by McKenzie Quirin

The Penn State Altoona women's bowling program will feature many returning faces in the 2023-24 season. Of its roster's eight players, the team returns six from last season's team that went 5-15 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference and 11-38 overall.

To find success this year, head coach Elizabeth Rhodes, who enters her third full season with the program, will depend on having a positive attitude to motivate the returners and two newcomers this season.

"It's hard to motivate bowling players. You have to keep a positive, upbeat attitude even if they miss their mark or a spare," said Rhodes. "Bowling is more of a mental game, and you can't during a tournament keep focusing on the negatives that have happened during the matches."

Two seniors, Breanna Yarnall (Bedford, PA/Bedford) and Chloe Mazza (Burlington, NJ/Burlington Township), lead the Lions' team of returners. Last season, Yarnall earned her place on the AMCC's Academic All-Conference team while placing third on the team with 193 frames bowled during traditional team format matches and fourth with 171 frames of baker play. Yarnall was also inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the national college athlete honor society. Mazza placed second last season with 222 frames of baker format while leading in frames bowled in traditional team format matches with 243.

Although Yarnall and Mazza are returning seniors, Rhodes expressed, all eight players are players to watch going into the season, "Anyone is a player to watch actually on the team. You have your good and bad days with bowling."

In addition to the two senior returners, Penn State Altoona also brings back one junior, Isabelle Forcey (Clearfield, PA/DuBois Central Catholic), and a trio of sophomores: Kennedie Lauver (New Berlin, PA/Mifflinburg), Maddy Sosko (Latrobe, PA/Greater Latrobe) and Brooke Yarnall (Bedford, PA/Bedford).

The team's two newcomers are comprised of the freshman duo of Janine Maxwell (North Chicago, IL/North Chicago) and Kaitlyn Search (Allentown, NJ/New Egypt).

Rhodes believes that the current roster has the bond and talent to achieve more this season and improve on their spare shots during practice.

"The team has a great bond and cheers each other on during the matches," Rhodes mentions. "We are looking very good for our first tournament of the season. We have a decent team coming into this year."

Penn State Altoona was voted ninth in the AMCC preseason poll, behind teams like Saint Vincent College, Penn State Behrend and Pitt-Bradford, but looks to climb the rankings throughout the season. According to Rhodes, "Preseason polls are just what they say, preseason. We hope to achieve a higher ranking at the end of our season."

Rhodes credits the Lions' ambition to improve this season on their awareness of the schedule and practice schedule.

"The team is aware of the schedule for the season and with the practice schedule. They are very good with coming into practice, and they have a good time also as a whole team. It does get tough closer to Thanksgiving break, as our Round Robin is the weekend that starts Thanksgiving break," said Rhodes.

Penn State Altoona women's bowling opens its 2023-24 season this Saturday, November 4 and Sunday, November 5 when the Lions play in the Bobcat Baker Classic, hosted by Pitt-Greensburg at Lokay Lanes in Monroeville, Pa.

The rest of Penn State Altoona's schedule consists of the two AMCC regular season round robins (Nov. 17-19, Feb. 2-4), the annual Saint Francis University Red Flash Invitational (Jan. 26-28), the Br. Pat Lacey Memorial Tournament (Feb. 10) and the Unicorn Invitational on Saturday, February 24. The Lions will honor their seniors on senior day, Saturday, March 16, at their home lanes, the F.A. Gerhart Lanes at the Bavarian Aid Society in Altoona.