AMHERST, N.Y. —The Daemen women's bowling team begins its 2025-26 campaign competing at the Mercyhurst Invitational in Erie, Pa., on Saturday and Sunday. The Wildcats were picked eighth in the ECC Women's Bowling Preseason Poll, released Monday. 

The ECC preseason poll ranks Kutztown first with 77 points and six first-place votes, followed by Bryant with 72 points and two first-place votes. Roberts Wesleyan is third with 60 points and one first-place vote, while Molloy ranks fourth with 54 points. 

Adelphi and Saint Anselm are tied for fifth with 35 points each. D'Youville is seventh with 29 points, Daemen is eighth with 28 points, and Saint Thomas Aquinas rounds out the poll in ninth with 15 points.

In addition, Lauara Clark of Bryant was named ECC Preseason Bowler of the Year. 

The Wildcats will be under new leadership this year after Daniel Antkowiak was named the new head coach in August.  Antkowiak returns to Daemen after nearly a decade, having previously served as the women's bowling assistant coach during the 2016-17 season. During his prior tenure, he played a crucial role in recruiting five players to the team. Since then, he has remained active in the bowling community, serving as an NCAA women's bowling official since 2018

Daemen, which posted a 38-41 record during the 2024-25 season, returns six players from last year, including junior Brenna Forsha (Tonawanda, N.Y.), who was named to the 2025 ECC Championships All-Tournament Team. 

Forsha completed 613 total frames and tallied 213 strikes overall. In traditional matches. She notched 128 spares, good for second overall on the Wildcats squad. In Baker Format matches, Forsha notched 110 spares and 30 baker double strikes, which ranked fourth on the team. 

The team also returns senior Mackenzie Hutchins (Wheatfield, N.Y.), who completed 665 frames, throwing 223 strikes overall. Additionally, Cassidy Papero (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) completed 653 frames and recorded 253 strikes, while Kayla Richardson (Webster, N.Y.) completed 246 frames and threw 62 strikes overall. 

Following this weekend's action, the Wildcats are back in action Oct. 11-12, returning to Erie, Pa., to compete at the Grapevine Classic hosted by Penn State Behrend. 
 

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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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