DAYTON – The Wright State University Department of Athletics is announcing the addition of three NCAA sport offerings - women's bowling, men's indoor track & field and men's outdoor track & field – with the newest Raider programs set to begin competition in the 2022-23 academic year.
 
"We are excited to bring these sports to the Wright State community," Wright State Director of Athletics Bob Grant stated. "We look forward to welcoming new student-athletes in these sports and I am confident these future Raiders will become great ambassadors of the university. We are thrilled to welcome more student athletes to our Raider Family."
 
Women's bowling became an NCAA-sponsored sport for the 2003-04 academic year, with the first NCAA Championship taking place in April 2004. There are currently just under 100 NCAA women's bowling programs participating in the 2021-22 academic year, with the collegiate bowling season running from late October through the end of March and the NCAA Championship held in April.
 
Wright State becomes the fifth school in the state of Ohio to sponsor NCAA women's bowling. Other schools that offer the sport include: Duquesne, Nebraska, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Valparaiso and Youngstown State.
 
The addition of men's indoor and outdoor track & field will make Wright State the ninth men's program in the Horizon League. The Raiders have previously had student-athletes competing unattached in various indoor and outdoor meets over the years.
 
"We are beyond excited to add men's indoor and outdoor track & field," said Rick Williamson, head cross country and track & field coach. "Giving our men's cross country runners the opportunity to compete for Horizon League Championships on the track during the winter and spring will certainly help take our program to the next level. We will also be looking to expand our program beyond the distance events, with an eye on bolstering our roster to have as complete a program as possible."
 
The Wright State women's club bowling team won Club Nationals in 2015 and 2019, with a third-place finish in 2013. The club team also qualified for nationals five other times since 2009. The Wright State men's and women's club bowling teams will continue to compete and operate through the Office of Campus Recreation. The new NCAA women's bowling program will be under the Department of Athletics and feature its own roster of student-athletes and coaches.
 
The Raiders will begin competition in these new sports during the 2022-23 academic year.