LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Mabel Cummins was named the National Player of the Year and five other Commodores were honored as Vanderbilt dominated the All-American awards as announced by the sponsoring National Ten Pin Coaches Association (NTCA) at the NCAA Championship Banquet on Thursday.
“Working with our coaches has gotten me to the place where I want to be in bowling. I have to credit them to getting me to this point,” Cummins said. “College bowling is a team effort and the best trophy would be to hoist the trophy in two days.
“The Player of the Year award has always been something that was always kind of, ‘out there,’ a distance thought.”
Other Vanderbilt honorees included Caroline Thesier, named to the All-America second-team, Alyssa Ballard and Paige Peters, who were third-team selections, and Victoria Varano, who made the 15-woman honorable mention list.
Vanderbilt head coach John Williamson was named the National Coach of the Year after leading the Commodores to a regional championship and the Final Four for the 10th time in his 19-year tenure.
Cummins, who was also named to the All-America first-team, had a spectacular senior year in leading the Commodores to the Final Four.
The Hermitage, Tennessee, product was the Southland Bowling League’s Player of the Year and statistically led the nation in multiple categories. She becomes Vanderbilt’s third individual to win National Player of the Year, joining Josie Earnest Barnes, who won in 2008 and 2009, and Maria Bulanova, the recipient in 2019.
Thesier is receiving All-America recognition for the first time in her three-year career as is Ballard in her freshman season. Peters repeats on the third-team after winning Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman last season.
Williamson, who earlier in the regular season won his 1,500th career victory, previously was Coach of the Year in 2007, 2019 and 2022.
Championship semifinals begin Friday at the South Point Bowling Plaza with Vanderbilt squaring off against Southland Bowling League rival Arkansas State and Nebraska meeting McKendree at 11 a.m. CT. The national championship is Saturday at 8 p.m. CT televised live o ESPNU.
The NTCA All-America Team
First Team
Mabel Cummins, Vanderbilt
Carlene Beyer, Stephen F. Austin
Crystal Elliott, Nebraska
Hope Gramly, McKendree
Jillian Martin, Nebraska
Chloe Skurzynski, Stephen F. Austin
Second Team
Isabel Allen, McKendree
Elise Chambers, Sam Houston State
Allie Leiendecker, Louisiana Tech
Maranda Pattison, McKendree
Caroline Thesier, Vanderbilt
Third Team
Alyssa Ballard, Vanderbilt
Brooklyn Buchanan, Arkansas State
Rebecca Hagerman, McKendree
Anna Maxwell, Maryville
Paige Peters, Vanderbilt
