New Castle, Del. — Youngstown State's bowling team went 1-2 in bracket play on Sunday and finished eighth at the 2026 Northeast Classic, which was hosted by Sacred Heart at Bowlerama.
The Penguins were eighth after all three days of the event, which included 10 matches of qualifying on Friday and Saturday. With its 1-2 record on Sunday, YSU finished with a 9-4 overall record at the three-day event to kick off the spring semester.
"There were lots of ups and downs throughout the three days here, but, overall, we are trending in a positive direction and learning and growing together," said YSU head coach Doug Kuberski. "I'm very proud of our effort across the board. We will put in some solid work this week as we look to be consistently excellent in Texas."
Youngstown State averaged 197.52 in the Baker round on Friday in which it went 4-1 overall and won its last four matches. That string of victories started with a win over No. 8 Niagara, which was the highest-ranked win of the tournament for the seventh-ranked Penguins.
YSU then averaged 199.92 on Saturday in the traditional format, going 4-1 with four straight wins to begin the round. Youngstown State fired a 1,091, its highest traditional-match score of the season, in a victory over No. 9 Mount St. Mary's in Saturday's first contest.
In Sunday's best-of-seven Baker format, Youngstown State lost its opening game to Sam Houston before winning four straight against the Bearkats. YSU held a 2-1 lead on Louisiana Tech in its next match, and the Penguins won game six 168-165 after the Lady Techsters took a 3-2 advantage. La Tech won a narrow game seven 179-171 to move up in the bracket, and YSU dropped into a rematch with Sam Houston to decide seventh and eighth place. YSU won games one and four to tie the match at 2-2, but the Bearkats shot 234 and 237 in games five and six to come away with the win.
Individually, Leyna Kratzer was YSU's top finisher in traditional play on Saturday with a 21st-place total of 1,050. Amber Mason posted the best set of her career with a 1,006 that slotted her in a tie for 37th, and Kara Beissel posted a 992 set in 47th. Gianna Varano finished 52nd with a five-game total of 977, and Liv Baskin was two spots behind her in 54th with a 973.
Youngstown State will compete at the Prairie View A&M Invitational next Friday through Sunday at the ITRC in Arlington, Texas.
Sunday's Bracket Match Results
Match 1: Win — 4-1 vs. No. 14 Sam Houston
Game 1: 163-220 | SHSU
Game 2: 192-188 | YSU
Game 3: 203-184 | YSU
Game 4: 233-213 | YSU
Game 5: 213-191 | YSU
Match 2: Loss — 3-4 vs. No. 5 Louisiana Tech
Game 1: 151-189 | La Tech
Game 2: 193-160 | YSU
Game 3: 206-202 | YSU
Game 4: 150-189 | La Tech
Game 5: 144-198 | La Tech
Game 6: 168-165 | YSU
Game 7: 171-179 | La Tech
Match 3: Loss — 2-4 vs. No. 14 Sam Houston
Game 1: 191-175 | YSU
Game 2: 136-206 | SHSU
Game 3: 226-275 | SHSU
Game 4: 232-182 | YSU
Game 5: 171-234 | SHSU
Game 6: 157-237 | SHSU
