Fenwick High School senior Olivia Cameron has enjoyed a decorated and historic bowling career, becoming the first girl to represent the school in the IHSA state girls bowling finals — a feat she has achieved the previous two years.
Cameron’s hard work has paid off with the announcement on Nov. 25 of her college commitment to Morgan State University, an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) in Baltimore, Maryland. She chose the Bears over offers from other HBCU schools — Alabama State, Coppin State, Prairie View A&M, Southern, and Texas Southern.
In an interview with Wednesday Journal, Cameron cited a few factors in her decision.
“Number one, I wanted an HBCU,” she said. “Number two, I like the coach (Alvin Franklin Jr.). I truly think he’s a great person and made me and my family feel very welcome. My third reason was simply that much of my family lives in Maryland, and I felt like I’d be going to a home away from home.
“Also to be honest, I prayed over my decision; I asked God for a sign,” Cameron added. “My heart was between Alabama State and Morgan State. They both have great coaches, and Alabama State has a phenomenal team. But ultimately I received a sign that I needed to choose Morgan State, and that’s how it worked out.”
Now that the college recruiting process is over, Cameron is focused on her final year with the Friars. She likes how things are looking so far.
“This year we have more girls. We’ll have enough for a full varsity roster and a full junior-varsity roster,” she said. “That’s a plus, especially coming from barely having a team. We have 14 girls total right now. We have some newcomers and I think they’ll be good by mid-season. Our coach (William Aldridge) is really good at teaching them how to bowl, and I think we’ll have a strong season.”
Cameron finished 66th at last season’s state finals, improving 39 spots from her state debut the previous year. This season, she’s setting lofty goals, not just for herself, but the team.
“I’d like to be All-Conference again, which I’ve done the past three years,” she said. “I was also the [Girls Catholic Athletic Conference] Player of the Year last year because I had the highest average over the season. That’s my goal again. I’d love to get to state and place in the top 10 [the top 10 individuals medal at state], but if I don’t, I’m happy to place higher than last year.
“Team-wise, I hope we get a [GCAC] plaque, given to the top three teams,” she added. “It’s a combination of varsity and junior-varsity results. If either program finishes at least third, I’ll be very happy. We came close last year as we did better than in years past.”