Defiance College names Doug Miller head bowling coach

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College Athletic Department announced on Tuesday that Doug Miller will serve as the Yellow Jackets' first head bowling coach for the newest varsity sport on campus, which begins competition next season.

Miller is a Montpelier resident who helped launch the Bryan High School bowling programs and has over 30 years of private coaching experience. He has served stints as a head and assistant coach with the Golden Bears since 2011. Bryan's boys have captured five NWOAL championships while the girls have won 9 of 13 titles since the conference sponsored their first championship in 2012.

A USBC-certified Silver Tier coach, Miller has helped produce numerous team and individual accomplishments. Miller was the head coach of Bryan's girl's team when they reached their first of four state tournament appearances in 2015. He also worked as a personal coach with the program during the 2019 state runner-up and 2020 state championship seasons. Danika Hickey captured the Division II individual state championship for Bryan as a freshman in 2015. He also coached Chandler Stevens to a national championship at the Survivor Tournament presented by xbowling in Detroit in 2013, which he averaged 260 for the tournament. Stevens has since joined the Professional Bowling Association circuit with one regional victory following his college career at UNOH.

"The kids have remained my main motivation in 34 years of coaching," says Miller. "It gives me great joy to see them smile when they get their first strike as young bowlers, then grow to their first 100 game and beyond. Helping young bowlers advance their game to the best of their ability is one of my primary goals. Growing the program at Bryan from club to a varsity sport that competed at the state tournament in just five years is a valuable experience that I get to bring into this role at Defiance College. This is a great opportunity and I am looking forward to working with college students, teaching them to advance their game and play different oil patterns. My goal is to win our conference, qualify for nationals and win."

"We are very excited to have Coach Miller lead our new bowling program at Defiance College," said Athletic Director Tiffani Selhorst. "His experience and knowledge will take students to the next level with their talent. I have said before that it is past time for Defiance College to build a bowling program and I believe we found the right coach to put our name on the map!"

The DC Athletic Department announced the addition of a women's bowling program on Dec. 6, 2024 and will start competition during the upcoming 2025-26 academic season. South 66 Lanes on South Jefferson Ave. in Defiance will be the home venue for the new program led by Miller.

With a head coach and facility secured, Defiance College is actively recruiting student-athletes to fill the first roster positions. Student-athletes interested in bowling for the Yellow Jackets can enter the recruitment process by contacting Coach Miller at domiller@defiance.edu or Athletic Director Tiffani Selhorst at tselhorst@defiance.edu and by applying to Defiance College at Defiance.edu.

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