MOUNT JOY, Pa. – The 23rd-ranked Kutztown University bowling team was one of two perfect teams in baker competition on Friday at the Mount Shootout, hosted by Mount St. Mary's, with the total pinfall rankings putting the team in fifth place after the first day of the three-day competition at Clearview Lanes.
The Golden Bears (34-16 overall) hammered its first two opponents, No. 22 Duquesne and Mercyhurst, with 1,000-pin matches, and finished the day off with a trio of 900-pin marks to defeat Morgan State, Fairleigh Dickinson and Holy Family.
Kutztown defeated the ranked Dukes for the first time since 2022 with a 1077-1031 match, its highest output of the Golden Bears' strong season. It doubled up with an equally impressive performance against former East Coast Conference rival Mercyhurst, topping the Lakers 1035-976.
The Maroon and Gold carried its momentum through the next three games, with 100-plus pin victories in match three against Morgan State (967-853) and five against Holy Family (940-794). It got revenge on FDU from a tough defeat in last week's tournament, winning a tight, 947-921 battle on the team's perfect Friday.
No. 9 Mount St. Mary's, the host of the tournament, leads the way in the standings after the first day, followed by No. 8 and undefeated Niagara, Maryland Eastern Shore, No. 22 Duquesne, and KU. Niagara is the only other undefeated squad after the first day, while Duquesne's lone loss came at the hands of the Golden Bears.
Head coach
Angela Reynolds stuck with a lineup of
Sydney Snyder (Morrisville, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic),
Shelby Wunch (Easton, Md./Easton),
Isabella Hopper (Mifflinville, Pa./Berwick),
Kamryn Brenneman (York, Pa./Central York) and
Madilyn Bogovic (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff) throughout the day. Snyder and Wunch stayed in the first two spots in all five matches, while Bogovic, the reigning ECC Bowler of the Week, continued competing in the anchor spot for KU.
Traditional play will take place tomorrow, February 7, where the Golden Bears will have a heavily backloaded schedule on the second day of the three-day tournament. It will open the day by facing Alvernia, Molloy and Howard before capping off the qualifying round against No. 20 Bryant and No. 9 Mount St. Mary's. Competition at Clearview Lanes will start at 9:55 a.m. and will continue throughout the day.
