New Castle, Del. — Junior Jade Cote threw a 299 game to highlight a record-setting individual effort, and the Youngstown State bowling team put itself in position to make a title run on Saturday at the Northeast Classic.
Cote broke three program records on Saturday, and she won the individual tournament title by 50 pins. The 299 game was a school record for highest game, and Cote also surpassed the previous standards with a five-game set of 1,202 and a 240.4 tournament average. Cote, who hails from Farnham, Quebec, became the third different Penguin to win an event in YSU's first five tournaments of the season.
While Cote finished first out of 213 individuals who bowled at least one game, the Penguins got production from across the lineup for the second straight day. All nine Penguins who traveled bowled, and Lyndsay Ennis and Hannah Miller also posted the highest games of their careers. Ennis totaled 1,110 pins to finish eighth individually, and Kirsten Moore finished in a tie for 15th with a 1,073 set.
As a team, YSU had the second-highest traditional round in the house at 5,317. Combined with the Penguins' Baker total of 5,274 on Friday, YSU qualified third for Sunday's championship bracket with 10,591 total pins. The 5,317 round total was the second highest for the traditional format in program history.
"It was impressive to see how the ladies responded to adversity and grew closer together as the day progressed," said YSU head coach Doug Kuberski. "You could feel the energy we were channeling for each other, which helped us stay calm throughout the day. Overall, our shotmaking and spare shooting have been on point.
"We are excited for championship Sunday," Kuberski added. "Our focus is on keeping the positive energy flowing, continuing to make great shots, and letting the score take care of itself."
The Penguins won their opening match 1,099-920 against Maryland Eastern Shore, and they lost 1,219-970 to North Carolina A&T in the second round to even their record. Aggies anchor Lauren Tomaszewski bowled a 300 in that contest.
In the third match, Cote made her run at perfection and finished with a 299. She threw the first 11 strikes, and she hit the pocket on her 12th attempt and had three pins head left but somehow miss the 7-pin. She became the first Penguin to take a perfect game until the last ball, and she surpassed the previous record of 289 that was shared by Nikki Mendez and Emma Dockery. Cote led the Penguins to a 1,055-783 win over Molloy, and she went on to shoot 785 over her last three games.
Ennis threw 10 strikes in a career-high 278 game as Youngstown State topped Molloy 1,053-839 in match four, and all five Penguins topped 200 in a high-scoring 1,140-1,126 win over Niagara in match five. Cote finished her day with a 259, and she struck on all three attempts in the 10th to put the decision out of reach.
Youngstown State will begin best-of-seven Baker play against Nebraska on Sunday at 8:25 a.m.
