BLACKWOOD, N.J. – The 25th-ranked Kutztown University women's bowling team secured a pair of hard-fought, baker best-of-seven victories while finishing in second place at the Wildcat DII/DIII Invitational, hosted by Wilmington (Del.) University, at Bowlero Turnersville on Sunday.
The Golden Bears (44-26 overall) put together a pair of strong matches on the third and final day of competition, riding the bracket to the championship match against 15th-ranked Newman. After defeating Dominican (N.Y.) in four straight games and getting by Emmanuel (Ga.), four games to three, the Maroon and Gold succumbed to the Jets in four straight games to conclude the weekend.
Head coach
Angela Reynolds used a rotation of
Sydney Snyder (Morrisville, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic),
Ashley Kuster (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood),
Isabella Hopper (Mifflinville, Pa./Berwick),
Kamryn Brenneman (York, Pa./Central York) and
Madilyn Bogovic (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff) to defeat Dominican, as the group rolled three games of at least 200 pins and finished with a day high 242-pin game four to advance.
The same unit stayed together against Emmanuel, a team that played the Golden Bears tough this weekend as the two split a pair of matches. Kutztown opened with a 190-189 victory before the Lions won the next two games. After splitting games four and five and putting KU down 3-2, a 212-180 game six favored the Maroon and Gold, giving the team enough momentum to fight to a 24-pin victory in the seventh game to secure a meeting against Newman.
Sophomore lefty
Miranda Pielhau (Waretown, N.J./Southern Regional) was inserted into the lineup as the leadoff bowler against Newman, and the first three games had margins of 15 pins or less, the Jets were able to maintain control and get past the Golden Bears to claim its second tournament victory of the season and third top-three finish of its 2025-26 campaign.
Kutztown's second-place finish on the weekend featured seven victories and a second-place individual performance from freshman kegler Bogovic. Her four 200+ pin games and day high of 256 lifted the Golden Bears to a 3-1 start in traditional play on Friday, and earned her a spot on the All-Tournament Team for the second time in the last three competitions.
The Golden Bears now turn its attention to the Dr. Robert Cincotta Memorial Invitational, hosted by Molloy University, at Bowler City in Hackensack, N.J. The two-day event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 21, and Sunday, Feb. 22, but will feature the Golden Bears only on the first day of competition.
