The Youngstown State bowling team will compete in the Regional round of the National Collegiate Bowling Championship for the third straight season.

The Penguins were among eight at-large teams selected in the field of 17, and they will bowl in the Lansing Regional at Royal Scot Golf & Bowl in Lansing, Mich. on April 7-8. YSU will open play in the NCAA Championship against Maryville, and Vanderbilt and Carthage will also be in the Regional bracket.

"We are excited for April bowling and the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament," said YSU's Doug Kuberski, who was the Southland Bowling League Coach of the Year. "Making the dance is extremely challenging, and we are going to celebrate this first step. Tomorrow, we get back after it and focus on preparing and empowering ourselves to bring our best stuff to Michigan. This group is hungry."

Youngstown State has been an at-large selection in each of the past two tournaments. In their tournament debut in 2021, the Penguins swept through the regional round and advanced to the Final Four in North Kansas City, Mo. In 2022, YSU competed at the Lansing Regional and posted a 1-2 record. YSU has three bowlers - Megan Grams, Madyson Marx and Kirsten Moore - who were on that Final Four team, and seven of the nine student-athletes on the roster were part of last year's regional squad.

The Penguins are coming off a fourth-place showing over the weekend at the Southland Bowling League Championship. YSU was seeded fourth, and that's where it finished. The Penguins showed their resilience by prevailing in elimination matches against Valparaiso and top-seeded Vanderbilt. Grams averaged 236.75 in her four traditional games to be named to the All-Tournament Team.

Youngstown State is one of six teams from the Southland Bowling League in the field, joining Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin and Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament, and Arkansas State is the third seed.