Struthers, Ohio — Youngstown State's bowling team won its first two best-of-seven Baker matches, and Head Coach Doug Kuberski collected his 500th victory as the program's leader on Sunday as YSU concluded the 2025 Chelsea Gilliam Penguin Classic on Sunday at Holiday Bowl.

YSU began the day in fifth place, and it moved up one spot by winning twice over ranked teams on Sunday. Youngstown State beat No. 11 Sacred Heart 4-2, then outlasted No. 3 Vanderbilt for a 4-3 victory to secure a top-four finish. The win over the Commodores was the 500th for Kuberski in his tenure at Youngstown State and his 527th overall as a head coach. The two-time Bill Straub Division I National Coach of the Year is in his seventh full season at YSU.

This edition of the Penguins is certainly different from last year's team that won the NCAA National Championship. YSU had seven newcomers take the lanes this weekend in its season-opening tournament, and it finished with an 11-2 record with wins over No. 2 Nebraska and No. 3 Vanderbilt.

"Overall, it was a solid start to our season and I'm very proud of the effort," Kuberski said. "It was a lot of fun seeing the freshmen experience college bowling for the first time and the team begin to create its own identity." 

"We are learning and growing each day together and enjoying our time on and off the lanes. We gained a lot of valuable information this weekend and are excited to get back after it as we prepare for Orlando." 

The three-day event at YSU's home center began on Friday with five Baker matches, and the Penguins won 11 straight matches over the three-day event that also included five traditional matches and Sunday's three best-of-seven Baker matches. YSU lost to Vanderbilt to open the tournament, and it dropped its finale to No. 1 Jacksonville State. This was the sixth time YSU has hosted the Penguin Classic, and it is the first time that the event was named after former head coach Chelsea Gilliam, who passed away from breast cancer at age 35 in August.

"To be able to be a part of an event named for Coach Chelsea and one honoring her legacy in tandem with honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month is incredible," Kuberski said.

The Penguins broke 200 in five of their six games against Sacred Heart in a 4-2 victory, winning games two, three, five and six. Alivia Baskin, who moved to the anchor spot midway through the match, delivered a double in the 10th frame of game six to lock down the victory.

Advancing upward in the bracket, Youngstown State shook off a game-one loss by winning three straight against Vanderbilt to take a 3-1 lead. The Commodores stayed alive with games of 258 and 238, but Youngstown State responded by throwing nine strikes in a 243 in game seven to win by 48 pins.

The Penguins kept the momentum with a game-one win against Jacksonville State, but the Gamecocks won the next four to finish third. Jax State shot a 300 in game three, and a double in the 10th frame of game five helped it rally.

Nebraska, which was seeded second in the bracket, beat Jacksonville State in the opening round on Sunday to advance into the championship match. The Huskers beat Arkansas State in seven games to win the Penguin Classic for the second straight year.

Youngstown State will be back on the lanes next week at the Destination Orlando event, which begins Friday at AMF Sky Lanes.

Sunday's Best-of-Seven Baker Matches

Match 1: Win — 4-2 vs. Sacred Heart
202-215; 224-191; 208-201; 179-221; 211-186; 210-203

Match 2: Win — 4-3 vs. Vanderbilt
191-216; 179-162; 225-195; 237-219; 167-258; 172-238; 243-195

Match 3: Loss — 1-4 vs. Jacksonville State
173-144; 192-222; 198-300; 176-190; 209-213