Season Preview: 2023-24 Women’s Bowling

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (October 23, 2023) – The Milligan University women's bowling team begins its second season of competition in 2023-24 after an impressive first year of play.

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: In Milligan's inaugural season, the Buffs captured a Southern States Athletic Conference championship, finished seventh at the NAIA National Championship and earned a No. 34 final national ranking across all of college bowling by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC).

Milligan posted top-half team finishes in eight of nine regular season tournaments, including a runner-up finish in the Southeastern Shootout. In four Tier 1 events, the Buffs finished 6th of 19 teams, 14th of 28, 10th of 29 and 16th of 66.

The Buffs spent most of the season ranked in the NAIA's top 25 RPI. At the SSAC Championships, Milligan went head-to-head with No. 1 SCAD Savannah and No. 17 SCAD Atlanta. The Buffs defeated both squads in bracket play on their way to the SSAC conference championship and an automatic national championship berth. The Buffs earned an invite to the USBC's Intercollegiate Sectionals in the first year of competition.

At the NAIA National Championship, Milligan finished ninth of 12 teams in qualifying and defeated eighth-seeded Cumberlands 3-2. The Buffs went to five games against top-seeded Indiana Tech before falling in five games. Milligan was eliminated by Madonna in the consolation bracket.

"We started the season with only 6 young ladies and finished with the bare bones minimum of five on the active roster," said head coach Brian Rickert. "Those five young women gave everything they had and put together a season that far exceeded my expectations. Their energy, drive and desire to push each other made it quite an inaugural year."

The Buffs had three players earn all-conference honors and then-freshman Emily Cheesman was named an NAIA Second Team All-American, the first in program history.

Key Returners: The Buffs bring back four members of their original squad for 2023-24.

Sophomore Emily Cheesman returns as the Buffs' first-ever bowling All-American. She was honored as the SSAC Co-Player of the Year and SSAC Freshman of the Year. A member of the SSAC First Team, Cheesman was ranked as college bowling's No. 5 freshman and No. 51 player nationally in 2022-23.

"Emily really enjoyed a fantastic year and was the anchor for most of our matches," said Rickert. "Even though she received most of the individual honors, we were definitely not a one-woman team."

Cheesman led the squad with a 192.397 average and won tournament titles at the MSC Brandon Burns Memorial and at the Tier 1 Bowlero Southern Classic. She also earned all-tournament honors at the SCAD Shootout and MSC Cincinnati Classic and finished the year with seven top-25 individual finishes. In Tier 1 Tournaments, Cheesman owned a 197.654 average, good for a top-20 national ranking in Tier 1 competition.

Graduate student Brianna Rickert returns after an All-SSAC Second Team campaign last season. Rickert ranks second on the returning roster with an average of 181.281 in 2022-23. She posted three top-25 finishes and finished seventh at the SCAD Shootout. Rickert also saw a jump in her scoring average (185.462) in Tier 1 events.

Sophomore Laci MacQuisten collected All-SSAC Second Team honors after finishing as the No. 20-ranked freshman nationally with an average of 180.679. MacQuisten had took all-tournament honors with a fourth-place finish at the MSC Brandon Burns Memorial and added three other top-10 showings and six total top-25 placements.

"Brianna and Laci each stepped up huge during key moments last season and kept the momentum going," said Rickert. "Brianna's strength is her quiet consistency. She's the best spare shooter on the team and you know she'll fill the frame wherever you put her. Once you get Laci locked in, she will throw strike after strike after strike. That girl has the potential to be a special player."

Sophomore Taylor Davis averaged 171.388 pins and joined Cheesman, Rickert and MacQuisten as stalwarts in Milligan's baker lineup. Davis earned all-tournament honors with a fifth-place finish at the Southeastern Shootout.

"Taylor Davis is a special young lady and is definitely our 'bus driver' for the team," said Rickert. "She stepped up in our lead-off role and made sure that no matter what was going on, our energy stayed turned up to level 10!"

Newcomers: The Buffs add six freshmen and two transfers to the roster in 2023-24.

Junior Allison Robbins and sophomore Emilee Horton join the Buffs from Tusculum University. Robbins led the Pioneers with a 191.778 average and one tournament title. Horton was second on the roster with a 181.481 average.

"In addition to Allison and Emilee, who bring some NCAA experience to our roster, we have a freshman class that includes Junior Gold qualifiers, State Champions, Pepsi Champions and overall some fantastic young women with the potential to keep our momentum going," said Rickert.

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 Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic and Roto Grip Keystone Quaker 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.

"Our schedule this year has us competing against some fantastic teams and programs," said Rickert. "We'll be excited to see how we stack up and see if we can bring some hardware home!"

Last Word: "I want every one of these ladies to have a chance to do something special," said Rickert. "These ladies had a taste of being in the National Championship field and now want to go back and bring home the red banner. I love coaching each one of these young women and am honored they're allowing me to come along for the ride!"