The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has announced Rebecca Hagerman as the next head coach of the Warhawk women’s bowling program.
Hagerman comes to UW-Whitewater from Jacksonville State University where she recently capped a successful collegiate career. “I am extremely excited for Becca to begin her coaching career with us,” said Athletic Director Ryan Callahan. “She is one of the best bowlers in the country and has won on the biggest stages.”
Hagerman is coming off of a phenomenal final year at Jacksonville State. She led the Gamecocks to a NCAA title, the second of her career, en route to earning NCAA Division I Player of the Year accolades. The Conference USA Bowler of the Year, Hagerman was a First Team All-Conference and First Team All-American selection in 2024. In 2023, Hagerman was selected to the Team USA roster before wrapping up her collegiate career at Jacksonville State.
Hagerman began her collegiate journey at McKendree University. A two-time All-American with the Bearcats, Hagerman helped lead the squad to a NCAA title in 2022 and an Intercollegiate Team Championship in 2023. Successful on the lanes and in classroom, Hagerman is a two-time recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 honor – awarded to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average competing at the finals of each sport.
“I am very excited for this opportunity,” said Hagerman. I can’t wait to give back all of the knowledge I’ve learned from the O’Keefe’s.” Shannon and Bryan O’Keefe coached at McKendree University before starting the program at Jacksonville State in the fall of 2023.
“Leann Sullivan left the program in great shape and I’m confident Becca will continue to move the program forward,” added Callahan.
A native of Loves Park, Illinois, Hagerman received a bachelor’s degree in biopsychology from McKendree in 2023. She is currently working toward a master’s degree in integrated studies from Jacksonville State.
Sullivan Named NTCA DIII Coach of the Year in Final Season
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater head bowling coach, Leann Sullivan, has been named the National Tenpin Coaches Association Division III Coach of the Year in her final season at the helm for the Warhawks.
This season, Sullivan’s squad led Division III in nearly every statistical category including traditional frame average, Baker frame average, Baker double percentage, strike percentage, single pin spare conversion percentage and overall spare conversion percentage. Additionally, bowlers Rachel Nelson (Poplar Grove, Ill./Belvidere North) and Kelly Whipple (Sheboygan, Wis./South) led Division III in Baker frame average and Baker double percentage respectively.
The 2024 Warhawks are ranked 22nd in the NTCA’s power index rating with a season record of 58-46. The power index rating includes programs from each division taking into consideration team record and strength of schedule. UWW’s 190.3 average in Baker games this season is ranked 16th in the field of 91 teams across all divisions.
Sullivan announced her retirement from leading the program following her 14th year as the head coach. She retires as arguably the most successful Division III bowling coach in NTCA history. A three-time NTCA Division III Coach of the Year (2013, 2015, 2024), Sullivan has amassed a record of 744-536 competing against teams from all divisions.
Sullivan led the Warhawks to their first-ever berth into the NCAA Championships in 2013. The team finished seventh that season, but returned the next two years to finish third in both 2014 and 2015. In 2021, UW-Whitewater finished third in the United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships.
Over the course of her tenure, Sullivan has coached eight NTCA Division III Bowlers and Rookies of the Year including Nelson (Bowler-2024), Whipple (Bowler-2023, Rookie-2022), Skye Farr (Sun Prairie, Wis./) (Rookie-2023), Caitlin Mertins (Bowler-2022), Amanda Van Duyn (Bowler-2016, Rookie-2013) and Katie Zwiefelhofer (Bowler-2014). In fact, every NTCA Bowler of the Year and Rookie of the Year in UW-Whitewater women’s bowling history has been coached by Sullivan. She has coached five bowlers to seven NTCA All-America honors and two that earned NCAA All-Tournament Team recognition.
Sullivan’s bowlers have also excelled academically. Warhawk bowlers have earned more than 60 Academic All-NTCA honors under Sullivan’s tutelage. Mertins was named a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American and was the UW-Whitewater Student-Athlete of the Year for her success in the classroom and on the lanes in 2022.
Prior to the 2019 campaign, Sullivan played an integral role in starting the Central Intercollegiate Bowling Conference. UW-Whitewater won the inaugural CIBC Championship in 2019-20 while Mary Conneely was named the CIBC Player of the Year.
Under Sullivan, the Warhawks have been ranked in the final NTCA Top 20 poll nearly every season and have appeared in the final DII/III rankings each of her 14 seasons.
Sullivan was a four-year letterwinner for the Warhawks from 2006-10. She was a captain of the 2010 squad that earned a berth in the USBC national tournament.
“What Leann was able to do at UW-Whitewater with the women’s bowling team was nothing short of amazing,” said Athletic Director Ryan Callahan. “Her passion, knowledge and overall love for Warhawk women’s bowling is going to be tough to replace. The Warhawk community is grateful for her hard work within athletics, and we’re all grateful that she is staying on campus to continue to impact the student experience at UWW.”
