Bowling Begins Spring Semester at Northeast Invitational This Weekend
1/16/2020 12:00:00 AM | Bowling
The Youngstown State bowling team will begin its spring semester schedule this weekend as it travels to Croydon, Pa., for the Northeast Invitational. The tournament will be held at AMF Bristol Pike Lanes and co-hosted by Sacred Heart and LIU. All 11 of YSU's matches will be streamed on the YSUsports YouTube channel, pending a strong wireless signal.
This will be the first tournament for the Penguins since they concluded a fall semester that saw the program make a giant leap forward. Youngstown State began the season ranked 23rd in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 Poll, and they rocketed up 14 spots to ninth in the December poll at the end of the fall semester.
Youngstown State was originally scheduled to open the spring semester next weekend at the Red Flash Invitational but added the Northeast invitational in an effort to continue to build its resume and compete against top-25 opponents.
Tournament Format
The Northeast Invitational will follow the traditional structure of a three-day tournament. Youngstown State will bowl in five sets of five-game Baker matches on Friday beginning at 10:55 a.m., and five traditional matches will follow on Saturday starting at 9:55 a.m. The total pinfall from the first two days of qualifying will determine seeds for bracket play on Sunday, and teams will compete in three best-of-seven Baker matches to decide the final standings. Sunday's action will begin at 8:25 a.m.
Previewing The Field
The Northeast Invitational will feature a 26-team field, and 17 of those teams were ranked December's NTCA Top 25 Poll. In addition to the ninth-ranked Penguins, other top-10 teams that will be in attendance include No. 1 McKendree, No. 2 Sam Houston State, No. 5 Vanderbilt, No. 6 Maryland Eastern Shore, No. 7 North Carolina A&T and No. 8 Stephen F. Austin. YSU is one of five teams from the Southland Bowling League in the field.
Youngstown State is in Pool A, and it is scheduled to compete against six ranked teams in the first two days. The Penguins will open the tournament against No. 19 Sacred Heart, No. 14 Delaware State and No. 6 Maryland Eastern Shore in their first three Baker matches. They will then compete against No. 23 Monmouth, No. 24 Wilmington and No. 7 North Carolina A&T in team play on Saturday.
Schedule
Friday's Baker Match Schedule
- #9 Youngstown State vs. #19 Sacred Heart (Lanes 7-8)
- #9 Youngstown State vs. #14 Delaware State (Lanes 15-16)
- #9 Youngstown State vs. #6 Maryland Eastern Shore (Lanes 25-26)
- #9 Youngstown State vs. Howard (Lanes 33-34)
- #9 Youngstown State vs. LIU (Lanes 11-12)
Saturday's Team Match Schedule
- #9 Youngstown State vs. #23 Monmouth (Lanes 19-20)
- #9 Youngstown State vs. Molloy (Lanes 11-12)
- #9 Youngstown State vs. #24 Wilmington (Lanes 21-22)
- #9 Youngstown State vs. Chestnut Hill (Lanes 31-32)
- #9 Youngstown State vs. #7 North Carolina A&T (Lanes 3-4)
Recapping the Hawk Classic Invitational
In its last tournament, which occurred eight weeks ago from Nov. 22-24, Youngstown State placed eighth out of 18 teams at the Hawk Classic Invitational in Millsboro, Del. The Penguins placed ahead of No. 15 Delaware State, No. 9 Fairleigh Dickinson, No. 14 Tulane, No. 13 Lincoln Memorial, No. 25 Monmouth, No. 16 Saint Francis U and No. 24 LIU. Individually, Nikki Mendez placed 11th at the tournament with a five-game pinfall of 1,043.
For a full recap of the fall semester, click here.
Up Next
Youngstown State will compete at the Red Flash Invitational next weekend. The tournament will be hosted by Saint Francis U at Holiday Bowl in Altoona, Pa.
