Pittsburgh, Pa. – In the latest national rankings according to the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTPA) released Wednesday, the Duquesne University bowling team is ranked 14th. The Dukes are the highest ranked team among members of the Northeast Conference (NEC), and it marks the 36th consecutive poll dating back to 2018 that the program has been ranked in the NTCA Top 25.
Duquesne accumulated 843 points in the December poll, dropping four spots from its preseason ranking of No. 10 in October. Vanderbilt takes over No. 1 in the latest poll, compiling 2,083 points and moving up from No. 4 in the preseason. Jacksonville State (2,069), which was ranked as the preseason No. 1, slipped to No. 2 and is followed by Nebraska (2,017), Youngstown State (1,900) and Arkansas State (1,762).
The biggest mover in the December poll is Wichita State out of Conference USA, which moved 10 spots from No. 17 to seventh. McKendree, out of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, moved up eight spots from No. 21 to No. 13 in the latest poll.
Led by head coach
Jody Fetterhoff, the Dukes finished with an overall record of 32-19 (.627) during the 2024 fall season, including a 9-3 (.750) mark in the NEC. Duquesne
won NEC #1 last month, tying Mercyhurst with a 9-3 overall record but owning an edge in total pins during the event. The Dukes racked up 11,390 pins for an average game score of 189.8, while the Lakes, which moved into the national rankings Wednesday at No. 24, finished with 11,011 pins (183.5). The Dukes also posted a pair of wins this fall against No. 1 Jacksonville State, including at Destination Orlando and again at the Garden State Classic to close out the fall campaign.
Senior
Shannon Small is a two-time NEC Bowler of the Week, earning each of the last two accolades of the fall campaign. She leads the Dukes this season with an average frame score of 20.22 while also posting a strike percentage of 47.3 percent (242-of-512), an 87.5 overall fill percentage and an average of 8.99 on her first ball.
The Dukes have also been bolstered by the play of senior
Ranelle Ulanday, who has notched an average frame score of 19.67, an 85.6 overall fill percentage an average of 8.89 on her first ball. She was named NEC Bowler of the Week in October after averaging 217.20 over five traditional games at Destination Orlando to finish 15th, including a 268 in a victory over Prairie View A&M.
Duquesne returns to action with the Northeast Classic, which takes place Friday, Jan. 17, through Sunday, Jan. 19, in New Castle, Del., at Bowlerama. The event is hosted by Sacred Heart.
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