Women's Bowling Readies for Kutztown Golden Bear Invite

By: CONTACT: Connor Griffin, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications | cgriffin@daemen.edu

Women's Bowling | 10/16/2026 11:36:00 AM

Kutztown Golden Bear Invite
Oct. 17-18 | Rolling Meadow Lanes | Sinking Spring, Pa.

BACK IN ACTION
The Daemen University women's bowling team returns to Pennsylvania this weekend for its second tournament of the season, competing at the Kutztown Golden Bear Invite in Sinking Spring Pa., on Saturday and Sunday.

TOURNAMENT INFO
The two-day tournament begins on Saturday with traditional matches. On Sunday, the competition switches to Baker with two total pinfall matches and two best-of-seven contests. Daemen plays Felician, Alvernia, Fairleigh Dickinson, Morgan State, and Holy Family on the first day. On Day 2, the Wildcats square off against Caldwell, Kutztown, D'Youville, and two opponents that are TBA.

LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats opened the 2026-27 campaign at the Merchurst Invitational on Oct. 6-7. On the first day, Daemen earned two victories, defeating Mercyhurst 899-843 and Hilbert 992-770. Individually, Kenzie Smolnik (Rochester, N.Y.) led the Wildcats with a 990 series, placing fifth out of 57 bowlers. Brenna Forsha (Tonawanda, N.Y.) added an 891 series, finishing inside the top 15 and providing mid-lineup stability. Daemen continued its strong performance on Day 2, posting a 4-1 record to earn third place at the tournament. The Wildcats' top performance came against William Smith during Baker play, with a 926-902 win. Daemen also beat ECC rivals D'Youville (911-734) and Roberts Wesleyan (874-850). The Wildcats defeated William Smith again (4-2) during the best-of-seven round.

SMOLNIK EARNS ECC WEEKLY HONORS
Smolnik earned ECC Bowler of the Week and Rookie of the Week on Oct. 8 following her performance at the Mercyhurst Invitational. The freshman was named to the All-Tournament team after placing fifth out of 57 bowlers during traditional match play. She helped the Wildcats post a 6-3 record and place third at the tournament, leading the squad with a 198 average. Smolnik opened with a 240 and closed with a 226. During Baker Format action on Day 2, Smolnik helped the Wildcats post a 4-1 record.

PRESEASON POLL
The East Coast Conference released its 2026-27 women's bowling preseason poll on Monday, with Daemen selected fifth. Kutztown sat atop the poll with 62 points and six first-place votes. Molloy was second with 55 points (one first-place vote), and Adelphi rounded out the top three with 46 points. Roberts Wesleyan was selected fourth with 35 points, followed by the Wildcats in fifth with 32 points. D'Youville (29 points, one first-place vote) landed sixth, Saint Anselm (20 points) was seventh, and St. Thomas Aquinas rounded out the poll in eighth (9 points).

LAST SEASON RECAP
The Wildcats finished 34-52 in 2025-26. Daemen logged multiple wins over ECC foes Roberts Wesleyan, D'Youville, and Molloy. The Wildcats went 1-2 at the 2026 ECC Championship, beating Saint Anselm before falling to Molloy twice. Brenna Forsha (Tonawanda, N.Y.) finished the 2026-27 campaign strong, earning Third Team All-ECC. It was her first time earning conference recognition. Last year during the regular season, the senior completed 859 frames for the Wildcats and led the team in strikes (344) and strike percentage (39.7%). She also posted 320 spares and a spare percentage of 61.3%.

MORE RETURNING TALENT
Also returning for the Wildcats is Palmer, who threw 306 strikes and posted a strike percentage of 36.0% during the 2025-26 regular season. Cassidy Papero (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) completed 868 frames, logging 297 strikes. Sophomore Alyssa Crewe (Lewiston, N.Y.) completed 39 frames with a 55% strike percentage.

NEW FACES
Daemen also welcomed two new bowlers for the 2026-27 campaign. Freshmen Emma Snowman (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) and Smolnik bring fresh talent to the squad. Cummings joined the squad as a sophomore transfer from Roberts Wesleyan. She was a two-time ECC Rookie of the Week last year.

SCHEDULE OUTLOOK
The Wildcats will compete in 11 tournaments, including five in the fall and six in the spring. Following this weekend, Daemen will bowl at the Niagara University Brunswick Fall Open on Oct. 24-25, then travel to the Keystone State for the Duquesne Invite on Nov. 7-8. The fall schedule concludes with the Hilbert Hammer Classic (Nov. 21-22). Daemen resumes the season Jan. 23-24 with the ECC Clash. The following weekend, the Wildcats compete at the WNY Cup on Jan. 31. The team then travels to the Wildcat DII-DIII Invite (Feb. 13-14). It's then back to Niagara for the Brunswick Spring Classic (Feb. 20-21). The regular season concludes with the Redhawks' Queen City Classic on March 6-7. Daemen will host the 2027 ECC Women's Bowling Championship at their home lanes, AMF Lancaster Lanes, March 18-21. More information will be available as the tournament approaches.

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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Players Mentioned

#9 Alyssa Crewe: Sophomore

#29 Brenna Forsha: 5' 9"; Senior

#17 Cassidy Papero: 5' 3"; Senior

#2 Kenzie Smolnik: 5' 4"; Freshman

#16 Emma Snowman: 5' 7"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#9 Alyssa Crewe
: Sophomore

#29 Brenna Forsha
: 5' 9"; Senior

#17 Cassidy Papero
: 5' 3"; Senior

#2 Kenzie Smolnik
: 5' 4"; Freshman

#16 Emma Snowman
: 5' 7"; Freshman