Bowling to Begin Fifth Straight NCAA Tournament on Friday

A talented, experienced and driven group of Youngstown State bowlers will begin play in the 2025 National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship on Friday at the Rochester Regional. The five-team event will be contested at Bowl-A-Roll in Rochester, N.Y., and YSU hopes to advance to the Final Four for the third time in program history.

Youngstown State is the third overall seed in the national tournament and the top seed at the regional, and its first match will be on Friday at 9 a.m. against either Marian or Saint Vincent. Those two programs will bowl in a play-in match on Thursday, and the winner will advance to Friday to join YSU, North Carolina A&T and Louisiana Tech as the bracket shifts to double elimination.

This is Youngstown State's fifth consecutive season earning an at-large invitation to compete in the national tournament, and it is seeded third overall for the second straight campaign. Fifth-year seniors Madyson Marx and Kirsten Moore have been primary bowlers on all five postseason squads, and four fourth-year seniors join them to lead the mission of advancing to the national semifinals in Las Vegas next week. In total, eight of Youngstown State's nine bowlers return from last year's team that advanced to the final day of the 2023-24 season and finished third overall.

After their morning match, the Penguins will bowl again at 2:30 p.m. on Friday in either a winners' bracket match or an elimination contest. If YSU wins either of its matches on Friday, its season will continue on Saturday. The winner of the Rochester Regional will advance to the Final Four at the Suncoast Bowling Center in Las Vegas on April 11-12.

Live video of the Rochester Regional will be streamed live on BowlTV, and regular updates will be provided on YSU's social media channels.

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Tournament Preview

Format

As in previous years at postseason events, matches in the NCAA Tournament will be contested using the mega-match format. Teams will bowl one standard five-person game for total pinfall, then five Baker games for total pinfall. If one team wins both the traditional and Baker rounds, they will advance to the next round. If the teams split the standard and Baker rounds, they will move on to a best-of-seven series of Baker games to determine the winner. The "if-necessary" match in the regional bracket will be best-of-seven Baker match play.

Schedule

Thursday, April 3

Match 1: Marian vs. Saint Vincent (9 a.m.)

Friday, April 4

Match 2 - Youngstown State vs. Winner Match 1 (9 a.m.)
Match 3 - North Carolina A&T vs. Louisiana Tech (9 a.m.)
Match 4 - Winner Match 2 vs. Winner Match 3 (2:30 p.m.)
Match 5 - Loser Match 2 vs. Loser Match 3 (2:30 p.m.)

Saturday, April 5

Match 6 - Winner Match 5 vs. Loser Match 4 (9 a.m.)
Match 7 - Winner Match 4 vs. Winner Match 6 (2:30 p.m.
Match 8 (if necessary): Rematch immediately following the conclusion of Match 7

Regional Field

Louisiana Tech: Like Youngstown State, Louisiana Tech earned an at-large invitation to the NCAA field from Conference USA. The Bulldogs are ranked 11th in the RPI heading into the regional round, and they were an impressive 83-45 in head-to-head matches during the regular season. La Tech ranks ninth in the country in spare percentage and fifth in split leave percentage. Sophomore Rachel Ong is the Bulldogs' top-ranked individual in the Player Composite Performance Index, ranking 34th nationally, and junior Jenna Stretch is right behind her in 35th.

Marian: Marian and Youngstown State are in the same regional for the second straight year, and the Sabres are the champions of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin for the fifth consecutive season. Marian is ranked eighth in the most recent Division II-III NTCA poll and 33rd in the RPI with a 39-29 record. Seniors Jocelynn Eggert and Brenna Schiekiera were both named to the All-CCIW First Team for the second straight season.

North Carolina A&T: North Carolina A&T is in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season as the automatic qualifier out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Aggies rank seventh in the RPI and have a head-to-head record of 84-36, and they have been in the top 10 of each release of the NTCA Coaches Poll this season. North Carolina A&T ranks sixth in the country in overall scoring average at 20.21, and it is in the top seven in fill and strike percentage. Senior Maya Avilez was the MEAC Bowler of the Year, and Victorya White was the MEAC Rookie of the Year.

Saint Vincent: Saint Vincent is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history after winning an automatic bid from the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. SVU is ranked 39th in the RPI while boasting a 49-17 head-to-head record, and the Bearcats were ranked seventh in the Division II-III NTCA poll in February. Four Bearcats bowlers were recognized with all-conference honors, and senior Sabine Strickland and sophomore Skyy Nicholls were named to the first team.

This Season Against Regional Teams

0-3 vs. Louisiana Tech

L: 1,088-1,059 in Baker pinfall at the SFA Ladyjack Classic on Nov. 8, 2024
L: 1,112-1,038 in traditional pinfall at the PVAMU Invitational on Jan. 25, 2025
L: 962-953 in traditional pinfall at the Mid-Winter Invitational on Feb. 15, 2025

3-0 vs. Marian

W: 958-858 in traditional pinfall at the SFA Ladyjack Classic on Nov. 9, 2024
W: 981-884 in Baker pinfall at the Flyer Classic on Feb. 7, 2025
W: 1,031-832 in Baker pinfall at the Music City Classic on March 14, 2025

1-3 vs. North Carolina A&T

L: 1,115-1,067 in traditional pinfall at the PVAMU Invitational on Jan. 25, 2025
L: 1,054-1,000 in traditional pinfall at the Flyer Classic on Feb. 8, 2025
L: 4-1 in best-of-seven Baker at the Flyer Classic on Feb. 9, 2025
W, 1,110-892 in traditional pinfall at the Music City Classic on March 15, 2025

0-0 vs. Saint Vincent

YSU's NCAA Tournament History

2020-21: National Semifinalists (North Kansas City, Mo.)

W: 2-0 vs. Louisiana Tech
W: 2-0 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
W: 2-1 vs. Sam Houston
L: 0-2 vs. McKendree
L: 1-2 vs. Arkansas State

2021-22: Third Place at Lansing Regional

L: 1-2 vs. Arkansas State
W: 2-0 vs. Alabama State
L: 1-2 vs. Arkansas State

2022-23: Runners-Up at Lansing Regional

W: 2-0 vs. Maryville
L: 0-2 vs. Vanderbilt
W: 2-1 vs. Maryville
W: 2-0 vs. Vanderbilt
L: 0-1 vs. Vanderbilt

2023-24: Lansing Regional Champions, National Semifinalists

W: 2-0 vs. Marian
W: 2-0 vs. Maryville
L: 0-2 vs. Nebraska
W: 1-0 vs. Nebraska

Allen Park, Mich. - Final Four

L: 0-2 vs. Arkansas State
W: 2-1 vs. Sam Houston
L: 0-2 vs. Arkansas State

A Glimpse at the Guins

Team Overview: Youngstown State has high aspirations of returning to the Final Four for the third time in the last five years in 2024-25. Eight bowlers return from last year's team that won the Lansing Regional and finished third overall at the NCAA Championship. A trio of 2023-24 All-Americans, fourth-year senior Jade Cote and fifth-year seniors Madyson Marx and Kirsten Moore, headline the veteran returning group that includes seven upperclassmen. Madison Doseck, Ellie Drescher and Lyndsay Ennis are fourth-year seniors, Hannah Miller is a junior, Amanda Granata is a sophomore, and Kara Beissel is the lone freshman. Doug Kuberski, the 2023-24 Bill Straub Division I National Coach of the Year, is in his sixth full season at Youngstown State.

Team Notes

Youngstown State is an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season, and it is the third overall season for the second straight season. YSU and Jacksonville State are the only two programs to be one of the top four seeds in each of the past two seasons.
Last season at the Lansing Regional, Youngstown State won twice on the opening day to advance to the championship match with a 2-0 record. The Penguins fell 2-0, including the Baker point on a five-frame rolloff, to Nebraska to create a winner-take-all best-of-seven match, and YSU prevailed 4-2 over the Huskers.
At the Final Four at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., YSU beat Sam Houston 2-1 for its first win in program history at the national semifinals, but a pair of 2-0 losses to eventual National Runner-Up Arkansas State ended the Penguins' season.
Youngstown State is ranked fourth in the most recent National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 Poll, and the Penguins are third in the NCAA's RPI. Youngstown State was fourth in the metric heading into the Music City Classic but was able to move ahead of Vanderbilt after going 12-1 at the tournament to conclude the regular season. That 12-1 record included an 8-0 mark against teams ranked in the top 10 of the NTCA poll.
The Penguins are 87-32 overall in head-to-head matches against the third-hardest schedule in the country. YSU's winning percentage is .731, ahead of last season's school-record pace of .690.
YSU had six top-four finishes at tournaments during the regular season, and it won the 20-team Garden State Classic in November and the 31-team Music City Classic in March. YSU also placed second at the 38-team Northeast Classic in January, and it has won 12 matches at three different tournaments.
YSU was the second seed at the Conference USA Championship, which was the highest in program history, but it went 0-2 at the event. The Penguins lost 2-0 to Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin.
The Penguins have their second-highest averages in school history in both the Baker and traditional formats, trailing only last season's team. They are on a record pace for fill percentage and single-pin spare percentage.
At the end of the regular season, YSU ranked fifth in the country in overall scoring average, and it was fifth in the traditional format and third in Baker. The Penguins were third in strike percentage.
Youngstown State announced its full group of high school commitments from the 2025 class in February. The six Penguins joining the program for the 2025-26 season include Alivia Baskin (Elk Mound, Wis.), Kaitlyn Greenaway (Boardman, Ohio), Leyna Kratzer (Bangor, Pa.), Amber Mason (Woodbridge, Va.), Amber Spicer (Canton, Mich.) and Gianna Varano (Stony Point, N.Y.).

Individual Notes

In March, Drescher, Granata, Marx and Moore competed as individuals in the section round of the USBC Intercollage Singles Championships, and Granata earned a spot in the finals for her performance at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich.
Three Penguins have been named MVPs at tournaments this season. Doseck was the Most Valuable Player at the Garden State Classic by winning her first individual title. Cote was then the MVP at the Mid-Winter Invitational on Feb. 14-16 for her second career individual title and second MVP award, and Marx earned her third career MVP award at the Music City Classic.
Cote was named the Conference USA Co-Bowler of the Month in both January and February. It was the second straight January that she earned the monthly award from the conference office.
Cote leads the Penguins in overall scoring average at 21.36 pins per frame, and she is averaging an impressive 21.60 in Baker play. Both of those are ahead of the single-season school records that she set in 2023-24 (21.08 overall, 21.31 in Baker). At the end of the regular season, she ranked third in the country in individual scoring average, and she was fourth in the Player Composite Performance Index (PCPI).
Marx is averaging 20.83 pins per frame overall, Doseck is averaging 20.52, and Moore is at 20.19. Marx was 10th nationally at the end of the regular season in overall scoring average, and that trio ranked sixth, 32nd and 40th, respectively, in the PCPI.
Cote earned positions on the 2025 Team Canada and 2025 Youth Team Canada at her home country's trials earlier this year. She was named the 2024 Adult Canadian Bowler of the Year by the Canadian Tenpin Federation in March.
Moore became the first Penguin in program history to be invited to Team USA after her performance at the USBC Team USA Trials.
Moore was voted to the 2025 Conference USA All-Academic Team for her combined excellence on the lanes and in the classroom. She was also on the team in 2024, and she earned the NCAA's Elite 90 Award for bowling last April.

All-Tournament Team Selections

Garden State Classic: Madison Doseck (MVP, 1st Team), Madyson Marx (2nd Team), Kirsten Moore (2nd Team)
Mid-Winter Invitational: Jade Cote (MVP)
Music City Classic: Madyson Marx (MVP)2

Up Next

If Youngstown State wins the Rochester Regional, it will be one of four teams to advance to the National Championship site at Suncoast Bowling Center in Las Vegas. The Final Four will be contested on April 11-12.