By Gene J. Kanak Rio de Janeiro – One day after capturing all available gold medals in doubles competition, all four Team USA bowlers positioned themselves at or near the top of the standings after the opening round of singles at the PANAM Bowling Champion of Champions held at the Bowling Social Club in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. Kristopher Prather of Romeoville, Illinois, was Team USA’s top performer on the day, using a 269 in Game 4 and a 259 in Game 6 to propel himself to 1,838 (an average of 229.75) for the eight-game block. That put Prather in first place in the men ..read more

BY GENE KANAK Rio de Janeiro – Team USA’s bid to qualify for the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, got off to a good start after American duos captured both the men’s and women’s gold medals in doubles at the PANAM Bowling Champion of Champions at the Bowling Social Club in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday. Kristopher Prather of Romeoville, Illinois, and A.J. Johnson of Oswego, Illinois, got things rolling for Team USA, capturing the men’s gold medal with a combined eight-game total of 3,710. Johnson led the way for the American duo, shooting an eight-game tota ..read more

ARLINGTON, Texas – Shannon O’Keefe of Shiloh, Illinois, first donned the red, white and blue for Team USA in 2005, and her journey as part of the program for the last 18 years has taken her across the world. The 43-year-old right-hander has become one of the program’s most decorated athletes, earning nearly 50 medals in international competition during that span. More than half of the medals presented to her were plated in gold, and they were presented to her moments before the opening notes of “The Star-Spangled Banner” echoed across some of bowling’s premier stages. In April, O’Keefe ..read more

DALLAS – Stephanie Zavala of Downey, California, turned around her sophomore season Tuesday by averaging more than 250 across three wins to claim her first major at the 2022 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour Championship. The 2021 PWBA Rookie of the Year locked up her fourth tour title with a 252-181 win over defending champion Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio. Zavala earned $50,000 for the victory, while Pluhowsky will take home $25,000 for the runner-up finish. Tuesday’s stepladder finals were broadcast live on CBS Sports Network. Zavala started the title tilt with five con ..read more

BY GENE J. KANAK ARLINGTON, Texas – Nearly 400 bowlers age 50 and older have traveled to Kentucky to compete in the 2022 United States Bowling Congress Senior Championships, which will take place Aug. 9-12 at Executive Strike and Spare Family Fun Center in Louisville. The Senior Championships is a national event for bowlers who have qualified through their state’s senior tournaments. Competition will feature two divisions – Mixed and Women’s – in six age-based classifications – 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75 and older. Tournament action begins Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern with ..read more

DALLAS – Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio, celebrated her 40th birthday with family, friends and strikes Monday after averaging more than 257 for eight games to secure the top seed for the stepladder finals at the 2022 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour Championship. Pluhowsky, the defending champion at the season-ending major, rolled games of 190, 228, 267, 256, 300, 244, 297 and 276 to go 6-2 during her final match-play round at USA Bowl to finish with an overall record of 15-9 for a 6,036 total. The 300 game was the first of her PWBA Tour career, and she went from starting ..read more

MATCH PLAY: Rd. 1 | Rd. 2 DALLAS – Colombia’s Maria José Rodriguez averaged 223 and posted an 11-5 record in match play through the first two rounds to lead the field Sunday at the 2022 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour Championship. Rodriguez, the 2018 PWBA Tour Championship winner, finished her day at USA Bowl with a 3,898 total, which included 30 bonus pins for each victory in the round-robin format for the third major of the 2022 season. Stephanie Zavala of Downey, California, leaped from 15th place to second in the standings after averaging more than 246 ..read more

DALLAS – Ukraine’s Dasha Kovalova has experienced highs and lows when appearing in finals on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour, but when she’s comfortable and confident on the lanes, few have been able to keep up with her. The 27-year-old right-hander started strong in both of her matches during Saturday’s championship round at the PWBA Pepsi Classic, and she recorded her fifth career title with a 278-195 win over Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, at USA Bowl. The win was the first of the 2022 season for Kovalova, and she earned $10,000 for the victory. The steplad ..read more

DALLAS – Hope Gramly of Aubrey, Texas, has excelled in her opportunities to compete against the top players on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour in 2022, and she added another strong performance Friday by leading qualifying at the PWBA Pepsi Classic. The 22-year-old right-hander jumped from 18th place to the top of the standings during her second six-game block at USA Bowl, finishing with a 12-game score of 2,666, a 222.17 average. Julia Bond of Aurora, Illinois, is the defending champion at the Pepsi Classic and sits in second with a 2,643 total. Danielle McEwan of Ston ..read more

DALLAS – Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona, trusted her judgment and stayed patient on a demanding oil pattern to secure her second title of the 2022 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour season Thursday at the PWBA Dallas Classic. The 2021 PWBA Player of the Year defeated Germany’s Birgit Noreiks in the title match at USA Bowl, 200-186, to record the win live on BowlTV and earn the $10,000 top prize. Noreiks earned $5,000 for the runner-up finish. Coté entered Thursday’s stepladder finals as the top seed after posting a 9-3 record in match play on the 36-foot oil pattern being used ..read more