By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
KCU Athletic Director David Manning said that KCU is excited about the creation of a new bowling team, a first for the school, which is expected to go rolling forward in the fall of the 2025 school year. The creation of the new team is the latest, but surely not the last, in KCU Athletics commitment to fostering new competitive opportunities for their current and future student athletes, Manning said.
The head coach for the new program will be Tyler Kuykendall, a bowler with two decades of experience. Kuykendall is a former collegiate bowler who has experience coaching at both Fleming County and Montgomery County high schools. The new coach hopes to build a strong foundation for the new program that will carry it forward for years to come.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to help kids further their faith, education, and bowling careers,” said Kuykendall. “I look forward to building a competitive and reputable bowling program at Kentucky Christian University.”
The launch of the bowling program aligns with KCU’s mission of fostering holistic student development by integrating faith, academics, and athletics. Manning emphasized the program’s significance, stating, “The addition of bowling within the KCU athletic department provides us with a great opportunity to extend our mission to a wider audience.”
Coach Kuykendall, along with his wife Taylor and daughter Evangeline, said they were eager to get the ball rolling and contribute to the growth of KCU’s athletic department. The university also expressed their excitement to welcome student-athletes who share a passion for bowling and a commitment to both personal and spiritual growth.
Bowling is often characterized as the number one participation sport in the United States and enjoys good popularity among college students. That popularity continues to grow with more than 4,100 student-athletes competing in over 180 tournaments each year, and many colleges offer bowling scholarships to student athletes. Nearly 100 colleges and universities across the country offer bowling scholarships, and collegiate bowling is a steppingstone in many cases to professional competition.
Manning said that whether or not a student has professional ambitions, he encourages student athletes to participate in the new program. He also said he is looking forward to seeing what he knows will be a solid response to the implementation of the program and believes its potential for growth will be amazing.
The program is also building more bridges between the school and community, a stated goal of KCU President Terry Allcorn, with the announcement that the new bowling program will utilize Grayson bowling alley Casey’s Lanes for their practice sessions.
Casey’s Lanes owner and Carter County fiscal court magistrate Derrick McKinney said while his facility isn’t large enough to bring tournaments to Grayson, he’s excited to be part of helping the university grow their sports programs, “and bring new students to the college for the sport.”
For more information about the KCU bowling program, recruitment opportunities, or upcoming events, you can visit the KCU Athletics Department online at kcuknights.com.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
