By John Ostapowicz
The Youngstown State University women’s bowling team rolled out to seventh place at the three-day Prairie View A&M Invitational at the ITRC in Arlington, Texas, Jan. 27 to 29.
On Day One, the Penguins started strong by defeating the second-ranked North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
In head-to-head matches, Youngstown State went 2-3, facing off against four of the top five teams in December’s National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 poll.
Over five matches, the Penguins totaled 4,946 pins, averaging 197.8 pins a game. The total was the sixth-highest out of the 12 teams.
Youngstown State finished the day in the sixth spot with an opportunity to place higher. Head coach Doug Kuberski knew that the next few days would be challenging.
“You have to go in with an open mind and do the best you can to navigate that, and that was the game plan,” Kuberski said.
In traditional matches on Day Two, junior Madyson Marx led the way en route to a total of 4,959 pins over five matches.
In traditional matches, the Penguins finished 4-1, moving into fifth place and earning three top ten wins. Youngstown State missed the mark for fourth place by 14 pins and was 58 pins shy of third.
The Penguins’ only loss of the day came in the match opener to No. 15 Mount St. Mary’s, 993-928. With the loss, Youngstown State responded by winning four straight matches; three of the four teams were ranked in the top 10.
Heading into Day Three, Marx was second in the individual standings. She finished with a six game set of 1,322.
Marx finished the tournament by bowling a 201, claiming the tournament title. She is the first Penguin since Emma Wrenn in 2019, to be named a tournament champion.
The accolades for Marx continued, as she was named Southland Bowler of the Month for January because of her impressive showing at the invitational. Marx is the second Penguin to earn a monthly award since Wrenn in November, 2019.
Individually, sophomore Lyndsay Ennis bowled the highest average total by a Penguin over the weekend with a 258. Sophomore Jade Cote and freshman Hope Bunk also finished the day above 200, toppling the fourth-ranked University of Nebraska for the first time this season.
The Penguins are back in action Feb. 17 to 19 in Jonesboro, Arkansas to compete in the three-day Mid-Winter Invitational hosted by Arkansas State University.
