Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's bowling team opened their 2024-25 campaign on Saturday, going 3-2 on the first day of competition at the Mercyhurst Invitational.

The Panthers began their day with an 885-847 victory over AMCC rival Penn State-Behrend. They were led by Freshman Mackenzie Gill, who posted a score of 202, while sophomore Erin Wales was two pins behind her at 193. Brookelyn Garvey had a strong game in the leadoff spot, finishing at 193.

They followed that up with a 798-787 win over D'Youville. Gill improved her score from match 1, posting a 210. Fellow Freshman Jaylee Kopenhaver also had a good performance, finishing at 174.

They continued posting strong scores in their next two matches but fell to Division I Wright State 1005-819 and Niagara 937-801. Garvey led game three with a score of 196, while Koppenhaver had the high pin total in match 4 at 193.

In their last match of the day, they took on Kutztown, finishing with a 910-883 victory. Gill had the high score for the Panthers, but the victory was greatly aided by Alexis Whitfield, who finished at 194, more than 50 pins above her average from last season. Garvey finished at 193 in the match

On the day, Mackenzie Gill led the Panthers with an average of 192.0 pins per game. Brookelyn Garvey finished at 177.6, while Erin Wales and Jaylee Koppenhaver both bowled all five matches, averaging 167.8 and 164.0 respectively. Alexis Whitfield bowled two matches, averaging 162.0 pins per match, and Olivia Shultz averaged 127.3 over 3 matches.

The Panthers will be back in action tomorrow in Erie for the second game of the Invitational. They will bowl 5 matches in Baker bowling format.