By BRIAN TYNES

News Editor

After a year of progression and learning, Tech's bowling team is looking to the future.

"It was a real good season for a start-up program," bowling coach Shawn Jackson said. "The highlight would have been beating Alabama A&M who was ranked No. 10 in the country at that time. It was a real big win for us, and at that tournament we finished fifth out of 11 teams."

Jackson said the team was formed through an open tryout at the beginning of the year.

"For most of these girls [bowling] was something you would do on Friday or Saturday night, not competitively," Jackson said. "In our first tournament we finished 27th of 30, but from November to January the girls started to get competitive, and we were really bowling well at the end of the year.

"We played some top teams very closely throughout the year. We're extremely happy with where we finished over where we started."

Of the six players on this year's team, Jackson said five will be returning, and he is recruiting a few girls to fill out the team's roster with his five allotted scholarships.

"Our goal is to keep getting better and try to get to a point where we can be very competitive," Jackson said. "In order to win, you have to be competitive first."

Tech is the only Western Athletic Conference school with a women's bowling team.

Jackson said he has not heard of any plans for the WAC to add bowling as a sport but said there is the possibility for Tech to join a conference as an affiliate.

"Nebraska is in the same boat as us," Jackson said. "They have a national championship team, but the Big XII doesn't have bowling."

Jackson said that decision will have to be made in the future by Tech's administration, and right now he is unaware of any plans.