Vancouver bowlers make their marks at HBCU Alabama A&M

Fort Vancouver and Hudson's Bay grads helped Alabama A&M win its first conference bowling title in 12 years. — Fort Vancouver and Hudson’s Bay grads helped Alabama A&M win its first conference bowling title in 12 years. Photo courtesy Rose Ugbinada

🎧 Vancouver Bowlers Find Home 2,400 Miles Away at Alabama A&M

Rose Ugbinada and MJ Westmoreland, who competed for different high schools in Vancouver, team up at Alabama A&M — one of 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities — where they learned a lot about themselves while helping the program win a conference championship

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

They have been close for years after meeting through mutual friends, and they also have known each other from junior bowling, where both excelled.

They had never been teammates, though.

Well, until this year in college.

Rose Ugbinada starred at Fort Vancouver High School. Michele “MJ” Westmoreland shined at Hudson’s Bay High School.

This year, they teamed up to help Alabama A&M to its first conference tournament bowling title in a dozen years and a trip to the NCAA championships.

This is not really a sports story, though.

This is a history story. A story of social triumph, as well.

Ugbinada, Westmoreland, and their teammates are a story of unity.

Alabama A&M, located some 2,400 miles away from Vancouver, is one of the 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. While it is not unprecedented, it is rare for student-athletes from Vancouver to compete at an HBCU. And it certainly is unusual when considering Ugbinada and Westmoreland are not African-American.

Ugbinada is three years older than Westmoreland and is completing her senior year at A&M. She made her way to Alabama after the death of her father, Danny. She wanted to be close to Danny’s sister, Aunt Dionne, who lives in Alabama.

Rose Ugbinada also knew that Alabama A&M had one of the 40 or so Division I women’s bowling programs.

“I visited here first and I absolutely fell in love with the campus,” Ugbinada said. “Everyone was just so nice.”

She acknowledged she did not know much about the history of the school.

“It’s quite embarrassing that I had no idea what an HBCU was,” she said.

She quickly learned.

“I was asked at home if I was going to be comfortable,” said Ugbinada, who describes herself as Hawaiian and Caucasian. “I never understood what they meant. Coming from Fort (Vancouver HS), it’s known for its diversity.”

When she arrived at Alabama A&M, she was told the student body was 3 percent non-black.

“I was the only person who looked like me on campus. People would stop and look and wonder if I was a student or not,” Ugbinada said.

She also said she is kind of an introvert, anyway. So the first year was quite an adjustment. She said she stayed in her dorm a lot. That is not unusual for students who are a long way from home for the first time.

“A lot of people struggle going away for college,” she said. “Once I got more comfortable in my environment, it wasn’t as hard to make friends.”

She also had her bowling team.

A few years after Ugbinada’s arrival at Alabama A&M, Westmoreland called her close friend to inquire about the school and the bowling program. Westmoreland might have learned about A&M through Rose, but Rose said Westmoreland earned her scholarship and spot on the team all on her own.

When Westmoreland arrived on campus, there were some questions about her journey from the state of Washington to Alabama. Westmoreland is Caucasian.

“I got an athletic scholarship here,” she would say, matter-of-factly. “Everyone here has been very accepting of me and who I am. It’s been great, honestly. I love Coach. I love my girls. I love the community. I really do love being here.”

Plus, Westmoreland had an advantage that Ugbinada did not have when arriving on campus.

“I would already know somebody there,” Westmoreland said.

Then again, Westmoreland has an outgoing spirit. She likely would have made friends in a hurry regardless.

“I connected with the girls really fast,” Westmoreland said.

Friendships made, it was time for the team to reach its potential. The Bulldogs did not excel during the regular season, so not much was expected of them in the conference championship. Alabama A&M bowlers peaked at the perfect time, though, winning the SWAC championship to qualify for the NCAAs.

“It didn’t feel like real life any more,” Ugbinada said. “It felt like a movie or a dream.”

“I don’t think anyone really believed we could do it. All it takes is you to believe in yourself,” Westmoreland said. “It didn’t feel real at the time.”

Alabama A&M’s run ended there in the first round at the NCAAs. Still, what a run. What a memory.

For Ugbinada, the conference title and trip to the NCAAs made for a perfect way to cap her college career. An English major, Ugbinada said she is likely to take a year off to save up for grad school, back here in the Northwest.

Westmoreland is looking forward to three more years at Alabama A&M.

“I’ve loved it,” she said of her first year at the school. “Rose is the main reason I came here, but there are so many other reasons I am glad that I am here.”

This journey started with junior bowling.

“To me, it’s everything. I can’t imagine my life without bowling,” Westmoreland said. “It allowed me to go to college. College is very expensive. Getting that scholarship allowed me to go to college, make friends, and be around people who are very important in my life. It has opened a lot of windows.”

In fact, that is also part of this story – how bowling can change lives.

Julie Pagel, the former high school bowling coach at Fort Vancouver who coached Ugbinada, said she wishes there was more of a presence of the sport at the college level in the West. Most of the Division I and Division II programs are in the Midwest, the South, or the East Coast.

Still, for talented athletes from Clark County, there are places to compete.

“For the kids who really enjoy it, the opportunities are incredible. If there were bowling on the West Coast, there would be so many more high school kids who would bowl in college,” Pagel said. “For the kids who are willing (to travel) there are just so many opportunities, so many scholarships. It’s a really neat, tight-knit community.”

Ugbinada is grateful she had faith in her decision. She said her college choice has made her more confident.

“Putting myself in a different environment without anyone else determining where I could have gone makes me feel more in control of my future,” Ugbinada said. “It built different connections I would haven’t got in a different setting.

“It’s given me the best community I could possibly imagine.”