7.18.24

$100,000 gift will support Wichita State Women’s Bowling facility enhancement

Karma and Gary Mason have given a lead gift of $100,000 to support the Wichita State Women’s Bowling facility enhancement project. This $300,000 initiative will include a new locker room, conference room and offices for coaching staff inside the Rhatigan Student Center.

“Gary and I are thrilled to kick off this fundraiser for Women’s Bowling,” said Karma Mason. “This program was deeply enriching to my own life, and I have no doubt it will continue to enrich the lives of many talented young women for years to come.”

Mason was recruited to the women’s bowling program at Wichita State in 1975, and the team went on to win the first-ever national collegiate team championship held that year. Since that first win, the program has claimed a total of 11 Intercollegiate Team Championships (1975, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1990, 1994, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2021, 2024) and six Intercollegiate Singles Champions (2006, 2007, 2009, 2017, 2023, 2024). Mason is the only person in the program’s history to be on three national bowling championship teams.

In July 2024, Women’s Bowling officially became Wichita State University’s 16th sport, joining the most competitive women’s bowling league in the country as an affiliate member of Conference USA. Head coach Holly Harris will continue leading these Shocker athletes as they transition from a club team to the Division 1 level. She has served as head coach of the program since 2019.

“Throughout five decades of tremendous success – finishing in the top-4 of the national tournament 36 of the last 48 years, 11 team and six individual national championships – the one constant has been the program’s high-quality student-athletes, alumni, coaches and supporters,” said Director of Athletics Kevin Saal. “We stand on the shoulders of those who come before us. We humbly believe this program is equipped to be an immediate NCAA contender and we can’t wait to see this perennial championship program grow even stronger through competition in the best league in the country (Conference USA) and within the NCAA framework. Sincere thanks to the Masons for aligning championship-level resources to championship expectations, enhancing the student-athlete experience. We are incredibly grateful for their generosity.”

The renovations to the Women’s Bowling facility will position the program for growth and excellence as they seek to continue recruiting top-tier athletes to compete at Wichita State. Gordon Vadakin, who led the bowling program as head coach from 1978-2019, said, “This generous support from the Masons is a testament to the passion our alumni have for the program still, and I could not be more excited for the future of this team. My hope when I retired was that Wichita State Bowling would continue evolving into something bigger and better, and this investment as the women’s team moves into the NCAA will help foster that growth.”