-25 finishes.

Sophomore Jackson McRae earned All-SSAC Second Team status and was the nation's No. 51-ranked freshman last season. McRae was third on the roster with a 187.533

Junior Jameson Whaley posted a pair of top-25s and a top-10 finish at the SCAD Shootout. He finished the year with a 181.625 average.

Sophomores Xander Stephens and Caleb McDonald joined Shockey and McRae as top-100 freshmen in the USBC national rankings. Stephens posted an average of 182.707 with one top-25 finish. McDonald had a season average of 180.333 with two top-25 showings.

Sophomore Aiden Bailey and junior Christian Brown both made a few varsity appearances last year. Bailey had an average of 172.527 and Brown followed with a 170.829. Both players were top-25 finishers at the SCAD Shootout.

Junior Cooper Brackins improved his average by over four pins to 176.426 and was the SSAC Bowler of the Week after he led the Buffs at a Tier 1 tournament in Las Vegas before the Christmas break.

Sophomore Cooper Baldwin appeared in nine tournaments with seven top-half individual finishes with Milligan's junior varsity squad.

Newcomers: The Buffs welcome a nine-man incoming freshman class and one transfer to the squad in 2023-24.

Junior Joshua Collins joins the Buffs from NAIA member St. Ambrose. Collins posted an average of 209.24 across 25 games in 2021-22 for the Fighting Bees.

"This incoming class has a tremendous amount of talent and promises to move Milligan even further up the rankings," said Rickert. "While we have the potential to be one of the top ten programs in the country, we are extremely young and our achilles could be that inexperience. If we can keep our focus on the process, we could see both immediate success and potential to go deep in the postseason."

Looking at the Schedule: The Buffs have four Tier 1 tournaments on the schedule for 2023-24. Milligan competes at the Bowlero Southern Collegiate Classic on Nov. 4-5. During the Christmas break, the Buffs head to Pennsylvania for the Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic and Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic. In February, Milligan will travel to Indianapolis for the Columbia 300 Hoosier Classic.

The SSAC Conference Championships are set for Feb. 24-25 at Bowlero Savannah for the second straight year. The USBC ISC/ITC Sectionals are scheduled for March 8-10 and the NAIA National Championship will be held March 21-23.

"With our schedule, we'll be competing against some of the strongest teams in the country from all divisions," said Rickert. "I'm excited to head to Pennsylvania over winter break and for some of our east coast guys to compete closer to their hometown. We'll definitely have a large crowd behind us there!"

Last Word: "Our men's team is extremely deep this season and will have a chance to be in contention for the title at every tournament we compete in," said Rickert. "Because of our depth, our JV team will also have a chance to win some titles as well. This is a great group of young men and I'm excited to see how we grow together."