By Tim Corso / Jambar Contributor
The Youngstown State University bowling team is hard at work on the recruiting trail during the 2024-25 season.
Currently ranked No. 4 in the country, the program is led by seventh-year Head Coach Doug Kuberski.
While skill is essential for any program, the Penguins consider a variety of factors when constructing a roster. Kuberski said performance in the classroom holds significant weight in the recruiting process.
“Really, academics is a big thing for us,” Kuberski said. “Obviously, grade point average is one part of that.”
Kuberski said when it comes to attracting talent, an important area is YSU’s campus.
“I try to highlight what I believe is the best part of campus and that’s the staff,” Kuberski said. “I have them meet our staff and folks we work with on a daily basis.”
Part of the team’s recruiting success is displayed both in and out of the bowling alley by senior Ellie Drescher.
Part of her responsibility as a student-athlete is to engage with and help current recruits. Drescher said she works to ensure the newcomers are becoming a team, with national championship aspirations each year.
“When hosting a recruit, we do a lot with touring them around campus,” Drescher said. “We normally take them to dinner, hang out with them for a while [and] understand them. Kind of see who they are as a person and see if they’d be a good fit for our school.”
It wasn’t that long ago Drescher and her teammates were recruited to bowl at YSU. Drescher said there tends to be a mentorship role that comes along with being a veteran presence in the program.
“With me being older and a lot of the other girls being older, we almost see ourselves in the recruits that are coming in,” Drescher said. “We want to take that responsibility to make them feel welcomed on their visit, so they know that this place can be a home for them.”
Kuberski and his staff have signed a pair of 2025 recruits including Alivia Baskin from Elk Mound, Wisconsin and Leyna Kratzer from Bangor, Pennsylvania.
