Mollie Gizicki and Paige Bartosz were named to the all-tournament team

Wildcats Place Second At Brother Patrick Lacey Memorial Tournament

Daemen Posts The Highest Total Pinfall But Drops Title Match To Host Bearcats

2/11/2023 5:58:00 PM

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

LATROBE, Pa. - The Daemen University women's bowling team placed second out of seven teams at the Brother Patrick Lacey Memorial Tournament hosted by Saint Vincent College at Lincoln Lanes today. The Wildcats posted the highest overall total pinfall of the seven teams, but were denied the championship after losing to host Saint Vincent in the championship match.

Daemen was looking to claim the tournament title for the fourth time in six years, as the Wildcats walked away with the championship hardware in 2018, 2020 and 2022. There was no tournament in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the fifth year Daemen has taken part in this tournament and the Wildcats have now posted a 19-4 all-time record at the event and have played in the championship match four times.

Today's action featured five traditionally scored matches. Daemen drew a bye in the first round and rolled a team score of 933. The Wildcats then posted wins over Penn State Altoona (1,021-715), Pitt-Bradford (903-804) and Holy Family (892-573). Their total pinfall over the four matches was 3,749, which earned them the top seed and a spot in the tournament championship match. Saint Vincent earned the No. 2 seed and the right to play Daemen in the championship match after totaling 3,518 pins over the first four matches.

The championship match would feature two nationally ranked programs, as Daemen is ranked No. 11 and Saint Vincent is No. 13 in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Division II/III poll released yesterday. The host Bearcats, who lost to Daemen in the 2020 and 2022 tournament championship match, snapped Daemen's six-match winning streak and earned the title following a 1,014-934 win over the Wildcats.

Junior Mollie Gizicki (Brighton, Mich.) and junior Paige Bartosz (West Seneca, N.Y.) finished as the top two individual bowlers and were named to the all-tournament team. Gizicki rolled a 246 in the championship match and posted a tournament-best 1,012 total pins (202.40 average) over the five games. Bartosz posted a 230 in the win over Holy Family and finished with 989 total pins (197.80 average). Bartosz was also named to the Brother Patrick Lacey all-tournament team following the 2020 event.

Graduate student Christina Aldridge (Webster, N.Y.) also competed in all five matches today for the Wildcats and posted 889 total pins (177.80 average). She rolled a 215 in the win over Penn State Altoona.

Senior Nicole Bergeron (Lima, N.Y.) and freshman Bailey Glass (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) both competed in four matches today. Bergeron posted a 208 in the win over Penn State Altoona and finished with a 184.0 average. Glass rolled a 205 in the win over Penn State Altoona and posted a 177.50 average.

Senior Caitlyn Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y.) took part in the opening round and the championship match and posted the second highest score on the team (192) in the finals.

Daemen now stands at 35-23 on the year and returns to action next weekend (Feb. 17-19) when they take part in the Wildcat Division II-III Invitational hosted by Wilmington University in New Castle, Del. Daemen is the defending tournament champion.

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, Instagram and Facebook at @DaemenBowling.

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