Youngstown, Ohio -- Youngstown State's Doug Kuberski was named the Bill Straub Division I National Coach of the Year, and three YSU bowlers earned All-America honors at the sport's postseason awards banquet on Thursday evening at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.
Kuberski is the National Coach of the Year for the second time in his career as he's led the Penguins to the Final Four and their best season in program history. The strength of the team has been balance, which is reflected by three of Kuberski's bowlers earning All-America status. Junior Jade Cote was named First-Team All-America by the National Tenpin Coaches Association, and seniors Madyson Marx and Kirsten Moore were second-team honorees. Before Thursday night, YSU's highest level of individual recognition was Honorable Mention All-America, which Marx and Moore achieved in 2022-23.
A two-time Southland Bowling League Coach of the Year and the 2019-20 NCAA Division I Coach of the Year before this year's national honor, Kuberski has focused on student-athlete development, retention and experience both on and off the lanes since he arrived midway through the 2018-19 season. YSU was a fringe top-25 program when he started, and now it is in its second Final Four in the last four seasons. The Penguins also possessed the top grade-point average in the country in 2022-23, and their individual development is evident through having a program-best three All-Americans in 2023-24.
Cote becomes the program's initial First-Team All-America selection after emerging as one of the nation's top bowlers in 2023-24. Earlier this week, the junior from Farnham, Quebec, became the first Penguin to be named First-Team All-Central Region, and she was also named to the All-Conference USA First Team. Heading into the Lansing Regional, Cote ranked third in Conference USA in overall scoring average at 21.35 pins per frame. Her season highlights included being named the conference bowler of the month in January, winning the individual title at the Northeast Classic and being named the MVP of the Destination Orlando event.
Marx was previously an All-Conference USA Third Team and Honorable Mention All-Central Region selection for her performance in 2023-24 as a fourth-year senior. The senior from Maplewood, Minn., ranks among the conference's leaders in overall scoring average (20.76) and strike percentage and several other categories. She posted three top-10 individual finishes this season and was the individual champion and MVP of the MOTIV Ladyjack Classic in November. Additionally, she was also named to all-tournament teams at the Music City Classic and the Conference USA Championship.
Moore joined Marx on the Honorable Mention All-Central Region team after having perhaps the best individual season in traditional play of any bowler in the country in 2023-24 as the winner of three tournaments. The fourth-year senior from Tallmadge, Ohio, was the individual champion at the Penguin Classic, the Mid-Winter Invitational and the Music City Classic, and she added an all-tournament team nod at the Conference USA Championship. Moore ranks third in the conference in traditional scoring average, and she is on pace to break the school record for traditional average at 214.33 per game.
Youngstown State will begin competition in the Final Four on Friday at 9 a.m. against Sam Houston. The match against the Bearkats, as well as YSU's match at 3 p.m. on Friday, will be streamed live through NCAA.com.
