For the first time in more than a decade, Newman University is celebrating a conference championship — and this one is historic.
The Jets women’s bowling team captured the 2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Championship on March 22 at Bel-Air Bowl in Belleville, Illinois, defeating Maryville 2-1 to secure the program’s first conference title. The victory marks Newman athletics’ first conference championship since cross country’s win in 2014 as part of the Heartland Conference. It is the first-ever GLVC title in women’s bowling.
The Jets (73-30) earned a perfect 4-0 record in the tournament, defeating two-time defending champ Maryville to become the first associate member in league history to win an outright GLVC title. The win also earned Newman an automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Collegiate Bowling Championship in April — the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance.
“This is really a reflection of our team,” said head coach Billy Murphy, who was named GLVC Coach of the Year in his 23rd season as Newman’s bowling coach. “The accomplishments that our group has accomplished this year are the reason why I get to be honored. … It’s more a reflection about the group that I get that opportunity.”
Both the men’s and women’s bowling teams have qualified for the 2026 Intercollegiate Team Championships, sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) to be held April 13-18 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Celebrating athletic accolades
Newman’s success extended beyond the team title, with multiple student-athletes earning conference recognition.
Senior Kassidy Miller, a criminal justice major with minors in pre-law and sociology, was named to the GLVC All-Tournament Team alongside sophomore Ashley Soto and first-year student Danielle Walbaum.
“This (honor) was more special because this one is coach-selected,” Miller explained. “It really meant a lot that Billy thought that I deserved it.”
For Miller, the honor is a fitting cap on her memorable Newman career.
“I’m just really grateful that I got to share it with this group of girls,” Miller said. “Outside of the bowling team, I watch and support my friends on the softball team, the volleyball team, basketball and even cross country when I can if they’re away. So it’s definitely been rewarding.”
Walbaum, a criminal justice major, said the recognition affirmed her growth and impact early in her collegiate career.
“With the coaching I’ve had in the past with other sports, (this honor) meant that they’re actually looking and seeing the difference I’ve made and actually trusting that I can do it,” she said.
The qualifying tournament was extra sentimental for Walbaum, whose grandfather once competed in the same location.
“It was called ‘The Moose’ back then,” Walbaum explained. “Once I found out he actually bowled there, I started to hit a lot harder, got more focused and just wanted to do it for him.”
Business management major Soto not only earned All-Tournament Team honors, but also Honorable Mention All-GLVC recognition and was named a GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship honoree.
“It’s really a testament to my team and the love that they share,” Soto said. “They put their trust into me when I’m in the lineup… it’s just great to see how that’s paying off and the love of the team is just like no other.”
First-year student Claire Jacobson added to the accolades, earning GLVC Freshman of the Year and First Team All-GLVC honors. Jacobson, who hails from New Prague, Minnesota, said the recognition came as a surprise in her first season.
“I came in with no expectations of playing time or anything like that,” Jacobson said. “So then to get all the playing time that I’ve had is so cool. But it still means that I still have more work to put in… there’s still more work to be done.”
A challenging balance pays off
Murphy emphasized that commitment is a defining trait of Newman’s student-athletes, especially in a sport that requires frequent travel.
“The dedication level that they have is pretty much off the charts,” Murphy said. “In the vans that we travel in, they’re whipping out laptops and they are doing homework as we’re traveling… because they want to excel in both.”
Jacobson, who entered Newman with advanced credits and is already academically a junior as an elementary education major, said the team’s support system has been key to balancing athletics and academics.
“It’s definitely tough,” she said. “But just seeing how hard Billy works and like how much he’s willing to give us all… it really makes me want to work harder for him.”
That challenge has helped fuel a season in which the Jets defeated 25 nationally ranked opponents and secured a spot in the USBC National Tournament.
The women’s team also earned the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Team Award, which speaks to their commitment to one another and Newman University as a whole.
“Anything that we can do for each other, we try to do,” Jacobson said. “It’s really a family. There’s so much love.”
That support was on full display March 25, when Newman hosted a campus watch party for the NCAA Championship selection show. Surrounded by teammates, classmates and supporters, the Jets learned they will face off against the Wichita State University Shockers — Murphy’s alma mater — in the first match of the NCAA Regionals in Arlington, Texas.
“I am not quite sure how to feel about it, quite honestly,” Murphy said after the selection show. “I never thought that the first match I was ever going to bowl in NCAA postseason would be against the Shocks.”
For a program that has already made history, the next chapter now comes on the national stage. Regionals are scheduled for April 2-4, with the NCAA Championship finals set for April 9-11 — an opportunity the Jets have truly earned together.
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