Youngstown, Ohio — Youngstown State's bowling team continues a hectic three-week stretch this week and travels to Greensboro, N.C., for the Stallings Invitational. The three-day event hosted by North Carolina A&T at Triad Lanes runs from Friday through Sunday.
YSU, which is competing at the event for the first time in program history, will stream its 13 matches live on the YSUsports YouTube channel as WiFi signals permit. Results will be posted throughout the weekend on the team's Instagram and Facebook stories and its X feed.
Tournament Preview
The Stallings Invitational is the second of three tournaments on consecutive weekends for the Penguins, who are ranked eighth in the February National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. This is YSU's third competition in February, and the Penguins will be looking to build on their 18-8 record so far this month. Youngstown State went 10-3 and finished seventh overall at the Lewis Flyer Classic on Feb. 6-8, and it was 8-5 while placing ninth last week at Nebraska's Big Red Invitational.
The Penguins are one of 21 teams in the field at the Stallings Invitational, and they have a rare occurrence where only two Conference USA teams will join them. Eight of the 21 teams are ranked in the top 25 of the NTCA poll, including conference mates No. 1 Jacksonville State and No. 6 Nebraska. No. 12 North Carolina A&T, the tournament's host, No. 16 Mount St. Mary's, No. 18 Monmouth, No. 22 Duquesne and No. 24 Bryant are also ranked opponents in Greensboro, N.C., this weekend.
A Look at the Field
Ranked Teams (8 - based on February NTCA Poll): #1 Jacksonville State, #6 Nebraska, #8 Youngstown State, #12 North Carolina A&T, #16 Mount St. Mary's,#18 Monmouth, #22 Duquesne, #24 Bryant,
Teams Receiving Votes (2): FDU, Maryland Eastern Shore
Additional Teams (11): Alabama A&M, Belmont Abbey, Coppin State, Emmanuel, Florida A&M, Howard, Lewis, Morgan State, Norfolk State, Prairie View A&M, St. Anselm
Conference USA Teams (3): Jacksonville State, Nebraska, Youngstown State
Format and Schedule
The three-day Stallings Invitational will follow the NCAA's standard 13-match format. The 21 teams in the field will bowl in five Baker matches on Friday beginning at 9:55 a.m. Eastern, and total pinfall will determine the winners of each head-to-head match. Five traditional matches will follow on Saturday starting at 8:25 a.m. with total pinfall again determining the winners. The total pins from the first 10 matches of the tournament will determine seeding for bracket play on Sunday, which will consist of three matches beginning at 8:25 a.m. The bracket matches will be contested in a best-of-seven Baker format.
Friday at 9:55 a.m. — Five Baker matches
Match 1 vs. No. 12 North Carolina A&T — Lanes 15-16
Match 2 vs. No. 18 Monmouth — Lanes 7-8
Match 3 vs. Howard — Lanes 9-10
Match 4 vs. Morgan State — Lanes 13-14
Match 5 vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary's — Lanes 29-30
Saturday at 8:25 a.m. — Five traditional matches
Match 6 vs. No. 24 Bryant — Lanes 21-22
Match 7 vs. No. 22 Duquesne — Lanes 5-6
Match 8 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore — Lanes 25-26
Match 9 vs. Norfolk State — Lanes 23-24
Match 10 vs. FDU — Lanes 31-32
Sunday at 8:25 a.m. — Three best-of-seven Baker matches
Recapping the Big Red Invitational
Youngstown State went 6-3 over the last two days of the Big Red Invitational and finished with an overall record of 8-5 last week in Nebraska. The Penguins won their first two Baker matches on the first day of the event, went 3-2 on day two, and finished with an unbeaten final day at Hollywood Bowl. After dropping its first three matches against ranked opponents, the Penguins won five of their final seven matches against ranked teams. Two of those victories were in traditional play over teams ranked in the top four, a 1,136-1,094 win over No. 4 Wichita State and a 1,021-1,007 triumph over No. 2 Vanderbilt.
Junior Amy Chrzanowski earned All-Tournament Team honors after placing fifth individually with a six-game set of 1,330. That was the second-best total for six games in program history. Chrzanowski also owned the Penguins' top overall average event at 21.30, the second-best tournament average by a YSU bowler this season. Kara Beissel bowled a 277, the highest game of her career and the ninth highest in school history, during YSU's win over Wichita State. The Penguins' 1,136 total against the Shockers was the 13th-best in program history.
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Youngstown State is in a new era this season — one as a program that has won a national championship and one that has seven newcomers and just one returner from last season's title-winning squad on its 2025-26 roster.
- The Penguins are ranked eighth in February's National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. YSU is seventh in the latest NCAA RPI that was posted on Feb. 8, and it is seventh in the NTCA Power Index on Feb. 24 that measures similarly to the RPI.
- Youngstown State is 51-27 overall this season for a .654 winning percentage, which would be the fourth-best percentage in program history. YSU is 19-12 in Baker matches, 22-8 in traditional contests and 9-7 in best-of-seven Baker matches.
- YSU is coming off a storybook season in 2024-25 in which six seniors led the Penguins to the 2025 National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship. It was the first national championship ever in a women's sport at Youngstown State and its first in any sport since 1997. YSU has been to the NCAA Tournament in five straight seasons and reached the Final Four three times.
- While the Penguins celebrated their momentous accomplishment, they're ready to turn the page with six freshmen, a junior transfer and returning sophomore Kara Beissel looking to carry on the tradition. Beissel waited her turn behind the veteran lineup last season, but she stepped up in a big way when she was called upon and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Final Four.
- Beissel's scoring average is 20.07 pins per frame, and she's been the team's top scorer in Baker play with a 20.50 average per frame.
- Amy Chrzanowski, a junior transfer from FDU, is the most-experienced collegiate bowler on the roster. She primarily bowled fourth in the Knights' lineup last season, earning Second Team All-NEC honors and helping FDU to the NCAA Tournament. She placed fifth to earn all-tournament team honors at the Big Red Invitational on Feb. 22, and she finished 15th at two tournaments in the fall
- Freshman Leyna Kratzer has been the team's top individual finisher in three tournaments. She finished seventh at the Chelsea Gilliam Penguin Classic to open the season, 13th at Destination Orlando and 21st at the Northeast Classic. Kratzer owns the Penguins' top average in traditional play at 207.84.
- This is Youngstown State's 10th season as an intercollegiate program, and Doug Kuberski is entering his seventh full season as head coach. He took over midway through the 2018-19 season, and he has gone on to lead the Penguins to five NCAA tournaments and three Final Four appearances. Kuberski is a two-time National Coach of the Year (2020 and 2024) and a two-time conference coach of the year (2020 and 2023), and he earned his 500th victory at YSU on Oct. 19 against Vanderbilt. Madyson Marx, a First-Team All-American last season and a five-year member of the program, has joined the staff as a graduate assistant, and Mackenzie Olesky is in her third season as an assistant coach.
Up Next
Youngstown State will remain on the road and travel to compete next weekend at Vanderbilt's Music City Classic. The three-day event held at the Smyrna Bowling Center outside of Nashville will be the final regular-season tournament on YSU's schedule.
