KUTZTOWN, PA (April 12, 2010) – The Kutztown University women's bowling team finished the season ranked 14th in the final National Tenpin's Coaches Association (NTCA) top 20 poll.
“Being nationally ranked for the second consecutive season is a huge positive for our program,” head coach Joe Ambrose said. “We will work really hard to take the next step and be able to get to the top eight to make it to nationals in the upcoming 2010-11 season."
Kutztown (61-58 overall, 11-7 NEC) also finished the season ranked fourth in strength of schedule. In the 12 tournaments Kutztown participated in this season, they finished eighth or higher in the tournaments.
The Golden Bears finished the first Northeast (NEC) conference meet tied for first place. They finished the Kutztown Duals, and the second Northeast (NEC) conference meet in second place, and the NEC postseason championships in third place. They finished the KU Invitational, Fright Night Invitational and ECAC tournaments in fourth place.
The Golden Bears received numerous awards and honors throughout the season. Kutztown was honored with the NEC Sportsmanship Award at the end of the season. The award is designed to acknowledge the team in each NEC conference sport that, in the opinion of its peers, most closely demonstrates good sportsmanship based on the NEC Principles of Sportsmanship and Standards of Conduct.
Also adding to the honors this season was sophomore Kayla Jones, who was named to the Northeast Conference (NEC) all-tournament team. At the Kutztown Invitational, she was named co- MVP after bowling an average of 220.67. She was also named to the Kutztown Invitational all-tournament team.
At the same tournament, teammate Kayla Stamm set a school record for highest game when she came within two strikes of a perfect game in the opening match against Sacred Heart. She rolled 10 consecutive strikes until she missed the last pin in the tenth frame on her 11th roll for a career high 289.
Captain Steph Ray was named to the NEC all-conference second team. This is the second consecutive year that Ray has earned postseason recognition from the NEC.
“It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to replace the leadership and work-ethic that our captain Steph Ray (West Lawn, PA/Wilson ) brought to this program,” Ambrose said.
Next year's captain, according to Ambrose will be Stamm. In addition to Stamm, also expected to return are Jones, Chelsea Adam, and Heather Shoemaker.
“The future looks really great for KU bowling in the 2010-11 season and beyond,” Ambrose said.
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