NEW CASTLE, Del. – The Kutztown University bowling team began the new year with five baker games on the opening day of the Northeast Classic, finishing Friday with a 2-3 record and a 4,622 pin total that puts them in 24th place out of 38 teams at Delaware's Bowlerama.
The Golden Bears (25-18 overall) faced four teams ranked in the top 25 by the National Tenpin Coaches Association and a fifth that received votes in the coaches' poll. KU defeated No. 14 Duquesne and No. 24 Mercyhurst in the opening round of competition, rolling a 184.9 average that sits higher than No. 15 Tulane, No. 23 Felician and No. 24 Mercyhurst.
Kutztown opened and finished strong, bowling their lone 1,000-pin game in the 1016-968 triumph over the Dukes while securing a five-pin victory late in their battle against the Lakers. They fell to strong teams in Central Missouri (842-1149), No. 8 Sam Houston (961-1042) and No. 21 UAB (878-1023), all of whom sit well ahead of the Golden Bears in the tournament standings.
Senior Chloe Sromovski (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial) rolled in the anchor spot throughout the day, while graduate student Megan Hanaway (Forked River, N.J./Lacey Township), freshman Kamryn Brenneman (York, Pa./Central York) and junior Shelby Wunch (Easton, Md./Easton) held three of the other five spots. The opening win featured Ally Sipe (York, Pa./Central York) in the second spot, while rookie Miranda Pielhau (Waretown, N.J./Southern Regional) filled the role in the win over Mercyhurst.
Hosted by Sacred Heart University, the 38-team field is the largest in the history of NCAA women's bowling. The top 15 ranked teams and 22 of the 25 ranked teams in the country are competing in the Northeast Classic, including reigning NCAA Champion Jacksonville State (ranked second) and current tournament leader Nebraska (ranked third)
The Maroon and Gold garnered votes in the second poll of the 2024-25 season from the National Tenpin Coaches Association, sitting just outside the top 25 of the December polls. Topping the polls are Vanderbilt, Jacksonville State, Nebraska, Youngstown State and Arkansas State, all of whom are competing this weekend. East Coast Conference teams Adelphi, Bryant and Molloy join the Golden Bears in a stacked three-day tournament to open the new year.
Kutztown resumes competition early Saturday morning, rolling five traditional games before wrapping up the weekend with three best-of-seven baker rounds on Sunday to determine the final standings.
