Youngstown, Ohio — Youngstown State's bowling team will start a new era and begin its 10th season as a program this Friday through Sunday as it hosts the three-day Chelsea Gilliam Penguin Classic. YSU will host the tournament at its home center, Holiday Bowl, in Struthers, Ohio.

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

Fan Information and Tournament Format

Live Stream | Visitors Guide | YSU Mobile App - iOS - Android

The Youngstown State bowling program and the staff at Holiday Bowl are excited to welcome 18 visiting teams to this weekend's event. This is the sixth edition of the Penguin Classic and the first named in honor of Chelsea Gilliam, YSU's first head coach who passed away from breast cancer in August at age 35.

Address & Parking: Holiday Bowl is located at 777 Youngstown-Poland Road in Struthers, Ohio (44471). Spectators should park in the main lot or in the fenced lot across Wilson Street, which is located just south of the bowling center. Parking at the IGA is prohibited.

Admission: Admission is free on all three days of the tournament.

Promotions: On Friday, YSU mascot Pete the Penguin will throw out the first ball of the tournament. There will also be 150 YSU bowling T-shirts available for fans as a giveaway on Friday, courtesy of Molly Maid.

Tournament Format: The 2025 Chelsea Gilliam Penguin Classic will follow the standard NCAA format with a 13-match rotation this weekend at Holiday Bowl. There will be five Baker matches on Friday beginning at 9:30 a.m., and total pinfall will determine the winners of each head-to-head match. Five traditional matches will follow on Saturday starting at 9:25 a.m. with total pinfall again determining the winners. The total pins from the first 10 matches of the tournament will determine seeding for bracket play on Sunday, which will begin at 8:25 a.m. The bracket matches will be contested in a best-of-seven Baker format.

A Glimpse at the Guins

• Youngstown State will truly begin a new era this weekend — one as a program that has won a national championship and one that has seven newcomers and just one returner on its roster. The Penguins are the third-ranked team in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 Preseason Poll.
• YSU is coming off a storybook season in 2024-25 in which six seniors led the Penguins to the 2025 National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship. It was the first national championship ever in a women's sport at Youngstown State and its first in any sport since 1997.  YSU has been to the NCAA Tournament in five straight seasons and reached the Final Four three times.
• While the Penguins celebrated their momentous accomplishment, they're ready to turn the page with six freshmen, a junior transfer and returning sophomore Kara Beissel looking to carry on the tradition. Beissel waited her turn behind the veteran lineup last season, but she stepped up in a big way when she was called upon and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Final Four.
• Amy Chrzanowski, a junior transfer from FDU, is the most-experienced collegiate bowler on the roster. She primarily bowled in the fourth slot in the Knights' lineup last season, earning Second Team All-NEC honors and helping FDU to the NCAA Tournament.
• At least three freshmen and as many as six will make their collegiate debuts for the Penguins this week at Holiday Bowl. YSU's talented freshman class includes Alivia Baskin, Kaitlyn Greenaway, Leyna Kratzer, Amber Mason, Amber Spicer and Gianna Varano. Kratzer, Mason and Varano each placed in the top 30 at the 2025 Junior Gold Championships in July. 
• This is Youngstown State's 10th season as an intercollegiate program, and Doug Kuberski is entering his seventh full season as head coach. He took over midway through the 2018-19 season, and he has gone on to lead the Penguins to five NCAA tournaments and three Final Four appearances. 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). Madyson Marx, a First-Team All-American last season and a five-year member of the program, has joined the staff as a graduate assistant, and Mackenzie Olesky is in her third season as an assistant coach.

Previewing the Field

Five of the top six teams in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Preseason Poll will be in attendance this weekend at the Chelsea Gilliam Penguin Classic. Defending national runner-up and preseason favorite Jacksonville State will be at the event for the first time, as will No. 3 Vanderbilt. No. 2 Nebraska and No. 6 Arkansas State have become tournament regulars, and other top 25 teams in the field include No. 11 Sacred Heart, No. 12 Duquesne, No. 14 Mount St. Mary's, No. 20 Wright State, No. 21 Valparaiso and No. 25 Niagara.

Ranked Teams (11): #1 Jacksonville State, #2 Nebraska, #3 Vanderbilt, #4 Youngstown State, #6 Arkansas State, #11 Sacred Heart, #12 Duquesne, #14 Mount St. Mary's, #20 Wright State, #21 Valparaiso, #25 Niagara

Teams Receiving Votes (2): Lewis, Mercyhurst

Unranked Teams (5): Alabama A&M, Coppin State, Saint Anselm, Walsh, Western Illinois

YSU's Schedule

Friday at 9:30 a.m. — Five Baker matches

Saturday at 9:25 a.m. — Five traditional matches

Sunday at 8:30 a.m. — Three best-of-seven Baker matches

College Bowling 101

For new fans of college bowling, here's a guide to the different scoring formats that will be used throughout the tournament.

Friday's Format: Teams will bowl five Baker matches on Friday, with each head-to-head match consisting of five games. The winner of each match is determined by adding the pinfall of all five games together. In the Baker format, lineups are comprised of five bowlers, with each responsible for two frames in each game. The leadoff player bowls in frames one and six, the second person in the lineup bowls in frames two and seven, etc.

Saturday's Format: Saturday will feature five traditional matches, which are most similar to the "standard" scoring that fans would see in a league or during a night out with friends. Each team has five players bowl a full game, and each individual's score is added together for the team total. The team with the highest combined score from all five games wins the match.

Sunday's Best-of-Seven Format: Using the total pinfall of the first two days of the tournament, teams will be seeded into a championship bracket to determine the final standings. Head-to-head records have no bearing on the seeds, meaning a team could theoretically lose each of its first 10 matches but still be the top seed based on its cumulative scores in those 10 matches. Teams will bowl in three matches in a best-of-seven Baker format, and winners will advance toward a higher final finish. Instead of adding five games together to determine a total like on Friday, the winner of each game gets a point. The first to four points wins the match, regardless of total pinfall.

Tournament History

This will be the sixth Penguin Classic, a tournament that began in 2019 and is being held for the fifth consecutive season. It was renamed the Chelsea Gilliam Penguin Classic in 2025 in honor of YSU's first head coach, who passed away from breast cancer in August 2025 at age 35. Holiday Bowl, Youngstown State's home center, has served as the host since the tournament's inception.

Youngstown State won the inaugural event in 2019, and it has finished second in each of the past three tournaments. Arkansas State won the event in 2021 and 2023, and Nebraska claimed the title in 2022 and 2024.

Individually, Youngstown State had a top-five finisher in each of the first four tournaments, and Kirsten Moore was the individual champion in 2023.

For past results and photos of past champions and all-tournament teams, visit the tournament central page at ysusports.com/2025bowlpc.

YSU's History at the Penguin Classic

2019-20 (Columbia 300 Penguin Classic)

• Team finish » 1st of 8 teams
• Head-to-head record » 10-3
• YSU's top individual finisher » Sarah Florence (2nd)

2021-22 (MOTIV Penguin Classic)

• Team finish » 2nd of 10
• Head-to-head record » 9-4
• YSU's top individual finisher » Megan Grams (2nd)

2022-23 (MOTIV Penguin Classic)

• Team finish » 2nd of 14
• Head-to-head record » 10-4
• YSU's top individual finisher » Kirsten Moore (5th)

2023-24 (Penguin Classic)

• Team finish » 2nd of 13
• Head-to-head record » 9-4
• YSU's top individual finisher » Kirsten Moore (1st)

2024-25 (Penguin Classic)

• Team finish » 3rd of 16
• Head-to-head record  » 12-1
• YSU's top individual finisher » Jade Cote (9th)

Up Next

Youngstown State will be back on the lanes next week at the Destination Orlando event on Oct. 24-26 at AMF Sky Lanes.