Nov. 17, 2009

DID YOU KNOW? When the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association instituted the sport of women's bowling in the fall of 2001, North Carolina Central University rose to the occasion to win the first CIAA Women's Bowling Championship.

In dramatic fashion, NCCU battled Virginia State in a best-of-five, head-to-head championship final on the eve of Nov. 6, 2001, with the Lady Eagles defeating the Lady Trojans in the fifth game to claim the conference crown. The road to the championship was a grueling two-day, 19.5-hour journey.

NCCU was charged by NeClea Coleman, who was voted as the CIAA Tournament Most Valuable Player after averaging 202 per game, including a single-game school record of 235.

NCCU head coach Lina Stewart was chosen as the CIAA Coach of the Year.

When the CIAA established women's bowling as a sport at all 12 schools in 2001, it provided the NCAA with the minimum number of teams (40) needed to conduct championship competition. Thanks to the support of the CIAA and its member institutions, the NCAA held its first national championship event in women's bowling in 2004.

As part of North Carolina Central University's Centennial celebration, the NCCU Department of Athletics will post sports history facts from the institution's first 100 years to its official web site, www.NCCUEaglePride.com, every week during the year-long observance.