Freshman Makayla Hampton has bowled for almost her entire life, and, since starting her journey at the University of Indianapolis this fall, she has already proven herself a strong competitor and teammate.
Hampton said she learned to walk when her dad rolled a bowling ball and she followed after it, and, since then, has bowled in several different leagues, including her high school team. UIndy’s bowling team was added before the 2024-25 academic year, which meant Hampton’s decision to attend and bowl came only two weeks before the semester began when Head Coach Cam Estes approached her.
“Cam came to me saying that it was a new team, especially to UIndy, and I was kind of skeptical, but I actually did like the idea of being a part of that change,” Hampton said. “Nobody’s ever seen a UIndy bowling team, so we’re a part of history being made. I really love that aspect, and it’s definitely a change for me.”
Hampton said she faced some challenges at the beginning of the semester as she transitioned from high school to college but was able to overcome those challenges in part because of the positive environment practices and tournaments with the team. The team has bonded throughout the season, including “Bridgerton” watch parties that led them to talking in British accents at tournaments as well as just supporting each other as teammates and fellow students.
“It’s such a fun environment to be around,” Hampton said. “At this stage in our life, at the collegiate level, we are basically playing sports for money, for scholarship money. So having fun with your team is a way to make your job more fun, make it more appealing, make us want to do it more. I just love everybody’s personality.”
Estes said building the team had a quick turnaround time, but he and the team were able to build a team culture and environment that they are all proud of. He said they work incredibly hard in practices, so they are prepared to compete well in tournaments.
“As a group, it’s family first,” Estes said. “We try to make sure that all the young ladies know that they have many avenues if they have things to talk about, if they need help with schoolwork or anything like that. … As far as the competition side, competitions are very loud, distracting environments because of a lot of the cheering that goes on between the different teams, and so it can be quite nerve wracking at times. But getting the team to be able to focus and shut out the outside noise and focus, you know, is something that is key, and they all do a great job of it.”
Following the Warhawk Classic at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Oct. 18 weekend, Hampton was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Athlete of the Week in women’s bowling. This is the first ever GLVC recognition the UIndy bowling team received, and Hampton said, for her, it is a testament to how hard she has worked to get to this point.
“It means so much to me, just to think that everything that I went through to get to this point is like, it’s all been for this, and it’s amazing,” Hampton said. “There was some time when I was in high school I stopped bowling due to some personal things, and I had to fight to get back, and I just love it that I can further my education and do what I love to do at the same time. It’s honestly everything.”
Hampton said she is looking forward to spending the rest of the season with her team and continuing to grow as an athlete and an individual. The Greyhound bowling team will head to Fairview Heights, Ill. Nov. 23-24 to take on the McKendree Match Games.
