NEW CASTLE, Del. – In the team's first action of 2026, the 23rd-ranked Kutztown University women's bowling team bowled a trio of victories in baker play on Friday on the first of three days at the Northeast Classic, hosted by Sacred Heart University at the Bowlerama bowling alley in New Castle, Del.
The Golden Bears (23-7 overall) went 3-2 in its first competition of the new year, facing off against a 36-team field that features a majority of the best NCAA bowling programs in the nation. The squad was up to the test on the first day, toppling 4,737 pins across its five matches – good for 189.5 pins per game.
The day started with a 980-793 win over Daemen, where KU put up a pair of 200-pin games against the Wildcats. Kutztown carried that momentum into an 11-pin upset over 11th-ranked Sacred Heart, led by a 221-pin third game to give the host team its only loss of the first day.
After falling to No. 2 Vanderbilt, KU bounced back with a 1,000-pin game in its 227-pin victory over Holy Family – aided by three 200-pin games in the final three games. It concluded the day with a loss to No. 3 Arkansas State, a team the Golden Bears faced in the NCAA Regional Tournament a season ago.
The Golden Bears started the lineup of
Madilyn Bogovic (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff),
Miranda Pielhau (Waretown, N.J./Southern Regional),
Shelby Wunch (Easton, Md./Easton),
Isabella Hopper (Mifflinville, Pa./Berwick), and
Sydney Snyder (Morrisville, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic), and rode with that group of five throughout the entire competition.
It was the debut event for freshman Bogovic, who is also an outside hitter on the KU Volleyball team. She had success in the fall, where she earned Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year as well as bringing home All-PSAC First Team honors, and she hopes to bring that same rookie success to the lanes. The two-sport athlete bowled in the anchor role for the Golden Bears, a spot she held all day in her first competition with the team.
The Golden Bears will look forward to its second day at the Northeast Classic on Saturday, when it will bowl traditional games against No. 10 Maryville, Wilmington (Del.), No. 12 Wright State, No. 19 McKendree and No. 6 Wichita State. The three-day tournament will conclude on Sunday, where teams will compete in a best-of-seven baker play to determine the final team results.
