Photo by: DJ Shafer
SHSU bowling lands in preseason top 10
10/1/2026 3:56:00 PM | Women's Bowling
The Sam Houston bowling team will enter the season ranked in the top 10 of the National Ten Pin Coaches Association preseason poll which was released Thursday.
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Head coach Brad Hagen's Bearkats begin the year ranked No. 8 for the third straight season. Sam Houston qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 13th year in a row in 2025-26, earning an at-large bid to the Arlington Regional.
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Defending national champion Jacksonville State was a unanimous selection to sit atop the poll as the Gamecocks return their entire lineup from a team that had half of the 2026 first-team All-Americans (four). Vanderbilt is second followed by Wichita State, last year's NCAA runner-up, Arkansas State and Nebraska.
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Youngstown State, the 2025 national champion, is sixth, Louisiana Tech is seventh as Sam Houston, North Carolina A&T and Sacred Heart round out the Top 10.
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A Legacy Built to Last
For Hagen, the significance of a legacy is not simply measured by what a program accomplishes at a particular moment, but by whether the standards established along the way continue to endure.
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"A legacy isn't something you build for yourself. It's something you build that continues to move forward after you've established it," the coach said. "The real measure is whether the culture, the standards and the expectations remain strong year after year."
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That sustainability has become one of the defining characteristics of Sam Houston bowling. Entering the upcoming season, the Bearkats are ranked No. 8 in the nation in the latest NTCA Coaches Association Poll, extending a remarkable run of national consistency.
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The ranking marks the 16th consecutive season that Sam Houston has been ranked among the nation's top eight programs — a sustained level of national prominence that spans over a generation of Bearkat student-athletes.
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"To me, that consistency is what says the most about the program," Hagen said. "Players graduate, recruiting classes change, the sport changes, and every season brings a different set of challenges. But the expectation to compete at the highest level has remained. That's what we've worked to establish."
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The current team now carries that standard forward, entering another season with Sam Houston once again positioned among the nation's elite.
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"Every team has the opportunity to add its own chapter to the story," Hagen said. "They're not responsible for repeating someone else's accomplishments. They're responsible for continuing the standard and creating something of their own."
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That continuity — from the first athletes who helped establish the program to the Bearkats competing on the national stage today — has become central to the identity of Sam Houston Bowling.
Â
The legacy is no longer simply about what has been accomplished. It is about creating a foundation strong enough for the next generation to build upon.
Â
From a startup program to an NCAA national champion and perennial postseason contender, Brad Hagen's tenure has defined the history of Sam Houston Bowling. As the program's first and only head coach, Hagen has been at the center of every chapter of its development—from recruiting its first athletes and establishing its competitive identity to building a culture capable of competing for championships on the national and international stage.
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After nearly two decades, Hagen's tenure continues to represent the sustained growth, national prominence and international influence of Sam Houston Women's Bowling.
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Head coach Brad Hagen's Bearkats begin the year ranked No. 8 for the third straight season. Sam Houston qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 13th year in a row in 2025-26, earning an at-large bid to the Arlington Regional.
Â
Defending national champion Jacksonville State was a unanimous selection to sit atop the poll as the Gamecocks return their entire lineup from a team that had half of the 2026 first-team All-Americans (four). Vanderbilt is second followed by Wichita State, last year's NCAA runner-up, Arkansas State and Nebraska.
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Youngstown State, the 2025 national champion, is sixth, Louisiana Tech is seventh as Sam Houston, North Carolina A&T and Sacred Heart round out the Top 10.
Â
A Legacy Built to Last
For Hagen, the significance of a legacy is not simply measured by what a program accomplishes at a particular moment, but by whether the standards established along the way continue to endure.
Â
"A legacy isn't something you build for yourself. It's something you build that continues to move forward after you've established it," the coach said. "The real measure is whether the culture, the standards and the expectations remain strong year after year."
Â
That sustainability has become one of the defining characteristics of Sam Houston bowling. Entering the upcoming season, the Bearkats are ranked No. 8 in the nation in the latest NTCA Coaches Association Poll, extending a remarkable run of national consistency.
Â
The ranking marks the 16th consecutive season that Sam Houston has been ranked among the nation's top eight programs — a sustained level of national prominence that spans over a generation of Bearkat student-athletes.
Â
"To me, that consistency is what says the most about the program," Hagen said. "Players graduate, recruiting classes change, the sport changes, and every season brings a different set of challenges. But the expectation to compete at the highest level has remained. That's what we've worked to establish."
Â
The current team now carries that standard forward, entering another season with Sam Houston once again positioned among the nation's elite.
Â
"Every team has the opportunity to add its own chapter to the story," Hagen said. "They're not responsible for repeating someone else's accomplishments. They're responsible for continuing the standard and creating something of their own."
Â
That continuity — from the first athletes who helped establish the program to the Bearkats competing on the national stage today — has become central to the identity of Sam Houston Bowling.
Â
The legacy is no longer simply about what has been accomplished. It is about creating a foundation strong enough for the next generation to build upon.
Â
From a startup program to an NCAA national champion and perennial postseason contender, Brad Hagen's tenure has defined the history of Sam Houston Bowling. As the program's first and only head coach, Hagen has been at the center of every chapter of its development—from recruiting its first athletes and establishing its competitive identity to building a culture capable of competing for championships on the national and international stage.
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After nearly two decades, Hagen's tenure continues to represent the sustained growth, national prominence and international influence of Sam Houston Women's Bowling.
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