New Castle, Del. -- Youngstown State's bowling team tied a school record with 12 tournament victories and finished as the runners-up at the 2025 Northeast Classic on Sunday. The three-day event was held at Bowlerama in New Castle, Del., and hosted by Sacred Heart.
The No. 4 Penguins were the third seed after two days of qualifying, and they beat No. 6 Stephen F. Austin and No. 2 Jacksonville State in best-of-seven Baker matches to set up a battle with No. 3 Nebraska for the tournament title. In a rematch of the championship match at the Garden State Classic in November, the Huskers came on top this time in a 4-0 victory.
The Penguins posted a 12-1 overall record at Bowlerama to tie a school record for most victories at a tournament. Going back to the Garden State Classic, YSU won 24 consecutive matches before its loss to Nebraska.
"The lanes played quite a bit different today across the three matches, and it was impressive to see the ladies embrace the challenges, stay cool and calm, and maintain their togetherness. It was a total team effort all around," said Penguins head coach Youngstown State. "We look forward to resting up and cleaning up a couple of small items before we are back on the road this week."
In its first match of the morning, Youngstown State came back from a 2-1 deficit to beat SFA and keep its championship hopes alive. The Penguins won game four by four pins and game five by two to take a 3-2 lead, and they closed out the victory with a 214-165 win in game six.
Youngstown State stayed hot and swept Jacksonville State for wins in seven consecutive games. The closest margin against the Gamecocks was 222-210 in game one, and YSU won the final three games by an average of 61.3 pins.
Against Nebraska, the Penguins lost two games by 11 pins or fewer, starting with a 165-154 loss in game one. Nebraska won game two 222-187, and the Huskers held on for a 213-205 win in game three. Nebraska then had its best score of the match in a 235-213 victory in game four.
Youngstown State will be back in action next week at the PVAMU Invitational in Arlington, Texas.
