SINKING SPRING, Pa. – The Kutztown University bowling team backed up the top seed it earned in Friday's qualifying competition by recording a 3-0 record on Saturday, securing its spot in the East Coast Conference Championship match at Bowlero Berks Lanes on Sunday morning.
The Golden Bears (62-43 overall) advance to the championship mega match thanks to a second-round sweep of No. 8 Saint Anselm (4-0), a fourth-round win over No. 4 Molloy (4-2) and a sixth-round victory over No. 3 Bryant (4-1) on Saturday after their 4-1 performance in the qualifying matches on Friday. Kutztown stuck with their reliable lineup of Megan Hanaway (Forked River, N.J./Lacey Township), Sydney Snyder (Morrisville, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic), Shelby Wunch (Easton, Md./Easton), Kamryn Brenneman (York, Pa./Central York) and Chloe Sromovski (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial), the same lineup used in Friday's competition.
KU was able to stay in command of Saturday's opening game against Saint Anselm, defeating them by at least 10 pins in each of the four games. The squad's second game was a lot closer, but the Golden Bears were able to consistently bowl games, averaging around 180 pins to advance in the championship bracket.
Bryant, the lone team to defeat KU in the qualifying round (899-866 in match four), was thought to be a concern for the Golden Bears, as the Bulldogs rolled a 279 in their game four victory to respond to three straight Kutztown victories. The Maroon and Gold answered with a 211-145 game five, sending Bryant to an extra match on Sunday morning while Kutztown awaits the victor.
The Golden Bears are in the ECC Championship match for the second time in program history, falling short in the inaugural contest in 2016. This is the first appearance for fifth-year head coach Angela Reynolds, who reached the sixth round last season as a fourth-seeded team before falling to No. 1 Bryant.
Kutztown will return to Bowlero Berks Lanes tomorrow to compete for the program's first-ever conference championship crown against the winner of the seventh-round match between No. 3 Bryant and No. 5 Roberts Wesleyan. The championship will be played in mega match format, which consists of traditional and five-game baker matches that would include a best-of-seven baker tiebreaker, if necessary. The contest will be streamed live through the ECC Sports Network via a link on the conference's championship central page.
