CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 17, 2026) – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) prepares to crown its next champion as teams head to Mechanicsville, Virginia for the 2026 CIAA Women’s Bowling Championship, set for March 20 through March 22 at Bowlero Bowling.
Fayetteville State enters championship weekend as the Southern Division Champion following a dominant regular season. The Broncos completed an undefeated run in divisional play with a 48-0 record, finishing with a perfect 1.000 winning percentage. Fayetteville State totaled 44,526 pins across traditional and Baker play, earning the No. 1 overall seed in the championship.
Virginia State claimed the Northern Division title with a 34-14 overall record and a .708 winning percentage. The Trojans totaled 34,183 pins on the season and enter the championship as the No. 2 seed.
Rounding out the field, Livingstone earned the No. 3 seed, followed by Bowie State at No. 4, Shaw at No. 5, Elizabeth City State at No. 6, Johnson C. Smith at No. 7, and Virginia Union at No. 8.
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Fayetteville State (48-0, 1.000)
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Virginia State (34-14, .708)
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Livingstone (29-19, .604)
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Bowie State (26-22, .542)
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Shaw (22-26, .458)
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Elizabeth City State (16-32, .333)
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Johnson C. Smith (11-37, .229)
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Virginia Union (7-41, .146)
The championship will be contested in a mega match format, combining traditional team games and Baker games to determine each match winner, placing an emphasis on depth, strategy, and consistency across all phases of competition.
Fans can follow the action all weekend long with the official championship bracket available here.
All matches will be streamed live on the CIAA Sports Network, giving fans the opportunity to watch every strike, spare, and clutch moment from anywhere.
Fans can expect three days of high-level competition as the CIAA’s best take the lanes in pursuit of a championship title.
Media Contact:
Anna M. Butzlaff
Associate Commissioner, Strategic Communications
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
abutzlaff@theciaa.com
About the CIAA
Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first, and longest running, African American athletic conference in the U.S. and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. The Basketball Tournament has been honored as a 2019 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism by Sports Destination Management, the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market, for both 2018 and 2019.
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member institutions: Bowie State University, Bluefield State University, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Winston-Salem State University. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.