Youngstown State junior Jade Cote has been named the Conference USA Bowler of the Month for January after posting record-breaking performances for the Penguins. The award was announced on Wednesday.

This is the first time in her career that Cote has been named a conference bowler of the month, and she joins current teammate Madyson Marx and former teammate Emma Wrenn as the only Penguins to ever earn a monthly conference award.

Cote won the individual title at the Northeast Classic on Jan. 20, and she was the runner-up at the PVAMU Invitational on Jan. 28 as the Penguins bowled in two competitive fields. The junior from Farnham, Quebec, Canada, averaged 234 in 11 traditional games at the two tournaments, and her lowest game in the month was 192.

Cote broke four school records in the traditional format during the month. At the Northeast Classic, she broke the previous records for highest game (299), five-game set (1,202) and tournament average (240.4). She then set a new school standard for a six-game set with a 1,372 at the PVAMU Invitational.

Including both traditional and Baker play, Cote averaged 22.30 pins per frame over 276 frames. She struck on 62.7% of her opportunities during the month while becoming the nation's leader in strike percentage. Cote had a 91.7% fill frame percentage in January, and she converted 90.9% of her makeable spare opportunities.

Cote led the Penguins to a fourth-place finish at the Northeast Classic and a third-place finish at the PVAMU Invitational. YSU has finished at least fourth in all six of its tournaments so far this season, and it is ranked third in the most recent National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 Poll.

Youngstown State's next tournament will be the Mid-Winter Invitational in Jonesboro, Ark., on Feb. 16-18.