Bearcats add assistant coach for men, women

McKendree University director of bowling Bryan O’Keefe has announced that former Junior Team USA member Matthew Farber will be joining the Bearcats’ coaching staff as a graduate assistant in the fall. Farber will assist both the McKendree men’s and women’s bowling programs.

Farber, a native of Plainview, N.Y., was a member of Junior Team USA for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015. In 2013, he was part of the squad that collected three gold medals and one silver at the Pan American Bowling Confederation (PABCON) that was held in Puerto Rico. A year later, he earned a gold medal along with a silver as part of Junior Team USA’s team that competed at the World Youth Championships in Hong Kong.

Along with his international bowling experience, Farber is currently a Level 1 certified coach, and has worked with individuals who have appeared at national youth tournaments such as the Junior Gold Championships and the Teen Masters Championships.

During his undergraduate days at Stony Brook University, Farber was a member of the Dean’s List and National Society of Collegiate Scholars. He graduated from Stony Brook this past May with a bachelor’s degree in business management. Among his work experience is a marketing internship with the World Bowling Organization in 2015.

“We are incredibly excited to have Matt join our Bearcat family,” said O’Keefe. “His dedication in the classroom and background as an elite-level athlete speaks for itself. He will be a great addition to the McKendree staff as a mentor for our student-athletes.”

The McKendree University men’s bowling program won its first national championship in April at the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Intercollegiate Team Championships. That same month, the Bearcat women’s team reached the semifinals of the NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship in its first appearance at the event and followed that with a third-place showing at the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships.

This story was originally published July 25, 2016 at 9:24 PM with the headline "Bearcats add assistant coach for men, women."