KUTZTOWN, PA (August 22, 2010) – Six incoming Kutztown University bowling players provide a small glimpse into the promise and potential of the future when they competed at the 2010 Junior Gold Bowling Tournament and the North Pointe High School Tournaments in Indianapolis (In.) during a week in July.
Representing the maroon-and-gold was two-time All-American and transfer Samantha Santoro, Brooke Bower, Deanna DiRado, Jenna Hess, Heather Van Dyk, and Mary Kate Hart.
In the Junior Gold Bowling Tournament, in which the purpose of this event was to select players for the USA Bowling junior team, three Golden Bears had strong performances.
Santoro finished 19th overall out of 525 participants from all over the nation, averaging 196.94 for 18 games in qualifying and 195.17 total for all 30 games she bowled. Her final finish was 20th position. Bower just missed the Top 78 cut after 18 games by only 14 pins, finishing in 86th position. The next highest KU finisher was DiRado at 167th position.
“This was a great representation of our players at such a high level national event” said Kutztown University head bowling coach Joe Ambrose. “I am very proud of all the KU girls who qualified to be there.”
In the North Point High School tournament, Bower finished fifth overall out of several top high school players and averaged 200.25 for 12 games she bowled.
Meanwhile, in the Junior Bowlers Tour in Las Vegas, Santoro finished sixth overall in this national event. Her qualifying scores for the first day were 223-212-267-229-202-202 and on the second day qualifying scores were 170-196-213-208-186-213. After qualifying Santoro was tied for 12th place.
Santoro continued her excellent performances in the match play round, posting a 6-2 record with games of 248-224-233-225-210-180-212. After match play going into finals, Santoro was seeded fourth. She rolled a 211 in the shootout match, which resulted in Santoro’s final finish.
“Overall I really feel like I had a great tournament,” Santoro said. “I gave every ball 110% and even though I didn’t win the tournament, I still feel like a winner. It really is a great end to my summer before our KU bowling season begins.”
The Kutztown University bowling schedule begins in October. A complete schedule will be released shortly.