Youngstown State University
Mid-Winter Invitational
Penguins Finish Fourth at Mid-Winter Invitational; Marx Earns All-Tournament Honors
3/14/2021 12:00:00 AM | Bowling
The Youngstown State bowling team finished off a strong weekend at the Mid-Winter Invitational on Sunday by securing a fourth-place finish against a talented field. The tournament was held at the Hijinx Family Entertainment Center in Jonesboro, Ark., and it was the final regular-season competition for YSU.
The Penguins beat Drury 1,000-975 in the final match of qualifying to improve to 7-3 in head-to-head contests, and they were able to stay ahead of top-ranked McKendree by 18 pins for the final spot in the championship bracket. Youngstown State totaled 11,287 pins in 11 qualifying matches, and McKendree totaled 11,269.
YSU lost both of its bracket matches 4-1 to Nebraska and Stephen F. Austin.
"We battled through some adversity today, and I am pleased with how we responded," YSU head coach Doug Kuberski said. "Closing out the 10th frame the first match was huge, and even though we lost the last match, I like how we responded."
"This is a resilient group. I can't wait to get back to practice on Tuesday, look over our notes, and get ready to reach our peak just in time for the postseason. We are close."
Individually, freshman Madyson Marx finished off a breakout tournament by tying for fifth place in a field that featured many of the top bowlers in the country. Marx knocked down 1,324 pins over six games, and her average of 220.67 was the second-highest tournament average in program history. She is the fourth different Penguin to earn a top-five finish at a tournament this season.
Kirsten Moore, another freshman, placed 13th with a total pinfall of 1,273, and senior Sarah Florence placed 23rd with 1,247. Emma Dockery finished 34th with 1,192, and Emma Wrenn finished 50th with 1,139 pins.
While Marx carried the team on Saturday, her teammates returned the favor on Sunday morning as she battled through a 164 game. The other four Penguins all bowled at least 205, which gave them the win over the Drury Panthers and kept them in the top four of the team standings.
In the first best-of-seven bracket match against No. 5 Nebraska, the Penguins took the opening game, and the Huskers bowled a 238 in game two to even the match. Nebraska then rallied in game three with three strikes in the 10th while the Penguins had an open, and the Huskers took the final two games to advance to the championship match.
The Penguins bowled between 191 and 225 in all five games against SFA, but the Lumberjacks were a bit better and won 4-1. Stephen F. Austin won the first two games, and YSU made the match score 2-1 with a 207-164 win in game three. The Lumberjacks won by nine pins in game four, and they closed out the weekend with a 242-225 win in game five.
Youngstown State will compete in the Southland Bowling League Championship next weekend near New Orleans. The double-elimination tournament will begin at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time on Friday. The seeds and YSU's first-round opponent will be announced this week.
