GOSHEN, Ind. - The Goshen College Athletic Department is excited to announce the addition of men's and women's bowling as the 15th and 16th teams, becoming the eighth Crossroads League school to add the sport. The teams will get underway during the 2024-25 academic year.

The home venue for the Leafs will be Maple City Bowl in Goshen. The site offers 24 lanes with an occupancy of over 300 and updated automatic scoring.

"Adding these new teams will support our recruitment of student-athletes with strong academic potential who desire to continue in a popular sport, while also strengthening our local community partnerships. I am eager to see GC embrace and excel at bowling," said Goshen College President Rebecca Stoltzfus.

Additionally, Goshen's director of athletics, Dr. Erica Albertin, announced that Scott Curtis would serve as the first bowling head coach in Goshen's program history — directing both the men's and women's teams. He will begin the role on August 1 and comes to Goshen after most recently leading the men's and women's bowling programs at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

"Scott brings an elite level of bowling knowledge, passion for helping students succeed and a competitive spirit," said Albertin. "He will greatly add to Goshen College and the local community. He is excited to connect with the local bowling teams and continue to strengthen our relationship with Maple City Bowl."

Curtis comes to Goshen with prior experience in starting a program from scratch. He founded the Reese (Michigan) High School bowling club in 2008, which grew into a team by 2010. While with the Rockets from 2010 to 2020, Curtis coached four all-state and multiple academic all-state bowlers and teams. He served as an executive member of the Michigan High School Interscholastic Bowling Coaches Association and was the Division IV Coach of the Year in 2018. Curtis also coached at Cass City High School and East Kentwood High School.

More recently, Curtis brings collegiate coaching experience at the NAIA level after leading the men's and women's programs at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During the 2021-22 season, he led the men's team to a fourth-place finish in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championship and the women's team to a seventh-place finish. The men's team placed first out of 16 at the Cornerstone University Tournament earlier in the season. He coached an all-conference selection and 12 academic all-Americans while with the Saints.

"I like the small school environment and the family atmosphere at Goshen College," Curtis said. "I am proud to become part of the athletic department and am excited about getting this opportunity to start a new program and work together with everyone." 

Curtis has been bowling for over 40 years and has three 300 games to his credit. His coaching motto is to focus on the fundamentals to finish strong and have fun doing it. Curtis is a native of Middleville, Michigan, and a graduate of Northwood University.

There are 191 high schools in Indiana with bowling as a sport, and 75 of them are in Northern Indiana. Eighteen million Americans age 17 and under bowl each year and more than 200 colleges offer the sport. The NAIA first recognized bowling as a championship sport in 2019-20. Fifty-eight men's and 58 women's teams competed in the sport at the NAIA level last season.

Men's volleyball was the most recent sport to be added at Goshen College in 2018.

Goshen College is a renowned college in Northern Indiana with award-winning programs that educate the head and heart, creating global citizens who lead with courage and compassion. With bowling added, the Maple Leafs will now compete in 16 varsity sports in the NAIA's highly competitive Crossroads League and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, continuing a tradition of intercollegiate athletics that dates to 1956 and included women's competition nearly a decade before Title IX. For more information on GC athletics, visit GoLeafs.net and follow the Maple Leafs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @GC_MapleLeafs.