Lincoln, Neb. — Youngstown State's bowling team won all three of its matches on Sunday to finish the 2026 Big Red Invitational with an 8-5 head-to-head record. The three-day event was hosted by Nebraska at Hollywood Bowl.
The Penguins won their final four matches at the tournament, three of which were against ranked opponents, dating back to Saturday. YSU finished ninth in the 12-team field to match its bracket seed after qualifying.
Junior Amy Chrzanowski led the Penguins individually with a fifth-place finish in traditional play to earn all-tournament team accolades. She posted a six-game set of 1,330, the second-highest total for six games in school history, and averaged 221.67.
"We've embraced an attitude of gratitude and are focusing on enjoying our time together on and off the lanes," said YSU head coach Doug Kuberski. "The team showed a lot of heart in bouncing back from a tough finish on Friday to post a very solid weekend with a 200-plus average for the last eight matches. There are lots of positives to build from, and we are excited to continue our journey this week."
The Penguins went 2-3 in Baker pinfall matches on Friday with wins over Western Illinois and Quincy, and they went 3-2 on Saturday in traditional play to get their record back to .500. YSU beat No. 13 McKendree, No. 4 Wichita State and No. 14 Sam Houston, and the victory over the Bearkats to finish the day led into the perfect record on Sunday.
Youngstown State beat No. 2 Vanderbilt 1,021-1,007 to start Sunday and finish qualifying with a traditional match. Gianna Varano had the highest score on the pair with a 243, and Chrzanowski threw three strikes in the 10th from the anchor position to close out the victory over the second-ranked Commodores. YSU dropped from eighth to ninth to conclude qualifying, and it won both of its best-of-seven Baker matches in the championship bracket to hold its place.
The Penguins averaged 202.78 in the bracket, sweeping Western Illinois and beating McKendree 4-1. YSU won by an average of 43 pins per game against WIU, and three of the wins over McKendree were by 12 pins or fewer.
After Chrzanowski's fifth-place finish, Kara Beissel and Amber Mason finished 26th and 27th with totals of 1,166 and 1,160, respectively. Gianna Varano averaged 214.25 over four games and finished 44th with an 857 total. Leyna Kratzer was 49th with a four-game total of 769, and Liv Baskin was 51st with a 757 over four games.
Youngstown State continues its regular season next week at the Stallings Invitational, hosted by North Carolina A&T.
Sunday's Traditional Match Results
Match 11: WIN — 1,021-1,007 vs. #2 Vanderbilt
Final Individual Standings
Six games
5th — Amy Chrzanowski — 1,330 (221.67 AVG)
26th — Kara Beissel — 1,166 (194.33 AVG)
27th — Amber Mason — 1,160 (193.33 AVG)
44th — Gianna Varano — 857 (214.25 AVG — four games)
49th — Leyna Kratzer — 769 (192.25 AVG — four games)
51st — Liv Baskin — 757 (189.25 AVG — four games)
Sunday's Bracket Match Results
Match 12: WIN — 4-0 vs. Western Illinois
Game 1: 223-146 | YSU
Game 2: 199-155 | YSU
Game 3: 220-180 | YSU
Game 4: 188-176 | YSU
Match 13: Win — 4-1 vs. # 13 McKendree
Game 1: 214-161 | YSU
Game 2: 211-204 | YSU
Game 3: 203-225 | McKendree
Game 4: 178-169 | YSU
Game 5: 189-171 | YSU
