Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University women's bowling program has been ranked No. 10 in the 2024-25 National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Preseason Top 25, it was announced Tuesday. The Dukes, who also finished the 2023-24 season ranked 10th, earned 1,234 points in the poll.
Duquesne, which is coming off its third NCAA Championship bid in program last history, are the highest of three teams from the Northeast Conference (NEC) to rank in the top 25 of the 2024-25 NTCA Preseason Top 25. Fairleigh Dickinson is ranked 20th, while Niagara sits 25th.
Led by head coach
Jody Fetterhoff, in her ninth season leading the Dukes and the a two-time reigning NEC Coach of the Year, Duquesne has been ranked in every NTCA Top 25 poll since February of 2018. In each of the last five years, the Dukes have concluded the season ranked 12th or better.
Selected as the preseason No. 1 is Jacksonville State, which earned 31 first-place votes in compiling 2,076 points. The Gamecocks are one of six teams from Conference USA to rank in the top eight of the preseason poll, including each of the top four. Arkansas State, which earned five first-place tallies and 1,950 points, is picked second, followed by Youngstown State (1,879), Vanderbilt (1,809) and Nebraska (1,779). The Penguins, Commodores and Cornhuskers each garnered four first-place votes.
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Ranked sixth is North Carolina A&T (1,688), which garnered one first-place vote, with Louisiana Tech (1,458), Sam Houston State (1,428), Maryville (1,320) and Duquesne rounding out the top 10. Also tallying a first-place vote was Wichita State, which is slotted 17th in the NTCA Preseason Top 25 with 686 points.
The Dukes are bolstered by the return of fifth-year
Shannon Small as well as sophomore
Maribeth Baker. Small, who was named to the 2024 All-NEC First Team as well as 2024 NTCA All-Northeast Region Honorable Mention, ranks third all-time in program history with a career average of 200.7.
Baker was named the 2024 NEC Rookie of the Year while also earning spots on the both the 2024 All-NEC First Team and the 2024 All-NEC Rookie Team. An NTCA Northeast Region All-Rookie Second Team selection, Baker was one of three Dukes, joining Small and senior
Morgan Brookover, to earn an individual title last season. Baker won the Hawk Classic in November of 2023, averaging 233.0 in six games and knocking down 1,398 pins.
Duquesne opens its 2024-25 campaign by taking part in the Penguin Classic, Oct. 11-13, in Struthers, Ohio, at Holiday Bowl. It marks the third time in the last four years the Dukes will open the season with a tournament hosted by Youngstown State.
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