UIU announces addition of men’s and women’s bowling

Upper Iowa University and the Athletics Department is proud to announce that women’s and men’s bowling will become the 17th and 18th sport programs for the Peacocks with the first teams set to compete in the 2018-19 academic year. A search for a full-time head coach is underway with the position starting early this spring.

“We are excited to add women’s and men’s bowling to our Athletics Department and provide even more opportunities to new students looking at Upper Iowa University as their top choice for higher education,” said President William R. Duffy II. “The tradition of bowling on Upper Iowa’s campus goes back to 1966 when the University opened Garbee Hall, which featured a four-lane bowling alley among other innovative spaces for students.”

The Upper Iowa women’s bowling team will offer scholarships, and UIU will be the only institution in the state of Iowa to compete in the NCAA. Currently, there are six Iowa institutions that sponsor both men’s and women’s bowling and compete in the NAIA. The Peacock men’s bowling team will also offer scholarships and compete as a varsity team in many of the same tournaments. The NCAA does not sponsor men’s bowling as a sport.

At this time, there are 80 NCAA schools that compete in women’s bowling. All 80 teams, regardless of their respective university’s affiliation in the NCAA, compete in the same division for the championship in mid-April.

“The Peacock Athletics Department is excited to continue offering new sport options and increase our participation opportunities to deserving student-athletes,” said Rick Hartzell, UIU director of athletics. “We are proud to connect our past student activities with our current sport offerings and provide our future Peacocks with a positive student-athlete experience.”

Women’s and men’s bowling will be the sixth and seventh programs added to the Peacock Athletics Department roster since the university’s move up to NCAA Division II prior to the 2005-06 academic year. Upper Iowa reinstated the first five programs, which include women’s lacrosse, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s cross country and women’s tennis, between 2007 and 2017.