WASHINGTON (July 27, 2023) - It served as Cameren Sullivan's home away from home.
It was also a haven from the challenging Chicago environment surrounding the Howard University sophomore nursing major.
As she got older and more experienced, it became her office.
It was the bowling alley.
The facility served numerous purposes for Sullivan while growing up. It was a place to spend time with her parents, Marilyn and Ralph Sullivan, both bowlers. More importantly, the venue fueled her passion for the sport, which Sullivan believes she was destined to be a bowler.
"Both of my parents bowl," said Sullivan, who listens to Lil Baby before matches to get into the right frame of mind. "I would watch them bowl at the bowling alley. I joined the junior league when I was five or six and had been competing ever since. I bowled in leagues every Saturday and end-of-the-season tournaments."
"Bowling is heavily intertwined in my life and part of my identity. It was always an outlet. It kept me out of trouble and away from the wrong people and bad influences."
Sullivan showcased her hard work and skills this past year for the Bison by making an immediate impact. Her consistent performances earned her Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Bowler Rookie of the Year consideration. Last season, she was one of three freshmen bowlers on the Bison team.
Her best is yet to come.
In the remixed words of the popular motivational anthem, "Sum 2 Prove," by her favorite artist, Lil Baby, Sullivan's been in her bag and she has no plans to take her foot off the gas. Sullivan may not come in first or second, but rest assured, she'll never be last.
"Cameren has skills that could take her further if she wanted to," Howard head coach Ron Davis said. "She shows a lot of potential. She's calm, patient and graceful in delivering the ball. Cameren understands the game a lot."
She led Howard with a 177.1 average before the MEAC Championships. She has finished with 200 in five of the seven matches she competed in. Her best game was a 247 at the second MEAC Meet. Sullivan had a 221 during the CSU Lady Eagles Invite, in which Howard won three of four matches. She also finished with a 215 at the Mount Shootout. Sullivan's freshman campaign earned her a spot on the ALL-MEAC Third Team after leading the Bison in several categories, including total pinfalls (7,082) and pinfall average.
"The goals I set for myself coming into the season were achieved," Sullivan said. "I just wanted to be consistent with picking up spares and throwing as many strikes as possible. I never looked at a certain score because I felt that if I am consistent, everything else would take care of itself. I think the coaching and my teammates helped me reach that goal."
While bowling is a massive part of Sullivan's life, there's more to her. Sullivan's goal is to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
"I want to do travel nursing," Sullivan said. "Mental health is important in the Black and Brown communities. I want to represent that community and help them in ways that others can't. That's important to me."
Being at Howard is also remarkable for Sullivan, who enjoys representing The Mecca.
"Howard is amazing," Sullivan said. "It's a prestigious school and I get to represent it through my academics and athletics, so I have double pride. Everywhere I go or walk through the airports with my Howard merchandise on is great."
Sullivan, who has an older sister, Tashera, relaxes by watching reality shows. Her favorite food is chicken nuggets.
She enjoys her teammates and enduring some growing pains together. She knows they will make Howard stronger as they move through their careers.
"The community we have as a team allows us to have close connections and bonds with each other that help our chemistry on the lanes," Sullivan said. "As a program, we're here, making moves, statements, and working hard. I knew I wanted to attend an HBCU in the city for college. Then, I saw that Howard had a bowling team and a great nursing program. What's a better fit for me than being here?"
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.
