Torrie Bartalone was hired as head coach of the Valpo bowling program in June 2026. An All-American on the lanes during her time as a student-athlete at Valpo, Bartalone brings eight years of collegiate head coaching experience with her in her return to campus.
Bartalone spent the last four seasons as head coach of the women's bowling program at Elmhurst University. Prior to that, she served two seasons as the coach of both the women's and men's bowling programs at Lincoln Memorial University. Her first head coaching stint came as she started the men's and women's bowling programs at Lourdes University, spending two seasons in that role.
Competing under her maiden name of Decker, Bartalone was a standout on the lanes for three seasons for Valpo from 2012-15, culminating in her being named an NTCA Honorable Mention All-American as a senior in 2014-15 — one of just two bowlers in program history to earn All-American honors. A two-time All-Tournament Team honoree as well as a senior, Bartalone's 198.9 average that season ranks fourth on Valpo's single-season chart, while her 191.6 career scoring average is fourth on the program's career chart as well.
In her four years at Elmhurst, Bartalone guided the Blue Jays to 87 victories. Her 2025-26 squad featured the CCIW Player of the Year, while the 2024-25 team was co-champion of the CCIW Conference Match 2, qualified for the CCIW Championship for the first time since 2020 and boasted the first individual USBC national qualifier in program history. Over her four seasons, Bartalone coached five All-Conference honorees, while each of her four squads were honored as NTCA All-Academic Teams.
Bartalone spent the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons as head coach of Lincoln Memorial women's and men's bowling. Her 2021-22 women's and men's teams swept the Conference Carolinas Championships, two of eight combined tournament titles for those teams that season. Bartalone was named Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year for both the women and the men, while the teams swept Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors as well. The men had an Honorable Mention All-American, while the women reached as high as #18 nationally in the NTCA top-25 poll.
In 2020-21, Bartalone led the women's team to a peak national ranking of #11 and was named the East Coast Conference Coach of the Year, while the team also won the ECC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards. The 2020-21 women's team became the first in program history to qualify for USBC Nationals. On the men's side, Bartalone mentored a First Team All-American who qualified for USBC Nationals as an individual.
Prior to heading to Lincoln Memorial, Bartalone was head coach for Lourdes women's and men's bowling for two seasons, starting the programs from scratch. In just two years, Bartalone directed the women's team into the top-10 in the NAIA national rankings and earned an at-large bid to the 2020 NAIA National Championship, which was eventually canceled. Her 2019-20 women's team featured an NAIA All-American as well.
A USBC Silver certified coach who has a Gold certification pending, Bartalone also has collegiate experience as an assistant coach at Robert Morris and at Calumet College of Saint Joseph, in addition to other private and volunteer experiences.
Bartalone has been deeply involved in the collegiate bowling community in her time as a head coach. She was President of the National Tenpin Coaches Association from 2021-23, after previously serving as NTCA Secretary in 2020-21. She has been part of the USBC Collegiate Advisory Committee and has served as an NCAA Tournament Director.
Bartalone earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Valparaiso University in 2015 after previously earning an Associate of Health Sciences degree from Robert Morris University (Ill.). in 2012.
What They're Saying About Bartalone
"I'm so excited that Valpo picked Torrie as its next head coach. Back when she was a student-athlete, she worked incredibly hard to be the absolute best she could be. Watching Torrie transition into coaching, I've always been impressed by how well she connects with her players and how effortlessly she keeps up with the modern game. She has zero ego and isn't afraid to ask for advice when she needs it. Valpo made a great choice, and I can't wait to compete against her on the lanes soon."
Matt Nantais
Head Bowling Coach, Louisiana Tech University (Head Coach, Valpo, 2011-16)
"I personally think she's a great choice for Valpo, mainly because she knows how to connect with the players. Torrie has this way of bringing a team together and getting them to work together. I've seen her coach over the years and she's passionate. She loves coaching and being a part of something as a team and not as an individual. She has a big heart and wants nothing more than her players to succeed with life in general, not just bowling."
Jerry Marrs
Storm Staffer/Tournament Director/PBA Member and Multi-Time PBA Regional Titlist
"I had the chance to work with Torrie during her time at Elmhurst, and she made a strong impact on our department and her student-athletes. She genuinely cares about the people in her program and does a great job supporting their growth both on and off the lanes. Torrie built a positive, accountable culture and was a great leader day in and day out. I'm happy to see her return to her alma mater, and I know she's going to do an outstanding job building that program and leading it to success."
Matt Haufe
Assistant Director of Communications, Marquette University
