Las Vegas — Youngstown State's bowling team is a National Champion! The Penguins captured the university's first-ever national title by a women's program by winning the 2025 National Collegiate Bowling Championship on Saturday!
YSU beat Jacksonville State 4-3 in a best-of-seven Baker match at the Suncoast Bowling Center to finish at the top of the college bowling world. Behind head coach Doug Kuberski, assistant coach Mackenzie Olesky, and an incredible base of fans, Youngstown State's nine bowlers completed a dream season.
The program has been led by its six seniors, including fifth-year Penguins Madyson Marx and Kirsten Moore, who made it to the NCAA Tournament every year of their careers. They got to hoist the national championship trophy on their third trip to the Final Four. Marx finished her storied career as a Penguin being named to the All-Tournament Team.
Jade Cote, one of the four fourth-year seniors, anchored the Penguins all weekend and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. She locked up YSU's first national title since 1997 in any sport by striking on all three shots in the 10th frame of game seven as Youngstown State won 228-203.
Fellow senior Madison Doseck led off and gave the Penguins momentum throughout the weekend, and freshman Kara Beissel stepped into a big role in the second slot in the lineup. With Moore and Marx occupying the third and fourth spots ahead of Cote and the group of Ellie Drescher, Lyndsay Ennis, Amanda Granata and Hannah Miller cheering them on, the Penguins took a 3-1 lead in the match against the defending national champions.
Youngstown State won the first two games 204-199 and 248-210, and it won a high-scoring game four 244-226 to take a 3-1 lead in the match. Jacksonville State won the next two games 223-200 and 232-214 to force the decisive game seven, and the Gamecocks elected to stay on the right lane.
Doseck struck to lead off the game, and Beissel followed with a spare. Marx then struck in the third frame while Jax State opened, and the Penguins were ahead the rest of the night. Moore kept the momentum going with another strike, and Cote and Doseck followed with spares to keep the Penguins clean through six frames. Beissel then struck, Marx spared, and Moore set up Cote with a strike in the ninth to give Youngstown State a 13-pin lead.
The senior from Farnham, Quebec, struck on her first attempt to push the Penguins to the brink, and she locked up the title with another strike on her second attempt. She added the third for good measure and finished her final event as a Penguin with 16 strikes in 21 attempts.
Earlier on Saturday, Youngstown State beat Nebraska 2-0 in an elimination mega match to clinch its spot in the national title round. The Penguins won the traditional point 1,073-969 and the Baker point 1,125-1,006. Marx had the highest score on the pair with a 245 in the traditional portion, and YSU shot 230 or higher in four of its five Baker games.
Saturday's Final Four Results
Youngstown State vs. Nebraska - YSU Won 2-0
Traditional Round - YSU 1,073-969
Baker Round - YSU 1,125-1,006
Starting lineup: Madison Doseck, Kara Beissel, Kirsten Moore, Madyson Marx, Jade Cote
- Game 1: 255-254| +1
- Game 2: 233-169 | +64 (+65)
- Game 3: 238-227 | +11 (+76)
- Game 4: 153-162 | -9 (+67)
- Game 5: 246-194 | +52 (+119)
Youngstown State vs. Jacksonville State - YSU Won 4-3
Best-of-Seven Baker
Starting lineup: Madison Doseck, Kara Beissel, Kirsten Moore, Madyson Marx, Jade Cote
- Game 1: 204-199 | YSU
- Game 2: 248-210 | YSU
- Game 3: 206-258 | Jax State
- Game 4: 244-226 | YSU
- Game 5: 200-223 | Jax State
- Game 6: 214-232 | Jax State
- Game 7: 228-203 | YSU
