LANSING, Mich. – The Milligan University women's bowling program traveled to Royal Scott Lanes in Lansing, Mich. for the sixth annual NAIA Bowling National Championship. The Lady Buffs earned an at-large bid following a runner-up finish in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Championships and entered the tournament as the three-seed, marking their fourth straight national championship appearance. The 2026 championship introduced a new Mega Match format for the winners bracket, splitting the 12-team field into two double-elimination sections: the Blue bracket (seeds 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12) and the Red bracket (seeds 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11). The Mega Match format consists of a sequence of competitions that is as follows, a traditional team game followed by a five-game Baker total pinfall set, with a best-of-seven Baker showdown serving as a tiebreaker if needed. Teams that fall to the losers bracket compete in a best-of-seven Baker series. The Lady Buffs' opening-round opponent was 11^th-seeded Cumberland (Tenn.), who pulled off an upset in the morning session against sixth-seeded Lawrence Tech (Mich.) to face Milligan.

In the traditional team game to start the competition, Milligan would fall by a total pin count of 958-991. In game one, Laci MacQuisten rolled the ball to a tune of a169. Paige Fortier put up a valiant effort with a team high 213 score. Emily King put up the next highest score of 210, and Emily Cheesman completed the top three at 191. Emilee Horton rounded out the squads scoring, posting a 181.

The Phoenix came into the five-game Baker total pinfall set looking for a second upset of the day. The Lady Buffs put up impressive scores throughout the Baker format games, most notably in game one, totaling 246. In game three, they finished with three strikes in the tenth frame for a 174 total. In game four, the Buffs knocked down 181 total pins. However, the day belonged to Cumberland, as in the final game they achieved a perfect 300 to move on in the winners bracket. The final tally was in favor of the Phoenix, as they totaled 1,111 pins compared to the Buffs' 973.

With the loss, Milligan will now look to fight their way through the losers bracket starting on Friday, March 20 at 8:30 a.m. with a matchup with Ottawa (Kan.). From here on out Milligan will compete in best-of-seven Baker games.

To see the full bracket click HERE