Staten Island, NY – Wagner College Director of Athletics Walt Hameline announced the addition of women's bowling as Wagner's 25th intercollegiate sport on Wednesday. In a corresponding move, Wagner announced the hiring of Joseph Ambrose as the program's inaugural head coach. 

The bowling team will begin competing in the winter of 2020 in the Northeast Conference (NEC). It will be Wagner's 15th women's sport and the eighth team in the NEC.

"We are excited to add women's bowling to the Wagner family" said Hameline. "Competing in the Northeast Conference, one of the premier bowling conferences in the nation, creates a great opportunity for our student-athletes and Wagner College as a whole. We are fortunate to have a coach with the experience of Joe and are confident that he will lead us to success."

Women's bowling became an NCAA championship sport in 2003-04 and 83 institutions are currently competing. Women's bowling will be the fifth sport that Wagner has added since 2016. In 2016-17, the Seahawks competed in women's fencing and men's water polo for the first time. Women's triathlon began competition in 2018-19, while the women's field hockey team concluded its first season this past fall.

"I am very excited to be the inaugural head bowling coach here at Wagner College," commented Ambrose. "The entire staff here is as excited as I am to be part of the Seahawk family. Being back in the NEC, which is one of the most competitive conferences in the nation, is awesome. Our goal is to contend with nationally-ranked programs and we look forward to our journey. I would like to give a special thanks to Walt Hameline for putting his trust in me to take on this task."

Ambrose was the head coach for the Kutztown University Golden Bears from 2007-2019. During his tenure, Ambrose compiled over 860 wins and turned Kutztown into a perennial top-25 contender.

On the conference level, Ambrose, a two-time Coach of the Year, has guided two Bowlers of the Year, two Rookies of the Year and more than 20 all-conference honorees. On a national scale, Ambrose coached two-time Division II Player of the Year, Kayla Jones, eight All-America honorees and was named the National Coach of the Year in 2011.

In 2011-12, Ambrose led the Golden Bears to their second straight appearance at the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Intercollegiate Team Championship, finishing 12th overall in the event.  In 2010-11, Kutztown qualified for the NCAA Bowling Championship for the first time, becoming the first and only Division II program to qualify for the NCAA and United States Bowling Congress national championship in the same year. 

In the program's second year of existence in 2008-09, Ambrose led Kutztown to a 98-54 record, adding to his 44 wins in his first year. The Golden Bears finished the season ranked 11th in the final NTCA poll while posting a 15-3 mark in Northeast Conference (NEC) play in KU's first year competing in the newly formed bowling conference. Kutztown finished as the runner-up in the NEC Tournament. 

Ambrose's team swept the NEC postseason awards, boasting the NEC Bowler and Rookie of the Year. He was named the inaugural NEC Coach of the Year while three bowlers earned all-conference honors, with two on the first team and one on the second team. Kayla Jones was also named Division II Rookie of the Year and was an NTCA second-team All-American. 

Before his arrival at Kutztown, Ambrose managed the Wallenpaupack Bowling Center in Hawley, PA from 1979-2001, where he ran leagues, instructed professional lessons and helped establish the Junior Bowling Program while owning and operating his own Pro Shop. He became a PBA Bowling professional in 1980. Ambrose's has competed on the regional and national PBA tours, including six PBA national championships and three U.S. Opens, while rolling five sanctioned 300 games (4 USBC, 1 PBA) during his extensive bowling career.

He was inducted into the Wayne Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 for lifetime achievements in bowling, golf, tennis, and basketball. Coach Ambrose has also been a PGA Golf Professional since 2004 and currently is on staff at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, PA. 
 

Head Coach Joe Ambrose Year-by-Year Career Record

Year	School	W	L	PCT	Notes
2007-08	Kutztown	44	59	.427
2008-09	Kutztown	98	54	.645	Inaugural NEC Regular Season Champions NEC Tournament Runner-Up
2009-10	Kutztown	61	58	.513	NEC Quarterfinals
2010-11	Kutztown	100	40	.714	NCAA National Championship USBC National Semifinalist
2011-12	Kutztown	69	46	.600	USBC National Quarterfinals
2012-13	Kutztown	79	43	.648	USBC National Semifinalist
2013-14	Kutztown	80	51	.611	USBC National Semifinalist
2014-15	Kutztown	58	52	.527	NEC Tournament
2015-16	Kutztown	73	46	.613	ECC Runner-Up
2016-17	Kutztown	55	63	.466	ECC Championship - 4th Round
2017-18	Kutztown	72	45	.615	ECC Championship - 5th Round
2018-19	Kutztown	74	57	.565	ECC Championships - 6th Round
Totals		863	614	.584

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