Lakers Have Best Finish in School History at National Tourney
Lansing, MI - The Mid Michigan College women's bowling team delivered a historic performance at the NJCAA Bowling National Championship, finishing fourth in the nation on Saturday, the highest national finish in program history.
The Lady Lakers made an immediate statement when the tournament opened on Thursday, dominating the doubles competition. Three Mid Michigan pairs finished in the top six out of 38 teams, highlighted by Paige Vallad and Aspen Davy, who captured first place overall. Teammates Autumn View and Anyia Sanford followed closely behind with a second-place finish, while Lily "Lefty" Massaway and Mya Jarvis added another strong showing by placing sixth.
Mid Michigan continued to perform well in the singles competition, placing three bowlers in the top 25 nationally. Massaway led the way with a 15th-place finish, followed by Mya Jarvis in 17th and Paige Vallad in 25th. Thanks to those strong individual efforts, the Lady Lakers closed the first day of competition sitting third overall in the team standings.
Day two proved more challenging. While Mid Michigan remained within striking distance of the top three—trailing second place by just 84 pins at one point—the team struggled to maintain its momentum. By the end of the day, the Lakers had lost a 170-pin cushion and ultimately finished just 10 pins shy of third place, settling into fourth overall.
Jarvis' performance throughout the event earned her NJCAA All-American honors, marking the second consecutive year that a Mid Michigan bowler has received the prestigious recognition.
Freshman Paige Vallad also capped off an impressive tournament run, finishing 13th overall, an outstanding result in her first collegiate national championship appearance.
With several key returners and a strong recruiting class expected to join the program, head coach Jason Robinson believes the Lady Lakers are positioned to take another step forward. After achieving the best finish in school history, the focus now shifts to building on that success in 2027 and pushing for a top-three national finish.