Coté tops women's field, Bonta first for men in Round 2 at 2023 Team USA Trials
January 05, 2023
RESULTS AND INFORMATION
Las Vegas – Wednesday’s 40-foot oil pattern proved to be a considerable challenge for bowlers competing at the 2023 Team USA Trials at Gold Coast Bowling Center inside the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Nevertheless, Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona, and Brandon Bonta of Wichita, Kansas, figured it out better than most.
Coté fired a six-game total of 1,295 to finish first on the women’s squad Wednesday evening just hours after Bonta shot 1,388 to lead Day 2 of qualifying for the men.
Showing the skill and grit that propelled her to a Women’s Singles gold medal at the 2022 IBF World Cup in Queensland, Australia, in November, Team USA’s Coté was impressive throughout her second block.
Shooting 200 was no easy task Wednesday night, yet Coté surpassed that mark in five of her six games, carding scores of 223, 168, 239, 247, 212 and 206 enroute to a 215.83 average and first place for the round.
She needed every bit of it too as fellow Team USA member Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina, was right on her heels, finishing with 244 in Game 5 and 268 in Game 6 to come in just behind Coté at 1,289.
Despite having to settle for being the block runner up for the second day in a row, Clemmer moved into the top spot in the women’s overall Team USA Trials standings.
Coté currently sits in second place by virtue of Wednesday’s block victory and the fourth-place finish she notched during Round 1.
Although she is pleased with her performance thus far and the position it has gotten her to in the overall standings, Coté isn’t one to spend much time scoreboard watching.
“To be up toward the top of the leaderboard is great, but that just isn’t my goal every day,” Coté said. “My gameplan is simple, hit the pocket, make my spares and make the adjustments when I need to. I just try to bowl the best I can, and when I do that, things usually go well.”
Things also went well for Stephanie Zavala of Downey, California, and Lauren Pate of Ballwin, Missouri, as the pair of Team USA members finished Wednesday’s second round in third and fourth place for the block with 1,288 and 1,266, respectively.
The strong showing kept Pate in third place and moved Zavala up from 18th to sixth in the current women’s overall Team USA Trials standings.
Maryssa Carey of Hobart, Indiana, used a 244 in Game 1 and a 248 in Game 3 to get to 1,262 Wednesday night, which was good enough for fifth place on the squad.
Maggie Thoma of New Braunfels, Texas (1,254), Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio (1,236), Ashley Rucker of Bartlesville, Oklahoma (1,236), Grace Bringham of Maitland, Florida (1,231) and Victoria Varano of Stony Point, New York (1,228) secured the remaining spots in the Day 2 top 10.
After leading the field on opening day, Martin’s seventh-place second-round showing dropped her from first to fourth place on the Team USA Trials leaderboard.
That is a coveted spot, however, as the woman who holds fourth place at the end of Saturday’s final six-game qualifying block will get the last automatic invitation to join Team USA 2023.
Spots on Junior Team USA 2023 will go to the top four age-eligible women and top four age-eligible men who have not already earned places on the team through their performances at the 2022 Junior Gold Championships or through appointment by the National Selection Committee.
Thoma and Varano currently lead that pack of young ladies with Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Illinois, and Abigail Starkey of Schaumburg, Illinois, sitting close behind in third and fourth position, respectively.
Through two rounds, Martin is the bowler running out front in the race for the women’s 2023 U.S. Amateur title. Thoma is in second while Kristen Derr of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, is third.
The three bowlers who occupy those positions in the women’s standings at the end of qualifying will advance to a stepladder final Saturday night to determine the 2023 U.S. Amateur champion.
To be eligible for this year's U.S. Amateur, a bowler must not hold or have held a professional membership (PBA or PWBA) in 2022. Also, anyone who has won a title (regional, national or senior) as a professional is not eligible to compete as an amateur.
It’s been a long time since Coté bowled tournaments as an amateur, and she appreciates just how far her game has come since that time.
“I can’t pinpoint any one thing that served as the turning point in my game over the years,” Coté said. “I think it’s just been more about belief in myself and knowing that I don’t have to worry about anyone’s approval but my own.”
Fans typically approve of big strings of strikes and high scores all across the bowling center.
Nevertheless, spectators who came to Gold Coast Wednesday morning to watch the second round of men’s qualifying definitely saw more final scores beginning with the number one than they might have wanted or expected.
Brandon Bonta’s scores weren’t among them, however, as the right-hander from Wichita State finished well above 200 in all but one of his six games on the block.
He came out of the gate with scores of 236, 257, 228 and 236 before taking a step back with a 165 in Game 5.
The setback was short-lived, however, as Bonta struck nine times during Game 6 to finish with 266 for the game and 1,388 for the set, which was good for a 231.33 average and the top men’s series of the day.
As a two-time Junior Team USA member, a two-time USA Bowling national champion and a Junior Gold runner up, Bonta is no stranger to success on the lanes.
Nevertheless, he was very happy to add the title of Team USA Trials squad leader to his bowling résumé.
“The last three or four years at Team USA Trials haven’t been my best performances, so it feels great to have a day like this and show myself that I can compete with some of the best out here,” Bonta said.
Wednesday’s men’s top 10 certainly featured many names that are counted among the best.
Junior Team USA’s Spencer Robarge of Springfield, Missouri, was steady throughout Round 2, breaking 200 in all six games (255, 231, 213, 212, 202 and 221) to finish second on the squad with 1,334 (a 222.33 average).
The solid effort pushed Robarge to the top of the men’s overall standings for the 2023 Team USA Trials and U.S Amateur as well as landing him in first place among youth bowlers chasing spots on Junior Team USA 2023.
Robarge won’t need that spot, however, as he already qualified for Junior Team USA by virtue of his strong performance at Junior Gold 2022.
Brandon Caruso of Channahon, Illinois, hasn’t earned a spot on Junior Team USA just yet, but Wednesday’s 1,317 block definitely helped that cause as it tied him with Perry Crowell IV of Saint Clair Shores, Michigan, for third place on the squad and moved him into the top 20 in the men’s overall U.S. Amateur standings.
Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, placed fifth during Round 2 with 1,305.
The remaining positions in Wednesday’s men’s top 10 went to A.J. Johnson of Oswego, Illinois (1,303), Michael Mirabile of Coram, New York (1,285), Micah Voorhis of Cherry Hill, New Jersey (1,281), Brandon Bohn of Jackson, New Jersey (1,280) and Charlie Hunter of Iuka, Illinois (1,277).
Many of those same names can be found at or near the top of the men’s overall Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur standings through two rounds as well.
Anderson currently sits second in the Team USA Trials standings and is followed by Round 1 leader Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona. Bohn is close behind in third.
Johnson finds himself in fifth place and just one spot outside of automatic Team USA qualifying position after two days of competition.
Bonta leads the group of young men trying to secure spots on Junior Team USA 2023 while Noah Akiona of Waimanalo, Hawaii is just behind in second place.
Voorhis and Anthony Neuer of Milton, Pennsylvania, also find themselves in qualifying position with three rounds remaining; the duo sits in third and fourth place, respectively.
Last, but certainly not least, Robarge and Bohn hold the top two places in the overall men’s U.S. Amateur standings. Daniel Chin of Daly City, California, is currently third.
At the conclusion of Saturday’s fifth and final round of Team USA Trials qualifying, the top three amateur men will advance to a stepladder final to determine the 2023 U.S. Amateur men’s champions.
Both the men’s and women’s U.S. Amateur champion will earn an automatic spot on Team USA 2023.
If the U.S. Amateur champion already has earned a spot on the team, a spot will be awarded to the next-highest Team USA Trials qualifier based on ranking points.
Bonta would love to have his name called when the dust clears and those spots are awarded, but he isn’t looking ahead that far; instead, he just plans to continue taking things one frame at a time.
“I think that you have to come into each day with the same mindset here because every day is almost like its own tournament,” Bonta said. “I just need to stay focused on filling frames and hoping the pins continue to fall my way.”
Las Vegas – Wednesday’s 40-foot oil pattern proved to be a considerable challenge for bowlers competing at the 2023 Team USA Trials at Gold Coast Bowling Center inside the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Nevertheless, Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona, and Brandon Bonta of Wichita, Kansas, figured it out better than most.
Coté fired a six-game total of 1,295 to finish first on the women’s squad Wednesday evening just hours after Bonta shot 1,388 to lead Day 2 of qualifying for the men.
Showing the skill and grit that propelled her to a Women’s Singles gold medal at the 2022 IBF World Cup in Queensland, Australia, in November, Team USA’s Coté was impressive throughout her second block.
Shooting 200 was no easy task Wednesday night, yet Coté surpassed that mark in five of her six games, carding scores of 223, 168, 239, 247, 212 and 206 enroute to a 215.83 average and first place for the round.
She needed every bit of it too as fellow Team USA member Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina, was right on her heels, finishing with 244 in Game 5 and 268 in Game 6 to come in just behind Coté at 1,289.
Despite having to settle for being the block runner up for the second day in a row, Clemmer moved into the top spot in the women’s overall Team USA Trials standings.
Coté currently sits in second place by virtue of Wednesday’s block victory and the fourth-place finish she notched during Round 1.
Although she is pleased with her performance thus far and the position it has gotten her to in the overall standings, Coté isn’t one to spend much time scoreboard watching.
“To be up toward the top of the leaderboard is great, but that just isn’t my goal every day,” Coté said. “My gameplan is simple, hit the pocket, make my spares and make the adjustments when I need to. I just try to bowl the best I can, and when I do that, things usually go well.”
Things also went well for Stephanie Zavala of Downey, California, and Lauren Pate of Ballwin, Missouri, as the pair of Team USA members finished Wednesday’s second round in third and fourth place for the block with 1,288 and 1,266, respectively.
The strong showing kept Pate in third place and moved Zavala up from 18th to sixth in the current women’s overall Team USA Trials standings.
Maryssa Carey of Hobart, Indiana, used a 244 in Game 1 and a 248 in Game 3 to get to 1,262 Wednesday night, which was good enough for fifth place on the squad.
Maggie Thoma of New Braunfels, Texas (1,254), Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio (1,236), Ashley Rucker of Bartlesville, Oklahoma (1,236), Grace Bringham of Maitland, Florida (1,231) and Victoria Varano of Stony Point, New York (1,228) secured the remaining spots in the Day 2 top 10.
After leading the field on opening day, Martin’s seventh-place second-round showing dropped her from first to fourth place on the Team USA Trials leaderboard.
That is a coveted spot, however, as the woman who holds fourth place at the end of Saturday’s final six-game qualifying block will get the last automatic invitation to join Team USA 2023.
Spots on Junior Team USA 2023 will go to the top four age-eligible women and top four age-eligible men who have not already earned places on the team through their performances at the 2022 Junior Gold Championships or through appointment by the National Selection Committee.
Thoma and Varano currently lead that pack of young ladies with Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Illinois, and Abigail Starkey of Schaumburg, Illinois, sitting close behind in third and fourth position, respectively.
Through two rounds, Martin is the bowler running out front in the race for the women’s 2023 U.S. Amateur title. Thoma is in second while Kristen Derr of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, is third.
The three bowlers who occupy those positions in the women’s standings at the end of qualifying will advance to a stepladder final Saturday night to determine the 2023 U.S. Amateur champion.
To be eligible for this year's U.S. Amateur, a bowler must not hold or have held a professional membership (PBA or PWBA) in 2022. Also, anyone who has won a title (regional, national or senior) as a professional is not eligible to compete as an amateur.
It’s been a long time since Coté bowled tournaments as an amateur, and she appreciates just how far her game has come since that time.
“I can’t pinpoint any one thing that served as the turning point in my game over the years,” Coté said. “I think it’s just been more about belief in myself and knowing that I don’t have to worry about anyone’s approval but my own.”
Fans typically approve of big strings of strikes and high scores all across the bowling center.Nevertheless, spectators who came to Gold Coast Wednesday morning to watch the second round of men’s qualifying definitely saw more final scores beginning with the number one than they might have wanted or expected.
Brandon Bonta’s scores weren’t among them, however, as the right-hander from Wichita State finished well above 200 in all but one of his six games on the block.
He came out of the gate with scores of 236, 257, 228 and 236 before taking a step back with a 165 in Game 5.
The setback was short-lived, however, as Bonta struck nine times during Game 6 to finish with 266 for the game and 1,388 for the set, which was good for a 231.33 average and the top men’s series of the day.
As a two-time Junior Team USA member, a two-time USA Bowling national champion and a Junior Gold runner up, Bonta is no stranger to success on the lanes.
Nevertheless, he was very happy to add the title of Team USA Trials squad leader to his bowling résumé.
“The last three or four years at Team USA Trials haven’t been my best performances, so it feels great to have a day like this and show myself that I can compete with some of the best out here,” Bonta said.
Wednesday’s men’s top 10 certainly featured many names that are counted among the best.
Junior Team USA’s Spencer Robarge of Springfield, Missouri, was steady throughout Round 2, breaking 200 in all six games (255, 231, 213, 212, 202 and 221) to finish second on the squad with 1,334 (a 222.33 average).
The solid effort pushed Robarge to the top of the men’s overall standings for the 2023 Team USA Trials and U.S Amateur as well as landing him in first place among youth bowlers chasing spots on Junior Team USA 2023.
Robarge won’t need that spot, however, as he already qualified for Junior Team USA by virtue of his strong performance at Junior Gold 2022.
Brandon Caruso of Channahon, Illinois, hasn’t earned a spot on Junior Team USA just yet, but Wednesday’s 1,317 block definitely helped that cause as it tied him with Perry Crowell IV of Saint Clair Shores, Michigan, for third place on the squad and moved him into the top 20 in the men’s overall U.S. Amateur standings.
Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, placed fifth during Round 2 with 1,305.
The remaining positions in Wednesday’s men’s top 10 went to A.J. Johnson of Oswego, Illinois (1,303), Michael Mirabile of Coram, New York (1,285), Micah Voorhis of Cherry Hill, New Jersey (1,281), Brandon Bohn of Jackson, New Jersey (1,280) and Charlie Hunter of Iuka, Illinois (1,277).
Many of those same names can be found at or near the top of the men’s overall Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur standings through two rounds as well.
Anderson currently sits second in the Team USA Trials standings and is followed by Round 1 leader Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona. Bohn is close behind in third.
Johnson finds himself in fifth place and just one spot outside of automatic Team USA qualifying position after two days of competition.
Bonta leads the group of young men trying to secure spots on Junior Team USA 2023 while Noah Akiona of Waimanalo, Hawaii is just behind in second place.
Voorhis and Anthony Neuer of Milton, Pennsylvania, also find themselves in qualifying position with three rounds remaining; the duo sits in third and fourth place, respectively.
Last, but certainly not least, Robarge and Bohn hold the top two places in the overall men’s U.S. Amateur standings. Daniel Chin of Daly City, California, is currently third.
At the conclusion of Saturday’s fifth and final round of Team USA Trials qualifying, the top three amateur men will advance to a stepladder final to determine the 2023 U.S. Amateur men’s champions.
Both the men’s and women’s U.S. Amateur champion will earn an automatic spot on Team USA 2023.
If the U.S. Amateur champion already has earned a spot on the team, a spot will be awarded to the next-highest Team USA Trials qualifier based on ranking points.
Bonta would love to have his name called when the dust clears and those spots are awarded, but he isn’t looking ahead that far; instead, he just plans to continue taking things one frame at a time.
“I think that you have to come into each day with the same mindset here because every day is almost like its own tournament,” Bonta said. “I just need to stay focused on filling frames and hoping the pins continue to fall my way.”