Sam Houston Athletice Site

Brad Hagen is in his 11th season as the Head Women’s Bowling Coach at Sam Houston State. In his first 10 seasons, Hagen has amassed a record of 928-461, qualified for nine NCAA championships, has finished no worse than the top four in the SBL Conference Championships, and won an NCAA national title. His teams have also advanced to the semifinals three other times with the latest being in 2018.  2019 was no shortage of historic measures as the team captured its first Southland Bowling League Conference Championship.  Its best finish prior too was in 2016 where they were the runner-up.  

Hagen built the Sam Houston bowling program from scratch and immediately made it a national power. In its inaugural season, the Bearkats became the first true Division I startup program to qualify for the NCAA Women’s Bowling Championships.

In his first nine years, Hagen has guided the Bearkats to the NCAA Championships in eight of those seasons, highlighted by winning the school’s first Division I national championship in 2014, the fourth year of the program. The Bearkats defeated defending national champions Nebraska in Cleveland to claim the championship.

The Bearkats returned to the semifinals in 2015, 2017, and 2018, and were quarterfinalist in the 2016 Championship. In five appearances in the NCAA Championships, the Bearkats have a record of 23-27.

The close of the 2014 season also saw the program achieve its first No. 1 ranking in the National Ten Pins Coaches Association top 25 poll. In addition, since November of 2010, the Bearkats have been ranked in the top 10 of every NTCA poll or better.

In the first nine years of the program, seven Sam Houston bowlers have earned NTCA All-American recognition 13 times, and 36 times an SHSU bowler has been recognized as an NTCA Academic All-American.

Hagen served on the NCAA National Committee from 2014-2018. From August 2011 - 2014 he served as the Central Regional Chair and Vice President for the National Tenpin Coaches Association.

Hagen was certified by the USBC in 2008 as a bronze level coach, in 2009 earned his silver level coaching certification, and holds JayHawk, PowerHouse, and IBPSIA Master Certifications as well as currently serves on the IBPSIA Board of Directors. He is currently working on his USBC gold level coaching certification. Hagen was recognized as a top 100 coach by Bowlers Journal International magazine in 2012, 2014-2016 before the magazine stopped its annual release.
 

In addition to his coaching at Sam Houston State, Hagen coached the Puerto Rico Junior National Team from 2011-2013 where his bowlers won 19 total medals, including master’s division boys and girl’s individual champions, at the 2011 PABCON, a new Puerto Rican Youth PABCON record. His team also took bronze at the 2012 World Youth Singles Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2015, he coached the USA doubles team to a bronze finish at the World Deaf Bowling Championships in Italy.  Most recently, he has worked with the Israeli Women’s National team at the European Women’s Championships in 2018 and Women’s World Championships in 2019.  Hagen’s latest stint landed him assisting the Philippine National team at the 2019 SEA Games where the Women’s Team won Bronze. 

Hagen received his Bachelor of Business Administration (Management) from Morehead State in 2006 and his Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing) from Morehead State in 2008.