MIDWAY, Ky. - After working through the ups and downs of his first season, new challenges await Chris McMillan as he enters year two as the coach of the Midway men's and women's bowling programs.

"I still consider myself a rookie," McMillan said. "The returners have a year under their belt with me, but this is the first full class that I've recruited.

"I have 18 new players total, which brings 18 new personalities. So just getting everyone to gel and become a team and operate as a team has been my primary focus."

And with a brutal schedule set to kick off with a Tier-I match this weekend, McMillan is expecting his personalities to come together for breakthrough success in 2025-26.

MEN'S TEAM

These Eagles have seen a major roster spike, jumping from 15 bowlers a season ago to 23 this season.

With four players returning, McMillan says he has "a great combination" in captains Ryan Tuite and Charlie Smith, with Tuite serving as a vocal leader and Smith being more of a technician.

Hopes are also high for a 12-man freshmen class, which includes Johnathan Hatcher and Dykashie Harris, McMillan's first recruits with the Eagles.

Hatcher has found great success in the national youth circuit while Harris is viewed as an immediate All-American candidate by his coach.

The rookie class also features Christopher Smith, the first left-handed male bowler McMillan has brought to Midway and someone he calls "a powerful, explosive athlete."

The balanced group has McMillan believing his group has both the physical and mental makeup to not only move up the rankings in the Mid-South Conference, but also make the team's first appearance at the NAIA National Tournament.

"My men's team, they have heart," he said. "They had talent last year, but we ran into some issues. Some injuries, (other things) we've been working through.

"But we have a synergy. The energy on this team is just different. I think that's the piece we were missing last year."

WOMEN'S TEAM

The Eagle women return just one senior in two-time, Second-Team All-MSC selectee Maggie Coleman, who McMillan believes was en route to an All-American finish last year before being sidelined by a late-season injury.

The injury bug has already bitten the women's team in the preseason, as junior Avery Reeves, the 2024 MSC Freshman of the Year, is expected to be out until at least January.

But after a string of recent success, which included a 2024 NAIA National Tournament appearance and back-to-back invitations to the Intercollegiate Team Sectionals, the group is aiming to maintain the standard of previous seasons.

Others expected to be standouts are returning sophomore Madison Blankenship and freshman Savanna Hoyt-Siler, another newcomer McMillan describes as "an explosive athlete."

And like the men, McMillan says confidence will be a big factor in how well the women's season goes.

"When you come into a situation where you're new and you might have been one of the best where you've come from and now you're in a bigger pond, you tend to size yourself up with the competition, with your players that have experience," he said.

"We're going to see where we fit in the nation. I absolutely expect the women to get better as the season progresses. I know what my coaching staff is capable of, I know what I'm capable of and I know what my players are capable of."

They'll see how they stack up right away at the talent-heavy Midwest Collegiate Championships, which will take place Saturday and Sunday at Imperial Lanes in Clinton Township, Mich. Men's play begins at 7:45 a.m. with women's starting at 8.