KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Lawrence Tech University's bowling program enters the new season with a clear identity: a contender on both the men's and women's sides, built on depth, balance and the ability to rise in championship settings. The Blue Devils return to the lanes this year following a landmark campaign that saw the men's team earn the No. 2 seed and the women secure the No. 6 seed for the 2026 NAIA Bowling Championships, to be held March 19-21 at Royal Scot Lanes in Lansing, Mich. With recent conference honors and multiple tournament titles on both sides, Lawrence Tech opens the season with expectations that extend well beyond conference play.
Head coach Jon Putti again oversees both the men's and women's programs. The staff has shaped a system that emphasizes repeatable shot-making, spare conversion and team chemistry -- an approach that translated into four women's tournament wins and two men's tournament wins last season. That sustained success helped position both squads among the NAIA's elite as they head toward the sixth annual national championships.
On the men's side, the Blue Devils lean on a deep lineup highlighted by several proven scorers. They are led by co-conference honorees such as WHAC First Team All-Conference selection KC Campbell and WHAC Second Team pick Ben Augustitus, giving Lawrence Tech a core that can anchor both traditional and Baker formats. With additional depth from bowlers such Ayden Davis who was also selected to the WHAC All-Conference Second team, the Blue Devils enter the year with one of the league's more versatile men's rosters.
The women's program mirrors that standard, coming off a season that produced four tournament wins and multiple league awards. While the co-ed roster listing highlights the full program structure, the women's group enters the year knowing it can score with anyone in the WHAC and beyond. Hannah Reid returns as a WHAC Second Team All-Conference honoree, and Kaelynn Weber carries the program's standard for sportsmanship as a WHAC Champion of Character recipient. Together with a core that has already proven it can navigate long tournament formats, the women's team will look to translate regular-season success into a deeper postseason push from its No. 6 NAIA seed.
The schedule offers early tests and familiar conference benchmarks that should sharpen both squads for championship play. The fall features WHAC events hosted by Siena Heights and Lawrence Tech at Imperial Lanes and 5 Star Lanes, giving the Blue Devils multiple chances to measure themselves against league opposition in Tier 1 environments. AHBA tournaments at Super Bowl Lanes in Canton, Michigan, add more high-volume competitive reps before the calendar turns to the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference Championship at Jax 60 in Jackson on Feb. 21. From there, the focus shifts quickly to the ITC Sectionals Qualifier in mid-March and the NAIA Championships in Lansing, where LTU's seeding places both teams firmly in the national conversation.
With proven high-average anchors like Samuels, Kurashige and Gastouniotis, All-Conference performers such as Campbell, Augustitus and Reid, and a staff that has established a clear competitive and cultural standard, Lawrence Tech bowling opens the new season positioned to build on last year's results. The men will look to validate their No. 2 national seed with another deep postseason run, while the women aim to turn a four-win tournament campaign into a breakthrough from their No. 6 seed. For the Blue Devils, the outlook is straightforward: contend in every WHAC event, peak in March and continue to solidify their standing among the NAIA's elite programs.
