Nestled between Columbus and Cleveland, Muskingum University is a private institution in New Concord, with an enrollment of just over 2,200 students. Despite being on the smaller side, Muskingum maintains its dominance as a premier bowling powerhouse.  

Muskingum men’s and women’s bowling coach Doug Smith wears several hats, now in his 14th season at Muskingum, handling many responsibilities daily. Although a Division III school in all other sports, the collegiate club teams for both men’s and women’s bowling have become some of the most successful in the country.  

Smith’s coaching career, which spans 20 years, started as something of a joke. One night, at a hotel bar with friends, while the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) State Bowling Championships was on TV, he jokingly said he would start a bowling program at Zanesville High School.  

That summer, he was hired, and, in eight years, would go on to lead players to record-setting seasons. Soon after, he was brought in as the head coach at Muskingum. 

Like many of his players, Smith came into the bowling scene not knowing what to expect, but he has never looked back.  

Brody Wildenmann wheels his right arm backwards as he steps forward with his left foot. Simultaneously, he crosses his right foot behind his left and releases the bowling ball on the synthetic laminate material that covers the lane. The ball speeds to the 10 white pins, 60 feet from where Wildenmann stands, striking each down.   

Wildemann’s journey to being a collegiate bowler started from a young age. He was three when he accompanied his grandparents at their weekly bowling league, fostering an appreciation of the sport only heightened when faced with the loss of his grandfather.  

That changed his mindset from simply enjoying bowling with friends at a birthday party or on the weekends to making a name for himself in the sport. Wildenmann has a laundry list of accomplishments, such as becoming the youngest player at his home alley to bowl a perfect game of 300 when he was 14. He would do that another 12 times before stepping onto the campus at Muskingum.  

When Smith took over, the program was far from what it is now. They were not known nationally, and recruiting was difficult. However, as the years progressed, the program transformed from a startup to a national power.   

“It takes a while (to build),” said Smith. “We didn’t start out on fire, really, but we have grown the program to where we’re getting some good bowlers here. Once we do that, other bowlers will want to come here too.” 

Smith’s recruiting pool stretches all the way from Michigan to Delaware to Minnesota. Although it is easier to sell prospective bowlers on Muskingum, the memories of how he was limited to small regions in Ohio to find diamonds in the rough in his early days stick with him. 

According to the Collegiate Bowling Database, Muskingum’s men’s team ranks 24th in the country in overall points, while the women’s team ranks 22nd. The strong play for both teams affirms that the investment by Smith and the coaching staff is paying off.   

“When I speak about Muskingum University, people know who we are,” said Smith. 

When key figures discuss the state of the program, there are two primary goals. The first is to win another national title as the men are reigning champions and the women are looking to climb the mountaintop for the first time since 2024. The second is to continue to bring notoriety to bowling in Ohio.  

Lillian Matteson describes the sport as a “mental game” where players can easily get down on themselves if the pins are not falling in their favor. Matteson shares a similar story to many of her teammates; she started bowling for fun, found success, and stuck with the game.  

Wildemann has a unique outlook on the sport compared to some of his peers. Considering bowling’s lack of notoriety, combined with his school’s size, the program can be easily overlooked.  

“It’s a low-level sport,” said Wildemann. “There’s not a lot of athleticism that goes into it, but I respect the fact that it has its own aspects that are hard. Every sport, whether it is football, baseball or bowling, has an aspect that makes it hard. There are a lot of smaller, minute details that go into being good at bowling. I think that focusing on that helps me realize that our sport is different.”