Oregon State University has a new collegiate-level bowling team, one of only two in the Pacific Northwest, along with University of Washington. The team has just completed its first competitions in January, winning against UW in the Columbia River Rivalry, and then last weekend, competing in two collegiate tournaments in Las Vegas.
Team captain Jacob Berger is a third-year math and computer science major at Oregon State University. A graduate of Lakeridge High School, Berger has been bowling seriously for eight years, and was excited to be a part of the new OSU team’s formation in fall 2024.
“I really like the technical aspect of bowling; it’s a huge iceberg that very few people know about, with the many thousands of types of balls, different techniques, different playing and coaching styles and more,” Berger said. “There’s always something about my form to improve, which may also be my least favorite thing about it.”
Oregon State had a bowling team in the 1990s, but it has not been existed for decades. Berger, who is also head mechanic at the MU lanes, was one of the advocates for bringing collegiate bowling back to the university, and his first step was gathering enough interested students to form a team. Next, they recruited Coach Chris Burnett, a top 100 coach in the U.S. with professional league experience, to lead the team. Then there were the financial and paperwork hurdles to jump, including fundraising for dues and uniforms as well as travel expenses, and registering with the United States Bowling Congress.
They also landed an exclusive sponsorship contract with Brunswick, one of the largest bowling equipment manufacturers in the world.
“Bowling equipment is expensive,” Berger said, “and it’s imperative for our bowlers to have the tools they need to compete at a high level.”
Berger and the team spent a lot of time working with the UW team for guidance, and agreed to set up a scrimmage between the teams before their first big tournament in Las Vegas. Oregon State took the trophy in the scrimmage but Berger said it was a close match, and both teams learned a lot.
The Vegas tournament included eight schools and 18 total teams, who faced off in two tournaments over three days. It took place the last weekend of January.
“This is one of the biggest tournaments on the West Coast and it was very important to us to make a name for ourselves,” Berger said. “Our varsity team placed fourth overall, only being beaten by teams with 10+ years of experience and much more funding. And our JV team placed ninth. It was a great test of our logistics skills in managing flights, hotels, tournament registrations and much more. We all pulled together to have a great time and make a solid name for the university.”
The OSU team has 24 members and is looking to grow. They’re continuing to fundraise and are also looking for an Oregon State faculty member to become the team’s faculty advisor. They hope to compete in more tournaments and possibly host a tournament with UW next year for all collegiate teams on the West Coast. To learn more about the team, visit them on Facebook and Instagram, or email Berger at [email protected].
~ Theresa Hogue
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