Jillian Martin Season 2025-26

Honors & Awards 

• NTCA Bowler of the Year (2025)
• PWBA Pepsi Open Champion (2024)
• USBC Queens Champion (2024) 
• NTCA Rookie of the Year (2023)
• NTCA First-Team All-American (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
• UNL Female Student-Athlete of the Year Finalist (2026)
• NTCA All-Academic Scholar (2023, 2024) 
• CSC Academic All-District (2024)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2024, 2025, 2026)
• UNL Outstanding Scholar Award (2026)
• Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society (2025)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025; Spring 2023, 2024, 2025)
• Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award (First Team, 2026)
• CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll (2025-26)
• Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award (2026)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
• 2021 PWBA BowlTV Classic Champion
• Four-time Pro Team USA Member
• Five-time Junior Team USA Member
• Two-time PBA Junior National Champion

2025-26 (Senior)
Jillian Martin continues her dominate career in her senior season. Playing a total of 148 total games for the Huskers this year with 41 of those being individual. Martin recorded five top 10 finishes, including four top five performances, highlighted by a title at the Big Red Invitational, where she posted her second highest point total of the season with 275 points, and a runner-up finish at the Columbia 300 Saints Invite. Martain also had a team high with 8,989 pinfall and the highest average score of 218.7, which is third in school history. Martain was named the 2026 UNL Female Student Athlete of the Year and received the UNL Outstanding Scholar Award. She was named Academic All-Big Ten for the third consecutive year. She was also recognized on the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll, earned the Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award in 2026, and was a four-year member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

2024-25 (Junior)
Jillian Martin finished her junior season on top of collegiate bowling, being named the NTCA Bowler of the Year. Martin competed in 131 total games on the season and 51 individually. Martin earned the fourth best average by a Husker in a single season with a 216.15 and finished with three top five and seven top-10 finishes. Martin earned runners-up honors at the Garden State Classic with a 217 average and a game high of 279. In addition to being named Bowler of the Year, Martin was named to her third straight first team All-America selection after leading the nation in average and eight other NTCA individual season stats. Academically, Martin was named to the Tom Osborne Citizenship team (2023, 2024, 2025) for the third time in her career and a spot on the Nebraska Scholar Athlete Honor Roll. 

2023-24 (Sophomore)
Martin continued to be a leading force nationally, serving as the team's anchor. Competing in 48 games this season, Martin posted three top-five finishes and four top-10 finishes, including a runner-up placement at the Flyer Classic. Martin averaged over 200 in six of nine tournaments and rolled a season-high 269 at the Prairie View A&M Invite. Martin also earned a pair of honors to end her season, earning a Second-Team All-Central Region selection along with First Team All-American honors for the second time in her career. Off the lanes Martin earned her second selection to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2023, 2024) as well as selection to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll.

2022-23 (Freshman)
Martin enjoyed one of the most successful freshman seasons in Nebraska bowling history. In her first year, Martin claimed NTCA Rookie of the Year honors and was a First-Team NTCA All-American. Martin was also awarded freshman Female Athlete of the Year Award across all of Nebraska varsity sports. Martin was one of the top players in the country with the second highest Avg/Frame in the nation (21.568). Martin bowled in all nine regular season tournaments, transitioning into the anchor role midway through the season, sharing the position with senior Crystal Elliott. Martin earned the MVP honors at her first collegiate tournament at the Motiv Penguin Classic with a pinfall of 1,745 and high game of 245. Martin produced four more top 10 finishes [with a season high game of 277 at the Motiv Ladyjack Classic.] Martin also led the team with the highest overall fill percentage of 89.6.

Before Nebraska
The top recruit in the 2022 class, Jillian Martin brings impressive credentials to the Husker program. Martin has competed as a non-member on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour since 2019. She won the 2021 PWBA BowlTV Classic, becoming the youngest bowler to ever win on the PWBA Tour. She also earned a runner-up finish at the 2021 PWBA ITRC Classic and placed third at the 2021 PWBA Hall of Fame Classic. Martin also competed at the 2019 PWBA East Hartford Open, where she placed 24th.  

Martin is two-time PBA Junior National Champion (2021-2022) and was the U18 Junior Gold Top Qualifier in both 2021 and 2022, bowling a 300 game at the 2021 event. She was also the top qualifier in the U20 Division in 2020 at the age of 14, making her the youngest female to make Junior Team USA and the youngest to lead qualifying.  Martin won a silver medal with Junior Team USA at the 2022 IBF World Championships. A three-year member of the Junior Team, Martin won the OHSAA state title in 2019 as a freshman.  She tied for fifth at the Junior Gold Championships in both 2016 (U12) and 2018 (U15). Martin has double digit wins with the Elite Youth Tour, Storm Youth Championships and JTBA. Martin graduated with honors at Stow-Monroe Falls High School as she finished in the top 10 of her senior class. Martin chose Nebraska over Vanderbilt, McKendree, North Carolina A&T and Wichita State. 

Personal
The daughter of John and Lori Martin, Jillian earned her bachelor's degree from Nebraska as a biological sciences in May of 2026. A two-time NTCA All-Academic Scholar, Martin was a CSC Academic All-District selection in 2024. An Academic All-Big Ten choice in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Martin has earned seven spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. She is also a four-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.