Wildcats Take On Rival Redhawks In Dual Match Sunday

12/1/2023 10:21:00 AM

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

DUAL MATCH #1
DATE: Sunday, Dec. 3
TIME: 1:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Gates, N.Y. | ABC Gates Bowl
LIVE STREAM: via Daemen Bowling Facebook Page

BACK IN ACTION
The Daemen women's bowling team closes out its Fall season Sunday (Dec. 3) when it takes on rival Roberts Wesleyan in a dual match. The match will take place at ABC Gates Bowl in Gates, N.Y. beginning at 1:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen successfully defended its title at the 2023 Daemen Storm Fall Classic, which took place Nov. 11-12 at Brad Angelo Lanes in Lockport, N.Y. The Wildcats ended up winning nine of 10 matches over the two days and placed first with a total pin fall of 9,057 for a per game average of 181.1. The Wildcats placed first out of 12 teams.

FORSHA NAMED ECC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Freshman Brenna Forsha (Tonawanda, N,.Y.) was selected the East Coast Conference Rookie of the Week after her stong performance during the Daemen Storm Fall Classic. She becomes the second Daemen bowler to earn ECC Rookie of the Week honors this season, as Cassidy Papero (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) also earned the honor back on Oct. 19. In addition, senior Mollie Gizicki (Brighton, Mich.) was named to the ECC weekly honor roll. Forsha earns the first ECC weekly honor of her career. Daemen went unbeaten (5-0) during the opening round traditionally-scored matches. Forsha competed in four of the five matches and posted a 195.75 average, which ranked as the highest average among bowlers who competed in four matches. She bowled a 191 in a win over Pitt.-Greensburg and capped her day with a 252—the highest score by a Wildcat bowler on the day--during a win over Saint Vincent College. A product of Tonawanda High School, she ranks third on the team in total strikes (Baker and team play) with 104 and fourth on the team in total spares with 115. Gizicki has now been recognized for her play in four of the first five weeks of the season. She has been named to the weekly honor three times and was named ECC Co-Bowler of the Week back on Oct. 19. Last year she became the first Daemen athlete to be named ECC Bowler of the Week twice in the same season. Gizicki narrowly missed being named to the all-tournament team at the Daemen Storm Fall Classic, as she placed seventh among the 26 bowlers who competed in all five traditionally-scored matches with an average of 189.0. She rolled a team-high 205 during a win over nationally-ranked Mercyhurst University and capped her day with a 214 in the win over Saint Vincent. A first-team All-ECC pick last year, Gizicki leads the team in total strikes (Baker and team play) so far this season with 184 and also leads the team in total spares with 152.

BACK AT THE HELM
Carrie Racsumberger returns for her sixth season as head coach at Daemen. She took the reins of the program just prior to the 2018-19 season and entered the 2023-24 season with a 176-144 career record. She guided the Wildcats to a program record 55 wins during the 2021-22 campaign. She recorded her 200th career win during the 2023 Daemen Storm Fall Classic. Danielle Milo, an Orchard Park native, enters her second season as an assistant coach.

RETURNING VETERANS
Daemen returns six student-athletes from last year's team, including All-ECC selections Caitlyn Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y.) and Mollie Gizicki (Brighton, Mich.). Additional returning bowlers include senior Emma Smith (Williamsville, N.Y.) and sophomores Bailey Glass (North Tonawanda, N.Y.), Mackenzie Hutchins (Wheatfield, N.Y.) and Kayla Richardson (Webster, N.Y.). Daemen closed out the 2022-23 season with a record of 47-32. The Wildcats reached the 40-win plateau for the third time in program history and came just three wins shy of reaching 50 wins for the second-straight season. The Wildcats competed in eight tournaments during the year and posted a top-four finish in six of the eight events--including first-place showings at the Grapevine Classic and the Daemen Storm Fall Classic. The Wildcats also traveled to Las Vegas in January to take part in the Stormin' Blue & White Vegas Classic, which featured several of the top programs in the country. Additional highlights of the season included dual match sweeps of rival Roberts Wesleyan University and nationally-ranked Saint Vincent College. Daemen capped the year by placing fourth out of 10 teams at the East Coast Conference Championships.

FRESH FACES
The team welcomes freshmen Brenna Forsha (Tonawanda, N.Y.), Sabrina Palmer (Waterloo, N.Y.), Cassidy Papero (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) and Chelsea Porga (Welland, Ont.) to the lineup.

POLL POSITION
Daemen is tied for third in the 2023-24 East Coast Conference Women's Bowling Preseason Coaches' Poll and is ranked 11th in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Preseason Division II/III poll.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen resumes its 2023-24 schedule in February. The complete Spring schedule will be announced soon.

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.

Follow the Daemen women's bowling program on Twitter and Facebook at @DaemenBowling

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