For the second straight month, the Youngstown State bowling team is ranked ninth in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 Poll, the NTCA announced on Thursday.
The Penguins received 960 points in the poll, which was 84 more than they did in February. YSU was 14 points behind eighth-ranked Stephen F. Austin, but it was a firm 206 points ahead of 10th-ranked Duquesne. The Penguins have been ranked in the top 10 of the poll all season long.
YSU and SFA are two of six teams in the Southland Bowling League that are ranked in the top nine of the poll. Joining them are Sam Houston in third, Vanderbilt in the fourth position, Arkansas at No. 6 and Louisiana Tech at No. 7.
McKendree is at the top of the poll with 1,537 points, and the Bearcats received 24 out of a possible 42 first-place votes. Nebraska is second with 1,519 points and 16 first-place votes, and North Carolina A&T is fifth behind Sam Houston and Vanderbilt.
Voting for the poll is done by NCAA head coaches that are members of the NTCA. There were 42 ballots cast for the February poll.
Youngstown State will have its final tune-up of the regular season next week at the Columbia 300 Music City Classic on March 18-20 in Smyrna, Tenn. The Southland Bowling League Championship will be March 25-27 in Harahan, La.
