wiNew Castle, Del. — The Youngstown State bowling team clinched its fifth-straight top-four finish by placing fourth at the Northeast Classic on Sunday at Bowlerama.

The Penguins entered the final day in third place after having two strong days of qualifying, and they went 1-2 in best-of-seven matches on Sunday to drop one spot in the final standings. YSU, which was third in December's National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 Poll, finished behind No. 1 Jacksonville State, No. 5 North Carolina A&T and No. 6 Arkansas State, and the Penguins were ahead of 10 teams that were ranked in the top 15.

YSU junior Jade Cote was named to the All-Tournament Team after winning the individual title on Saturday. Fellow junior Lyndsay Ennis was named to the All-Tournament Second Team by placing eighth individually on Saturday. For Ennis, it was the first time in her career that she earned all-tournament team honors.

"Overall, I'm very proud of our effort," said YSU head coach Doug Kuberski. "The ladies battled well all weekend and made a lot of quality shots. I feel like we performed well and had solid energy across the board today. 
We're excited to get back to work and put in some solid preparation for Texas."

Youngstown State bowled 215 or better five times in its seven games against No. 7 Nebraska as it topped the Huskers in the opening round on Sunday. That kept the Penguins alive for a chance to win the tournament, but YSU dropped its semifinal match 4-2 to North Carolina A&T.

In the battle for third place, Youngstown State shot 145 in its opening game but bounced back with a 223 and a 245 in its next two to take a 2-1 lead on Arkansas State. The Red Wolves won the next two games by single digits to take a 3-2 lead, and Youngstown State claimed game six 203-191 to force a game seven. The Penguins had two splits in the final four frames, and they fell 199-190.

Youngstown State will face a quick turnaround before its next tournament, which will be the Prairie View A&M Invitational. The three-day tournament at the ITRC in Arlington, Texas, will be held Friday through Sunday.