Youngstown State University
Northeast Classic
Bowling Tops Sam Houston Twice to Place Third at Northeast Classic
1/23/2022 12:00:00 AM | Bowling
The Youngstown State bowling team polished off one of the most impressive tournaments in school history by knocking off top-ranked Sam Houston twice on its way to a third-place finish at the Northeast Classic.
The Penguins qualified third among the loaded field of 17 teams ranked in the National Tenpin Coaches Association top 25 poll, and they went 2-1 in bracket play on Sunday to remain in the top three. The three-day tournament was hosted at Bowlero Deptford in Deptford, N.J.
Youngstown State averaged 217.6 on Sunday, which was a jaw-dropping 11 pins higher than the previous school record for average in bracket play. The Penguins also had their highest tournament average in school history at 210.4. That was the second-best average in the field behind only McKendree, which finished as the tournament runner-up. Vanderbilt, which beat the Penguins in the second match of the day, was the tournament champion.
"I'm very proud of the effort. We definitely grew closer as a team and had a lot of fun out there together," said YSU head coach Doug Kuberski. "We also elevated our process and our focus and had great tunnel vision for most of the weekend, finishing with a very consistent Sunday. We're looking forward to a day of rest and solid preparation heading into next weekend."
In their first match of the day, the Penguins averaged 209.7 as they beat the No. 1 Bearkats 4.5-1.5 in the best-of-seven Baker format. In a match to make it to the championship round, Youngstown State averaged 213 against Vanderbilt, but the Commodores got hot over the last three games and averaged 232 overall in a 4-1 win. In the rematch with Sam Houston for third place, YSU bowled at least 225 in five of its six games and won 4-2.
It was the first time in school history that the Penguins beat the top-ranked team in the NTCA Top 25 poll twice in the same tournament, and YSU now has six wins in its history in matches against No. 1 teams.
Youngstown State will be challenged again next week as it travels to the prestigious PVAMU Invitational. The three-day tournament at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas, will go from Jan. 28-30.
