BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a three-day Destination Orlando tournament where the Alabama State University bowling team performed well above expectations, sophomore
Taylor Lee and freshman
Alicen Ichimura swept the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) bowling awards, the organization announced Wednesday afternoon.
Lee's team-best week opened the way for her first SWAC Bowler of the Week honor of the year, while Ichimura wasn't too far behind in her performance, as she topped the conference's rookie keglers to earn her first career rookie honor.
Lee finished a team-best 31st in a field of 154 bowlers with a 202.67 traditional pinfall average, seeing her name listed alongside the top bowlers from national powers Nebraska, Arkansas State and Youngstown State.
The Queens, N.Y., native was one of just 34 bowlers at the competition with a 200+ pinfall average. Her best mark, a 236-pin game, helped the Lady Hornets put up one of its best overall totals against No. 6 Youngstown State, while her other 200+ mark came in Saturday's final match in the upset victory over No. 14 Niagara. Lee has continued to be a difference maker since arriving in the River Region a season ago, seeing action in all 26 matches this season.
Ichimura, meanwhile, used this tournament as her breakout performance, finishing 35th individually with a 199.83 pinfall average. Similar to her underclassman counterpart, her performance put her in the vicinity of the top bowlers on top-level teams such as North Carolina A&T, Niagara and Tulane.
The rookie was the lone Hornet to compile three games over 200 pins, the last of which came in handy in the Hornets' 1072-836 win over Southern. She opened traditional play with a strong day-high mark of 224 against No. 9 North Carolina A&T, setting a strong foundation to build on for the rest of the event. The Waipahu, Hawaii native is set to continue her growth as one of the impactful young bowlers the team will rely on moving forward, both in this season and beyond.
The two keglers helped the Lady Hornets (13-13 overall) to a 14th-place finish at the Destination Orlando Tournament, securing a 3-3 traditional record with wins over No. 14 Niagara and No. 20 UAB, while the squad defeated a third-ranked opponent in its opening, best-of-seven baker match against No. 17 Tulane.
Lee, Ichimura and the rest of the Lady Hornets make the trek to San Antonio, Texas, for another three-day tournament at the Bulldog Classic, hosted by Louisiana Tech, on Friday, Nov. 6 through Sunday, Nov. 8. It closes the 2026 portion of its season with another Texas outing the following week, when it goes to Houston for the TRACK Kat Klash, hosted by Sam Houston State, on Friday, Nov. 13 through Sunday, Nov. 15.
