The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Bowling Signs Four
11/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Bowling
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB bowling team and head coach Michelle Crews announced the signing of four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Monday.
Taylor Thompson, Taylor Russell, Rachel Strogin and Sierra Lewis signed their NLIs to complete an impressive signing class for the Blazers.
See below for information of each signee.
Rachel Strogin
Strogin, a native of Mentor, Ohio, will join the Blazer bowling team next fall following her senior year at Mentor High School. Strogin was a First Team All-Conference selection with a 193 average her senior season. She also took home the Ohio High School Singles Championship crown her junior and senior year at Mentor HS and the Freeway Lanes Youth Scholarship Tournament (High game: 300) in addition to the 2015 JTBA "Welcome Back" Open. She also placed second at the 2015 Future Stars Bowling Tour (Wickliffe) and was able to qualify for the prestigious Junior Gold Qualifier in 2016. Strogin has continued her success outside the lanes with 4.0 GPA and was a two-year Academic Achievement Award two years honoree.
"We are so excited to be adding Rachel to our roster for the 2016-2017 season," said Crews. "It will be our first year competing after a year hiatus and Rachel's 14 years of bowling experience will be a huge asset to what will be a very young team. Rachel is such a well-rounded student-athlete and exemplifies all the core values I try to build my team around. She has really worked hard the last few years developing her abilities on the lanes, and I cannot wait to see all the amazing things she will do as a Blazer."
Sierra Lewis
Lewis will join the UAB bowling program as the first female from the state of Alabama to sign with Blazers. The Scottsboro product started bowling at the age of 10 and has a high game of 289. She was named the Huntsville USBC Bowler of the Year from 2011-2014 and was nominated for induction to the Huntsville USBC Hall of Fame. Her other accolades include the 2015 Turbo Grips Rising Star award, winning back-to-back Pepsi State Tournaments and back-to-back North Alabama Regional Pepsi State Tournament titles.
"I have waited a long time for this announcement," added Crews. "After four years I finally found my first Alabama girl to join our roster and I couldn't be anymore excited to sign her. Sierra is the top female youth bowler in the state of Alabama and is a well-rounded young lady with a true love for the game. She has had some of the top coaches and professional bowlers in the country guide her throughout her bowling career and I feel honored that her and her family have chosen UAB to be the next chapter in her academic and bowling career."
Taylor Thompson
Taylor Thompson from Leander, Texas, is set to join the UAB roster after competing on the varsity team for Leander High School and Vista Ridge High School. She was named as First Team All-District selection three times and led her team to three state championship tournaments. Thompson has a high game of 289 and a high series of 726. She has also excelled in the classroom as a National Honor Society member and was able to maintain a 4.43 GPA.
"It is a pleasure to announce Taylor Thompson as a new signee for the 2016-2017 recruiting class," added Crews. "She comes highly recommended to me within the state of Texas and is a superstar in the classroom. She embodies the type of player I am trying to bring into our program moving forward. She brings with her a ton of bowling knowledge, experience and true love for the game, which will be a tremendous benefit to our program."
Taylor Russell
Russell comes to UAB from Tupelo High School in Tupelo, Miss., where she earned three MHSAA Popstar awards (top bowler in the state of Mississippi). During her senior season, she was the High Individual Girl Winner at the Tupelo Jamboree. Her other honors include placing 20th at the 2015 Teen Masters and 28th in 2014. Thompson also thrived in the classroom with a 3.9 GPA and participated in clubs such as the Key Club, Anchor Club and the National Honor Society.
"Words cannot express how excited I am to announce Taylor Russell as part of our 2016-2017 recruiting class," Crews said. "Taylor has competed and won at the highest levels at a very young age. She won the Under 15 division at the North Pointe Junior Gold National Championships (the largest youth bowling tournament in the country) in 2013 and since then she has struggled with some elbow problems that required Tommy John Surgery. Her work ethic and determination to come back better and stronger than she was before is truly remarkable. She is a balanced, versatile and, good-hearted young lady and I know she will help lead our young team to new heights."
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