KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- With a strong returning nucleus, hopes are high for the Kutztown University women's bowling team in 2022-23. The Golden Bears will begin their new season, Saturday, facing Chestnut Hill in a dual match at Jay Lanes in Douglassville.
 
Last year marked a return to normalcy for the Maroon and Gold following two seasons affected by COVID-19. It started with the cancellation of the 2020 East Coast Conference Championship and continued with the entire 2020-21 season being wiped out.
 
Competing at ECCs for the first time under head coach Angela Reynolds, Kutztown advanced to the fifth round –its second-deepest run since a runner-up finish in 2016. The Golden Bears posted a 47-41 overall record for their fourth straight winning campaign.
 
Three-time ECC Rookie of the Week Chloe Sromovski (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial) headlines KU's returnees. Sromovski, a junior from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., led the team with an 18.42 Baker average across 450 frames and ranked second with an 18.24 traditional average in 328 frames in her first season of collegiate bowling.
 
Sromovski was Kutztown's most active player, pacing the team in frames played in both formats. She ranked among the ECC leaders in Baker Double Percentage, Individual Strike Percentage Overall and Individual First Ball 9+ Percentage Overall.
 
Senior Rachel Wagner (Cheektowaga, N.Y./Depew) is coming off a strong season as well. The Cheektowaga, N.Y., native had the highest traditional frame average of any Golden Bear at 18.56 (261 frames) and was fifth on the team in Baker average (17.72/309 frames). Wagner was top 10 in the ECC in individual split conversion % and top 15 in traditional frame average.
 
Eleni Feggulis (South River, N.J./South River) took a big step forward during her junior year, hovering around 18 pins per frame in both Baker and traditional play. Feggulis was third on the team in Baker average (18.14/366 frames) and traditional average (17.92/150 frames). Going into the ECC Championship, Feggulis led the league in Baker Double Percentage.
 
Like Sromovski, Megan Hanaway (Forked River, N.J./Lacey Township) showed promise in her first season of competition with the Bears. Hanaway's 360 frames in Baker play were fourth most on the team and her 17.09 average was seventh. In traditional format play she put up a 16.83 average across 193 frames.
 
Jordan Dean (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor), one of 12 returning Golden Bears, topped 100 frames (104) in traditional play and averaged 16.89 pins per frame. Also back for another season are Alyssa Blood (Birdsboro, Pa./Daniel Boone), Ally Sipe (York, Pa./Central York), Tayler Parco (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills), Joanne Reitnour (Mahanoy City, Pa./Mahanoy Area), Alexis Wands (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial), Alexis Schweizer (Plymouth, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) and Samantha Jaeger (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport).
 
Kutztown also welcomes four freshmen to its 2022-23 roster. The newcomers include Madison Brenneman (York, Pa./Central York) from York, Pa. (Central York), Meghan Ripley (Bel Air, Md./Fallston) from Bel Air, Md. (Fallston), Sydney Snyder (Morrisville, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic) from Morrisville, Pa. (Conwell-Egan Catholic) and Shelby Wunch (Easton, Md./Easton) from Easton, Md. (Easton).
 
The Golden Bears didn't compete in a tournament in their home state last season but will get two opportunities to do so this year, including Saturday's season opener. Kutztown will host the Golden Bear Invite, Oct. 22-23, at Berks Lanes in Sinking Spring. Sandwiched between the two PA dates is the first of four trips to New Castle, Del., for the Bud Whitman Memorial, Oct. 8-9.
 
Kutztown will play in the Medaille Invitational, Nov. 5-6, and the Coppin State Lady Eagles Invitational, Nov. 19-20, to close out play in the fall semester. The Bears return in 2023 at the Northeast Classic, Jan. 20-22, before three straight tournaments at Bowlerama in New Castle, Del., leading into the ECC Championship.