YSU Athletic Communications / John Vogel The Youngstown State bowling team practices on Thursday at Holiday Bowl in Struthers ahead of its first tournament of the 2025-2026 season.

STRUTHERS — When last season’s national champion women’s bowling team was honored on the field at Stambaugh Stadium during the football game on Oct. 4 and the rest of the Penguins received their championship rings, it officially closed the chapter of Youngstown State’s historic storybook season.

Now with last year in the rearview mirror, YSU has turned its attention to the upcoming 2025-2026 season, which begins today with the annual Chelsea Gilliam Penguin Classic at Holiday Bowl in Struthers.

“That was the plan — one last hurrah with the team from last year to really celebrate it. Then the next day, it was like, ‘Hey, now we’re focused on this season, and of course this opening event,'” seventh-year head coach Doug Kuberski said. “It was a nice little closure to that chapter, and now we’re full speed ahead focused on this season. … We’ve been crossing our t’s and dotting our i’s these last few weeks getting prepared for the event, and I think we’re ready.”

The Penguin Classic, which runs through Sunday, is named in honor of Chelsea Gilliam, the program’s first head coach, who led YSU from 2015-2018 and passed away in August at the age of 35 after a battle with breast cancer.

The tournament, which has served as the start of the Penguins’ season six times in the last seven years, will boast the largest field in the event’s history with 18 teams. Five of the top-six teams in the preseason coaches poll will be in attendance, including the fourth-ranked Penguins, No. 1 Jacksonville State, No. 2 Nebraska and No. 3 Vanderbilt.

Even with almost an entirely new team this season, YSU’s expectations remain high coming off its first national title.

“We met at the beginning of the year. Our first meeting is always, what are our goals? Individual goals and team goals?” Kuberski said. “Their team goals were quite ambitious, so I think nothing’s really changed. They have high standards for themselves and they believe in themselves.”

Members of last year’s experienced, senior-laden team have mostly graduated and exhausted their eligibility, while some joined the professional circuit.

As a result, the Penguins underwent significant roster turnover in the offseason, adding six freshmen bowlers and one transfer. Sophomore Kara Beissel, who was named to the All-Tournament Team after stepping up at the Final Four in Las Vegas last season, is the team’s lone returner.

“To be honest, it kind of feels like my freshman year again,” Beissel said with a chuckle about adjusting to a new team. “But if they have questions, I answer them, and hopefully I’m someone that they can look up to. … I’m confident, and I know some of the (younger) girls are nervous. I’m nervous too since it’s my second year, but once we get over the nerves, I think we’ll be just fine.”

Beissel isn’t the only member of last year’s team still around, however. Madyson Marx, a First-Team All-American last year, joined Kuberski’s staff as a graduate assistant in the offseason.

The presence of both Beissel and Marx provides YSU with at least a little bit of continuity, as it looks to continue its recent success.

“It’s huge having Kara back. She bowled on TV last year and helped us win that championship,” Kuberski said. “Then of course, Madyson, bringing her back as a coach, I think, is really huge. It’s going to be a big plus for us to bridge that era, so to speak, to this new era, and I’m very excited about it.”

Alongside Beissel, junior Amy Chrzanowski is one of the team’s most experienced bowlers after transferring from Fairleigh Dickinson, where she primarily bowled in the No. 4 spot for the Knights and earned Second-Team All-NEC honors while helping lead FDU to the NCAA tournament.

Several members of YSU’s talented freshmen class, which includes Alivia Baskin, Kaitlyn Greenaway, Leyna Kratzer, Amber Mason, Amber Spicer and Gianna Varano, will make their college bowling debuts for the Penguins this weekend.

“For me, it’s important to give them some leeway to really create their own identity,” Kuberski said. “I don’t want to look at this season as a continuation of last season. It’s a new group, but obviously it’s still Penguin bowling. It’s still Penguin culture. I want to give them independence to forge their own identity and go from there.

“I think there’s a lot of energy and a lot of excitement. I think they’ve got a lot of competitive fire and hunger right now to show they can do it and make a run at this thing. So I’m excited to see where they take it.”