Youngstown State's bowling team will compete on the road for the first time in 2024-25 this weekend at the Destination Orlando event at AMF Sky Lanes in Orlando, Fla. The three-day event is being hosted by Sacred Heart, and the Penguins will be looking to win the team trophy for the second consecutive season.

All 13 of YSU's matches at the tournament will be streamed live on the YSUsports YouTube channel, and results will be posted throughout the weekend on the @ysubowling X feed.

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The Penguins are coming off of a third-place finish at their home tournament, the Penguin Classic, last weekend at Holiday Bowl. YSU tied a program record for most wins at a tournament with 12, but its one blemish came at the wrong time and cost the Penguins a shot at the title. The Guins averaged an impressive 205.7 over their 66 games, and their 12-1 record was the best in the field. This week, YSU heads to Florida looking to capture the team championship at the Destination Orlando event for the second straight season.

Tournament Preview

The top seven teams and 11 of the top 13 from the National Tenpin Coaches Association Preseason Poll will be in Orlando this weekend competing at AMF Sky Lanes. YSU will see No. 2 Arkansas State, No. 5 Nebraska and No. 10 Duquesne again after those three teams competed at the Penguin Classic last weekend at Holiday Bowl. The Penguins will also get their first looks this season at No. 1 Jacksonville State and No. 4 Vanderbilt as well as fellow Conference USA teams No. 7 Louisiana Tech, No. 11 Stephen F. Austin and No. 13 Tulane.

Previewing the Field

Ranked Teams (13): #1 Jacksonville State, #2 Arkansas State, #3 Youngstown State, #4 Vanderbilt, #5 Nebraska, #6 North Carolina A&T, #7 Louisiana Tech, #10 Duquesne, #11 Stephen F. Austin, #12 Mount St. Mary's, #13 Tulane, #18 Sacred Heart, #23 Delaware State

Teams Receiving Votes (3): Bryant, Monmouth, UAB

Unranked Teams (8): Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Daemen, Emmanuel, Florida A&M, Prairie View A&M, Saint Anselm, Wright State

Conference USA Teams (7): Arkansas State, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, Stephen F. Austin,  Tulane, Vanderbilt, Youngstown State

Format and Schedule

The Destination Orlando event will follow the standard NCAA format over the first two days before diverting for the first match on Sunday. There are two pools of 12 teams, and each squad will bowl a Round Robin against the other 11 teams during qualifying. There will be five Baker matches on Friday starting at 9:25 a.m., and total pinfall will determine the winners of each head-to-head match. Five traditional matches will follow on Saturday starting at 8:25 a.m. with pinfall again determining the winners. There will be one more Baker match on Sunday at 8:25 a.m. to wrap up qualifying, and teams will be placed in a bracket based on their total pinfall over the first 11 matches of the tournament. The bracket matches will be contested in the best-of-seven Baker format.

Friday, 9:25 a.m. » Five Baker pinfall matches

1. #1 Jacksonville State - Lanes 3-4
2. #23 Delaware State  - Lanes 5-6
3. Prairie View A&M - Lanes 19-20
4. Saint Anselm - Lanes 15-16
5. #11 Stephen F. Austin - Lanes 11-12

Saturday, 8:25 a.m. » Five traditional matches

1. #10 Duquesne - Lanes 21-22
2. Alabama A&M - Lanes 7-8
3. #5 Nebraska - Lanes 11-12
4. UAB - Lanes 19-20
5. #12 Mount St. Mary's

Sunday, 8:25 a.m. » One Baker pinfall match, followed by two best-of-seven Baker matches

1. Bryant - Lanes 9-10
2. TBA
3. TBA

YSU's History at Destination Orlando

2023-24

• Team finish » 1st of 18 teams
• Head-to-head record » 8-5
• Top individual finisher » Kirsten Moore (16th)

The Penguins had a memorable Sunday last season in Orlando as they went 3-0 to climb from fourth to the tournament title at AMF Sky Lanes. Youngstown State captured its third tournament title in program history and its first since 2019. YSU took down Vanderbilt, Stephen F. Austin and Jacksonville State on Sunday in the best-of-seven bracket. Jade Cote was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player for her role in the team victory.

Recapping the Penguin Classic

Youngstown State began the season last week by hosting the Penguin Classic at its home center, Holiday Bowl in Struthers, Ohio. YSU tied its program record with 12 wins at the tournament and finished third overall. The Penguins were third after qualifying, and they topped No. 10 Duquesne  4-1 in the best-of-seven Baker format on Sunday to keep their tournament title hopes alive. YSU then dropped its lone decision of the weekend to No. 17 Wichita State 4-2, but it rebounded to beat second-ranked Arkansas State 4-1 to finish with a 12-1 record.

Senior Jade Cote was YSU's top individual finisher in ninth-place with a five-game set of 1,087. Madyson Marx was 14th with a 1,051, Amanda Granta finished 16th with a 1,021, and Kirsten Moore placed 17th with a 1,010 set.

A Glimpse at the Guins

Team Overview: Youngstown State has high aspirations of returning to the Final Four for the third time in the last five years in 2024-25. Eight bowlers return from last year's team that won the Lansing Regional and finished third overall at the NCAA Championship. A trio of All-Americans, fourth-year senior Jade Cote and fifth-year seniors Madyson Marx and Kirsten Moore, headline the veteran returning group that includes seven upperclassmen. Madison Doseck, Ellie Drescher and Lyndsay Ennis are fourth-year seniors, Hannah Miller is a junior, Amanda Granata is a sophomore, and Kara Beissel is the lone freshman. Doug Kuberski, the 2023-24 Bill Straub Division I National Coach of the Year, is entering his sixth full season at Youngstown State.

Quick Tidbits

• Youngstown State was ranked third in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 Preseason Poll that was announced on Oct. 1. It is the highest preseason ranking in program history, and it matches YSU's final ranking last season. The Penguins were ranked third or higher in each of the final four polls of last season, peaked at second in February, and received first-place votes for the first time in program history.
• In addition to finishing third at the NCAA Championship, Youngstown State was the runner-up at the Conference USA Championship. That tied the best finish in program history.
• The Penguins finished fourth or higher in 10 of their 11 tournaments in 2023-24, and they were first or second six times.
• The Penguins finished last season with an overall record of 80-36 for a school-best .690 winning percentage while bowling against the toughest schedule in the country. YSU also set program records for highest scoring average in all three formats and strike percentage.
• Through the end of the 2023-24 regular season, Youngstown State ranked second in the country in overall scoring average at 20.62 pins per frame, and it was also second in both formats.
• Jade Cote became the program's first player to be named a First-Team All-American last season. She led the country in strike percentage and ranked third in individual scoring average. She was also a First-Team All-Central Region and First-Team All-Conference USA selection.
• Madyson Marx and Kirsten Moore were both Second-Team All-Americans in 2023-24 after being honorable mention picks in 2022-23.
• Cote, Marx and Moore combined to claim the individual title at five of YSU's eight regular-season tournaments last season. Moore won three events and set the school record for single-season traditional average at 213.13.
• Kuberski is a two-time National Coach of the Year (2020 and 2024) and a two-time conference coach of the year (2020 and 2023).
• YSU posted the sixth-best GPA in the country last season, its fifth straight season ranking among the top six. The Penguins topped the list in 2022-23.

Up Next

The Penguins will be idle the next two weeks before stepping back into competition the second weekend of November. Youngstown State's next tournament will be the SFA Ladyjack Invite at Sheridan Lanes in Kenosha, Wis., on Nov. 8-10.