A standout member of the inaugural class of Youngstown State bowlers, Nikki Mendez joined the Penguins’ coaching staff prior to the 2020-21 season.
In her capacity, Mendez assists head coach Doug Kuberski with travel, skill development and instruction in practice, and communicating adjustments and strategy at tournaments. She also contributes to the team's social media accounts.
In her first season as an assistant coach, Mendez helped lead the Penguins to the National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship for the first time in program history. YSU earned the final at-large invitation into the tournament, and it took advantage of the opportunity to advance to the final four. Seeded 13th in the field of 16 teams, YSU swept through the four-team regional pod with wins over the No. 4 Louisiana Tech, No. 5 Fairleigh Dickinson and No. 12 Sam Houston.
In addition to claiming a National Semifinalist trophy, two individuals were recognized at the national tournament. Emma Wrenn was named to the All-Tournament Team, and Sarah Florence was the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2021 National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship for having the highest cumulative grade-point average of the student-athletes participating in the finals.
Youngstown State finished the season ranking fifth in the final NTCA poll of the 2020-21 campaign. The fifth-place ranking was the highest position ever for the program, and YSU's previous best ranking in the final poll was 10th in 2020.
Mendez was a key part of helping the Penguins develop from a first-year NCAA Division I program in 2016-17 into a national contender at the end of her career in 2019-20. With her as the leadoff bowler, Youngstown State set school records with 81 head-to-head victories - an astonishing 32 more than any previous season - and a .653 winning percentage and a final ranking of 10 in the NTCA Top 25 poll and the NCAA RPI her senior year.
Mendez ended her time as a student-athlete holding every career record and more than 20 school records overall. She bowled in 167 games with a 190.48 career average, and her 200.04 average as a senior is the best in school history. She also set school records for highest individual game (289) and highest tournament pinfall (1,121) during her senior year. Mendez placed in the top 10 individually at three tournaments in 2019-20, and she had 16 top-25 finishes during her career.
Mendez was a two-time Academic All-Southland Bowling League selection, and she was an Honorable Mention All-Southland pick as a junior. She graduated from Youngstown State in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
