High Rollers: Women's Bowling Heads West For The Storming' Blue & White Vegas Classic

Three Day Tournament Features Numerous Nationally-Ranked Programs

1/7/2023 11:14:00 AM

By: CONTACT: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

Tournament #5
STORMIN' BLUE & WHITE VEGAS CLASSIC
DATES: Sunday, Jan. 8 through Tuesday, Jan. 10
LOCATION: Las Vegas, Nev. | South Point Hotel & Casino
LIVE STREAM: via BowlTV

BACK IN ACTION
The Daemen women's bowling begins the second half of its 2022-23 season in grand fashion by taking part in the Stormin' Blue & White Vegas Classic. The three-day event features 14 teams and will take place at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

STACKED FIELD
The tournament is being hosted by Mount St. Mary's (Md.) University and will feature 10 teams that are currently ranked in the National Ten Pin Coaches Association (NTCA) Top 25, including No. 1 McKendree, #3 Vanderbilt, #4 Nebraska and #5 Stephen F. Austin. Nine of Daemen's 10 opponents over the first two days are nationally-ranked.

WILDCATS RECEIVING VOTES IN NTCA TOP-25
Daemen is one of 10 teams that is receiving votes in the latest NTCA Top-25 poll.

UNCHARTERED TERRITORY
This will mark the first time in the eight-year history of the Daemen women's bowling program that the Wildcats have taken part in an event outside of the Eastern Time Zone. Prior to this event, the furthest the team has traveled for an event was Orlando, Fla. for the 2020 Wildcat Classic hosted by Bethune-Cookman University.

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen closed out the Fall portion of its 2022-23 schedule back on Nov. 13 by winning all three games of a dual match with rival Roberts Wesleyan University. The match took place at ABC Gates Bowl. The Wildcats opened the match with a 905-874 win, and then answered with a 967-944 victory in game two. Daemen completed the sweep with a 910-891 win in game three. All three games were scored using the traditional match format. Daemen improved to 27-11 on the year and has now prevailed in the last 10 games between the two rivals. The Wildcats now own a 33-16 advantage in the all-time series. Junior Mollie Gizicki (Brighton, Mich.) led the Wildcats today, as she bowled a 200 in each game and finished with a 209.7 average over three games. She opened with a 203 in game one and followed up with a 212 in game two. She capped the day with a highest score of the day for the Wildcats, as she rolled a 214 in game three. Senior Caitlyn Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y.) also competed in all three games and posted a 195.3 average. She rolled a team-high 208 in game one and posted a 204 in game two. Senior Paige Bartosz (West Seneca, N.Y.) also took part in all three games and posted a 188.3 average. She rolled a 194 in game two and game three. Graduate student Christina Aldridge (Webster, N.Y.) and freshman Bailey Glass (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) both took part in two games. Aldridge sat out the first game, before rolling a 204 in game two and a 209 in game three. Glass took part in game one and three. She posted a 171 in game one and a 119 in game three. Senior Nicole Bergeron (Lima, N.Y.) and freshman Kayla Richardson (Webster, N.Y.) also saw action today. Bergeron rolled a 146 in game one, while Richardson posted a 153 in game three.

GIZICKI NAMED ECC BOWLER OF THE WEEK
Junior Mollie Gizicki (Brighton, Mich.) was named the East Coast Conference Bowler of the Week for the period of October 24-30. Gizicki was named the MVP of the Daemen Storm Fall Classic last weekend after leading all competing players in total pinfall during five traditional matches played on the tournament's opening day. She opened the day with a team-high 224 in a 931-918 win over D'Youville and then posted a team-high 235 in a 925-821 win over Penn State Behrend. She recorded a 170 in a loss to Saint Vincent and a 167 in a win over Walsh, before capping the day with her third 200-game (233) in a win over Hilbert. She finished the day with a tournament-best average of 205.8. Daemen would post a total pinfall of 8,967 (179.3 average) during the Daemen Storm Fall Classic to claim the team championship. It marked the second-straight team title for the Wildcats, who also took first place at the Grapevine Classic hosted by Penn State Behrend on Oct. 22-23. Gizicki becomes the first Daemen athlete to be named ECC Bowler of the Week since teammate Caitlyn Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y) did so in October of 2021. Nowak has been named to the ECC weekly honor roll twice this season and was named to the Daemen Storm Fall Classic all-tournament team after placing third among all bowlers on opening day with a 190.4 average.

BACK AT THE HELM
Carrie Racsumberger returns for her fifth season as head coach at Daemen. She took the reins of the program just prior to the 2018-19 season and entered the 2022-23 season with a 129-112 career record, including a program record 55 wins during the 2021-22 campaign. Danielle Milo, an Orchard Park native, enters her first season as an assistant coach.

RETURNING VETERANS
Daemen returns six bowlers from a solid 2021-22 campaign in which they posted a program-record 55 wins and were included in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Division II/III national poll for the first time in program history. The Wildcats also claimed tournament titles at the Brother Patrick Lacey Memorial Tournament hosted by St. Vincent College and the Wildcat Division II Invitational hosted by Wilmington University. Seniors Caitlyn Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y.) and Paige Bartosz (West Seneca, N.Y.), who both earned All-East Coast Conference honors last year, top the list of returning bowlers. Graduate student Christina Aldridge (Webster, N.Y.), senior Nicole Bergeron (Lima, N.Y.) and juniors Mollie Gizicki (Brighton, Mich.) and Emma Smith (Williamsville, N.Y.) also return.

FRESH FACES
The team welcomes freshmen Bailey Glass (North Tonawanda, N.Y.), Mackenzie Hutchins (Wheatfield, N.Y.), Olivia Dauer (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and Kayla Richardson (Webster, N.Y.) to the lineup.

POLL POSITION
Daemen has been picked third in the 2022-23 East Coast Conference Women's Bowling Preseason Coaches' Poll. The No. 3 ranking is the highest for Daemen in the eight-year history of the program. Daemen's previous high ranking in the ECC preseason poll came prior to the 2018-19 season when the Wildcats were voted to finish fourth. Adelphi edged out Mercyhurst for the top spot, as the Panthers collected five first-place votes and totaled 87 points. Mercyhurst received three first place votes and totaled 84 points. Daemen earned 73 points, while Roberts Wesleyan (59) and Kutztown (58) rounded out the top five. D'Youville and Molloy tied for sixth with 57 points, while the remainder of the poll includes conference newcomers Bryant (38) and Saint Anselm (19) and St. Thomas Aquinas (18).

ON THE HORIZON
After the Vegas trip, Daemen is idle until the weekend of Feb. 10-11. The Wildcats will take on Saint Vincent College in a dual match on Feb. 10 and then take part in the Brother Patrick Lacey Memorial Tournament the following day. Daemen has participated in this tournament each of the last four years (tournament was not held in 2021 due to COVID-19) and has claimed the tournament title three times (2018, 2019 and 2022).

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

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