The Youngstown State bowling team has earned an at-large invitation to compete in the National Collegiate Bowling Championship for the second straight season, the NCAA announced on Wednesday.
The Penguins will be in the four-team regional that will be held at Royal Scot Golf & Bowl in Lansing, Mich. on April 8-9 along with Vanderbilt, Arkansas State and Alabama State. The Penguins will take on Arkansas State in a mega match to start the double-elimination regional that features three teams from the Southland Bowling League. The winners of the four regional sites will advance to the NCAA Championship, which will be held at Wayne Webb's Columbus Bowl in Columbus, Ohio, on April 15-16.
"We are grateful for the selection and recognition of our solid body of work from the season," said Youngstown State head coach Doug Kuberski. "We also appreciate the support near and far from our Penguin friends and family. This team is hungry and ready to make a championship run. After an evening of celebration, we will get right to work tomorrow with our focus on bringing our best to Lansing."
After posting its best finish ever at the Southland Bowling League Championship last weekend, YSU is seventh in the NCAA's RPI heading into the regional. The Penguins have a 75-46 head-to-head record and have competed against the toughest schedule in the country. Of those 75 wins, 48 came against teams ranked in the top 25 of the National Tenpin Coaches Association poll, and 20 came against teams in the top 10.
Youngstown State, which is in its sixth season as a Division I program, will try to use postseason magic to make an April run like it did in 2020-21. The Penguins received the final at-large spot in last year's field, and they capitalized on the opportunity by winning their region and advancing to the national semifinals. Unlike in 2021 when the entire 16-team field competed in North Kansas City, Mo., to reduce travel due to COVID-19, teams are bracketed at four different regional sites in 2022.
The Penguins have their top six bowlers back from last year's team and, bolstered by the addition of a talented freshman class to the experienced group of returners, YSU will set school records for average in every format this season. Youngstown State is averaging more than nine pins higher per game in Baker play compared to last season, and it is more than six pins better than last year's squad in traditional play.
