Champions determined at 2025 Junior Gold Championships
July 20, 2025
Spoiler Alert: Only scroll down if you want to know the champions of this event prior to the CBS Sports Network telecasts on July 29, Aug. 5 and 12.
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The 2025 Junior Gold Championships in Green Bay, Wisconsin, came to a close on Saturday as the U12, U15 and U18 divisions crowned champions at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley.
More than 3,500 United States Bowling Congress Youth members competed at Junior Gold 2025, which was spread across eight bowling centers in the Green Bay area in hopes of winning a piece of the approximately $500,000 scholarship fund, making a run at a national title and claiming a spot on Junior Team USA.
BowlTV provided livestream coverage of every round of the 2025 event leading up to the stepladder finals in each division. All stepladder finals were taped Saturday and will be aired on CBS Sports Network.
In the end, six talented youth bowlers came out on top: Isabella Jones of Edinburgh, Indiana (U12 Girls); Noah Ausderau of Virginia Beach, Virginia (U12 Boys); Anna Antony of Farmington, Connecticut (U15 Girls); Zachary Mayne of Parma, Ohio (U15 Boys); Elena Weinstok of Costa Rica (U18 Girls); and Kaeden White of Lees Summit, Missouri (U18 Boys).
Junior Gold telecasts will adhere to the schedule that follows: U12 (Tuesday, July 29, at 7 p.m. Eastern); U15 (Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. Eastern) and U18 (Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 5 p.m. Eastern).
U12 GIRLS
It was the perfect end to the comeback story for No. 1 seed Isabella Jones of Edinburgh, Indiana, who captured the U12 Girls title against No. 3 seed Caitlin Stahl of Mankato, Minnesota, 213-196.
“There’s no one word to describe this feeling,” said the left-handed Jones. “It was like an explosion of joy and happiness.”
Jones previously made the U12 Girls stepladder finals in 2023, finishing in third place, and she started the title match with four strikes in a row to take an early lead against Stahl. Stahl was coming off a clean 228-193 win against No. 2 seed Stevie Newton of Hanover, Pennsylvania, to start the stepladder.
Carry became an issue for Stahl after multiple single pins refused to fall but she picked up everything she left to not fall too far behind. Disaster for Jones hit in the seventh frame when she guttered and got eight pins to give life to Stahl.
The Minnesotan bowler took advantage with strikes in frames seven, eight and nine, but a split in the 10th frame dashed the dream for Stahl. Jones recovered from her gutter with three straight marks to clinch the title.
“I just had to regroup and throw good shots,” said Jones, who had minor knee surgery prior to the 2024 Junior Gold event in Detroit. “Winning today means the world knowing that I had a rough patch and came back.”
U12 BOYS
No. 3 seed Noah Ausderau of Virginia Beach, Virginia, took down No. 2 seed Jaxon Wichers of Amarillo, Texas, 192-191, and No. 1 seed Nehemiah Keefer of Bellwood, Illinois, 207-164, to win the U12 Boys title.
Ausderau spent the weeks leading up to Green Bay in the bowling alley for up to five hours a day, working on his game to come into the event confident, leading to his making the show.
“This feels amazing,” said Ausderau. “It shows that I can beat anyone, even those who already beat me once.”
Wichers knocked Ausderau to the Elimination Bracket during match play and the two competitors faced off again to start the stepladder, where Ausderau fell behind with four opens in the first seven frames.
That didn’t deter Ausderau, who struck the next four shots and got nine pins in the fill ball to end with 192, while Wichers needed just a mark to advance. A missed 10 pin in the final frame ended Wichers run earlier than he would’ve liked, losing by one pin.
In the title match, it was close up until the final few frames where Ausderau struck in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames to clinch the title after Keefer opened in the eighth and ninth for a 164. A split in the final frame for Ausderau didn’t matter much, closing with 207.
Ausderau had plenty of support in the crowd as they cheered his name throughout the stepladder.
“It felt amazing to have that support and have people actually care that I was bowling,” said Ausderau.
U15 GIRLS
Anna Antony of Farmington, Connecticut, took home the U15 Girls title in dominant fashion after defeating Ana Mazza of Utica, Michigan, 222-145, putting an exclamation point during a week where she held the lead almost from the start of the event.
You’d never know she won based on her almost stoic approach to the game.
“Whenever I bowl big events like this, I try to numb everything out, be calm,” said Antony. “I’m really happy (to win).”
In the title match, two opens by Mazza in the first four frames allowed Antony to build an early lead before running away with the match after four strikes during the back half of the game.
Since 2021, Antony has finished no lower than seventh at the Junior Gold Championships, showcasing remarkable consistency during her young career.
“I think it’s the training I’ve done,” said Antony. “I’ve had a couple of changes done to my game and my spare game overall. A lot of that helps with the consistency.”
Antony also wore a pair of bowling shoes that had many signatures on them, ranging from Professional Women’s Bowling Association players to international stars on the Professional Bowlers Association. She knows she couldn’t make it this far without her support system here and back home.
“I can’t be thankful enough to my coaches, my family, my parents especially, my siblings, I have so many supporters and I’m thankful for that.”
The stepladder began with Mazza and No. 3 seed Candence Van Tine of Spokane, Washington, in a back-and-forth match that saw Mazza advance with a 202 to Van Tine’s 188.
U15 BOYS
Zachary Mayne of Parma, Ohio, had his sights set on what he wanted earlier in the week and accomplished exactly that, winning the U15 Boys title against Francis Johnson of Orlando, Florida, 212-196.
“This feels amazing right now,” said Mayne, who started the week off with a 300 game during the first round of qualifying. “I just had to keep working and now I’m here.”
Mayne, a two-handed left-hander, qualified as the top seed after going undefeated in match play, beating Johnson for No. 1 seed and faced him again for the title after Johnson defeated Isaiah Durflinger of Beavercreek, Ohio, in the opening match, 213-178. Durflinger was seeking his second Junior Gold title after winning the U12 Boys division in 2022.
The title match didn’t start well for Mayne, beginning with two opens in the first three frames (a 7-9 split and 2-4-7 miss) and fell behind early. That didn’t deter the energized Ohioan as he made a small adjustment to fire off six strikes over his next eight shots while Johnson stayed in the pocket, but was unable to carry the 4 pin and 9 pin when he needed it most.
“I moved a little right after the 7-9 and hit on the ball more, but then I left that 2-4-7 and moved back left, still hitting on the ball,” Mayne said. “I guess that worked and now we’re here.”
Once Mayne gets home to Parma, the celebration will continue when the U15 stepladder airs with a watch party with friends and family to see the win on CBS Sports Network. After his win, he had more immediate plans in Green Bay.
“I’m going to head back to my hotel and take a nap,” he said while laughing, but Mayne earned that rest as a U15 champion.
Junior Team USA Developmental Team
The U15 division also served as a qualifier for automatic spots on the 2026 Junior Team USA Developmental Team. In the boys and girls divisions, the top two qualifiers after 26 games of qualifying, the event champion and the event runner-up earned places on the team.
Based on those criteria, the automatic qualifiers for the 2026 Junior Team USA Developmental Team are as follows:
Girls
*Kylie Oppedisano, Trumbell, Connecticut
*Autumn Strode, Munster, Indiana
U15G Champion - Anna Antony, Farmington, Connecticut
U15G Runner-Up - Ava Mazza, Utica, Michigan
Boys
Lucas Drisdel, Chicago, Illinois
Dalton Wheeler, Harrisburg, Illinois
U15B Champion - Zachary Maine, Parma, Ohio
U15B Runner-Up - Francis Johnson, Orlando, Florida
*Since event champion Antony and runner-up Mazza were first and second after qualifying, the next available spots went to Oppedisano and Strode as the third-place and fourth-place finishers after qualifying.
U18 GIRLS
No. 3 seed Elena Weinstok of Costa Rica added her name to the history books by becoming the first international female to win at Junior Gold, defeating No. 2 seed Amber Benson of Dunkirk, North Dakota, 183-159, and No. 1 seed Tori Franklin of Frisco, Texas, 225-192.
“I can’t really describe my emotions right now, but it feels amazing to represent my country really well here,” said Weinstok.
The right-handed Costa Rican made her country proud with the win, adding to her trophy case that includes multiple gold medals from the Pan American Games and International Bowling Federation Youth World Cup.
Her journey began against Benson with an open, but Weinstok quickly recovered from it and struck three times over the next four frames to keep the match close. Two opens in the fifth and sixth by Benson put Weinstok in the driver’s seat the rest of the way, closing with 183 to Benson’s 159.
In the title match, Weinstok started with a spare and three straight strikes as Franklin left and converted three consecutive 10 pins, struggling to take the corner pin out before opening in the fifth frame. Weinstok stayed clean amid her own carry troubles before striking out in the 10th frame for 225 to Franklin’s 192, earning the U18 Girls win.
After the win, Weinstok had nothing but praise about Junior Gold in her fourth year bowling the event.
“Hopefully my win will invite more people to come to the states to bowl,” said Weinstok. “This tournament in particular has made me improve so much and I still can’t believe that I won it, it feels like the job’s not finished yet but it is.
“Having so many different oil patterns made me not only learn about lane play, but improving myself and learn new skills that I don’t get to back home.”
Weinstok will take these new skills back to Costa Rica in hopes of bringing more young bowlers to the Junior Gold Championship and keep the sport growing in the youth ranks.
U18 BOYS
Arguably, the best was saved for last in the all two-handed U18 Boys stepladder as No. 3 seed Kaeden White of Lees Summit, Missouri, shot games of 256 and 269 on his way to a U18 title, defeating No. 2 seed Chance McLane of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, and Jos Weems of Chicago.
“I’m just speechless,” said White.
White took the longest road possible after losing his opening match in match play, winning five straight matches in the Elimination Bracket just to earn the No. 3 seed and face McLane first in the stepladder.
“(After the opening round loss) I had nothing to lose, it was win or go home,” said White. “I told myself to get on the approach, take a deep breath and execute.”
The Missouri bowler began with the first five strikes and the lead after McLane started with a flush 4 pin, double and another 4 pin to fall behind early. After two spares by White in the sixth and seventh frame, he struck the next three shots to advance to the title match with McLane falling with a 227.
White proceeded to start the final match with a spare before throwing the next seven strikes in a row as Weems struggled to get any strikes in the first five frames, save for the opening frame. Weems ended with the final seven strikes, but it was too little, too late for him as he closed out with 247 to White’s 269.
White stayed composed throughout his matches, only releasing his emotions once he knew he clinched the win.
“It was a sigh of relief,” he said. "I try my best to not show much emotion when I bowl, but that shot I was super tense and had to tell myself it’s just another shot.”
This was only White’s second year competing at Junior Gold and he took full advantage of the opportunity, not only winning the title but also being named to the 2026 edition of Junior Team USA.
“I knew going into the advancer rounds that I had a shot at Junior Team,” he said. "It’s the most amazing feeling ever and it means a lot to be a part of the team.”
Junior Team USA 2026
Six boys and six girls from the U18 division also earned spots on Junior Team USA for 2026 based on their performances this week at the Junior Gold Championships.
Boys
*Kai Strothers, Maplewood, New Jersey
Kaeden White, Lees Summit, Missouri
Riley Speer, Beech Grove, Indiana
Nicolas Trentler, Phoenix, Maryland
U18B Champion – Chance McLane, Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
U18B Runner-Up – Jos Weems, Chicago
Girls
*Abigail Starkey, Schaumburg, Illinois
Ashlin Teves, Machesney Park, Illinois
Katelyn Abigania, San Diego, California
Haley Swindle, Newnan, Georgia
Gianna Brandolino, Joliet, Illinois
U18G Champion/Runner-Up – Tori Franklin, Frisco, Texas
*McLane already earned a spot as the leader of qualifying, his spot went to Strothers as the sixth-place finisher. Weinstok is ineligible for Junior Team USA due to being from Costa Rica, the next available spot went to Starkey as the sixth-place finisher.
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The 2025 Junior Gold Championships in Green Bay, Wisconsin, came to a close on Saturday as the U12, U15 and U18 divisions crowned champions at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley.
More than 3,500 United States Bowling Congress Youth members competed at Junior Gold 2025, which was spread across eight bowling centers in the Green Bay area in hopes of winning a piece of the approximately $500,000 scholarship fund, making a run at a national title and claiming a spot on Junior Team USA.
BowlTV provided livestream coverage of every round of the 2025 event leading up to the stepladder finals in each division. All stepladder finals were taped Saturday and will be aired on CBS Sports Network.
In the end, six talented youth bowlers came out on top: Isabella Jones of Edinburgh, Indiana (U12 Girls); Noah Ausderau of Virginia Beach, Virginia (U12 Boys); Anna Antony of Farmington, Connecticut (U15 Girls); Zachary Mayne of Parma, Ohio (U15 Boys); Elena Weinstok of Costa Rica (U18 Girls); and Kaeden White of Lees Summit, Missouri (U18 Boys).
Junior Gold telecasts will adhere to the schedule that follows: U12 (Tuesday, July 29, at 7 p.m. Eastern); U15 (Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. Eastern) and U18 (Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 5 p.m. Eastern).
U12 GIRLS
It was the perfect end to the comeback story for No. 1 seed Isabella Jones of Edinburgh, Indiana, who captured the U12 Girls title against No. 3 seed Caitlin Stahl of Mankato, Minnesota, 213-196.
“There’s no one word to describe this feeling,” said the left-handed Jones. “It was like an explosion of joy and happiness.”
Jones previously made the U12 Girls stepladder finals in 2023, finishing in third place, and she started the title match with four strikes in a row to take an early lead against Stahl. Stahl was coming off a clean 228-193 win against No. 2 seed Stevie Newton of Hanover, Pennsylvania, to start the stepladder.
Carry became an issue for Stahl after multiple single pins refused to fall but she picked up everything she left to not fall too far behind. Disaster for Jones hit in the seventh frame when she guttered and got eight pins to give life to Stahl.
The Minnesotan bowler took advantage with strikes in frames seven, eight and nine, but a split in the 10th frame dashed the dream for Stahl. Jones recovered from her gutter with three straight marks to clinch the title.
“I just had to regroup and throw good shots,” said Jones, who had minor knee surgery prior to the 2024 Junior Gold event in Detroit. “Winning today means the world knowing that I had a rough patch and came back.”
U12 BOYS
No. 3 seed Noah Ausderau of Virginia Beach, Virginia, took down No. 2 seed Jaxon Wichers of Amarillo, Texas, 192-191, and No. 1 seed Nehemiah Keefer of Bellwood, Illinois, 207-164, to win the U12 Boys title.
Ausderau spent the weeks leading up to Green Bay in the bowling alley for up to five hours a day, working on his game to come into the event confident, leading to his making the show.
“This feels amazing,” said Ausderau. “It shows that I can beat anyone, even those who already beat me once.”
Wichers knocked Ausderau to the Elimination Bracket during match play and the two competitors faced off again to start the stepladder, where Ausderau fell behind with four opens in the first seven frames.
That didn’t deter Ausderau, who struck the next four shots and got nine pins in the fill ball to end with 192, while Wichers needed just a mark to advance. A missed 10 pin in the final frame ended Wichers run earlier than he would’ve liked, losing by one pin.
In the title match, it was close up until the final few frames where Ausderau struck in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames to clinch the title after Keefer opened in the eighth and ninth for a 164. A split in the final frame for Ausderau didn’t matter much, closing with 207.
Ausderau had plenty of support in the crowd as they cheered his name throughout the stepladder.
“It felt amazing to have that support and have people actually care that I was bowling,” said Ausderau.
U15 GIRLS
Anna Antony of Farmington, Connecticut, took home the U15 Girls title in dominant fashion after defeating Ana Mazza of Utica, Michigan, 222-145, putting an exclamation point during a week where she held the lead almost from the start of the event.
You’d never know she won based on her almost stoic approach to the game.
“Whenever I bowl big events like this, I try to numb everything out, be calm,” said Antony. “I’m really happy (to win).”
In the title match, two opens by Mazza in the first four frames allowed Antony to build an early lead before running away with the match after four strikes during the back half of the game.
Since 2021, Antony has finished no lower than seventh at the Junior Gold Championships, showcasing remarkable consistency during her young career.
“I think it’s the training I’ve done,” said Antony. “I’ve had a couple of changes done to my game and my spare game overall. A lot of that helps with the consistency.”
Antony also wore a pair of bowling shoes that had many signatures on them, ranging from Professional Women’s Bowling Association players to international stars on the Professional Bowlers Association. She knows she couldn’t make it this far without her support system here and back home.
“I can’t be thankful enough to my coaches, my family, my parents especially, my siblings, I have so many supporters and I’m thankful for that.”
The stepladder began with Mazza and No. 3 seed Candence Van Tine of Spokane, Washington, in a back-and-forth match that saw Mazza advance with a 202 to Van Tine’s 188.
U15 BOYS
Zachary Mayne of Parma, Ohio, had his sights set on what he wanted earlier in the week and accomplished exactly that, winning the U15 Boys title against Francis Johnson of Orlando, Florida, 212-196.
“This feels amazing right now,” said Mayne, who started the week off with a 300 game during the first round of qualifying. “I just had to keep working and now I’m here.”
Mayne, a two-handed left-hander, qualified as the top seed after going undefeated in match play, beating Johnson for No. 1 seed and faced him again for the title after Johnson defeated Isaiah Durflinger of Beavercreek, Ohio, in the opening match, 213-178. Durflinger was seeking his second Junior Gold title after winning the U12 Boys division in 2022.
The title match didn’t start well for Mayne, beginning with two opens in the first three frames (a 7-9 split and 2-4-7 miss) and fell behind early. That didn’t deter the energized Ohioan as he made a small adjustment to fire off six strikes over his next eight shots while Johnson stayed in the pocket, but was unable to carry the 4 pin and 9 pin when he needed it most.
“I moved a little right after the 7-9 and hit on the ball more, but then I left that 2-4-7 and moved back left, still hitting on the ball,” Mayne said. “I guess that worked and now we’re here.”
Once Mayne gets home to Parma, the celebration will continue when the U15 stepladder airs with a watch party with friends and family to see the win on CBS Sports Network. After his win, he had more immediate plans in Green Bay.
“I’m going to head back to my hotel and take a nap,” he said while laughing, but Mayne earned that rest as a U15 champion.
Junior Team USA Developmental Team
The U15 division also served as a qualifier for automatic spots on the 2026 Junior Team USA Developmental Team. In the boys and girls divisions, the top two qualifiers after 26 games of qualifying, the event champion and the event runner-up earned places on the team.
Based on those criteria, the automatic qualifiers for the 2026 Junior Team USA Developmental Team are as follows:
Girls
*Kylie Oppedisano, Trumbell, Connecticut
*Autumn Strode, Munster, Indiana
U15G Champion - Anna Antony, Farmington, Connecticut
U15G Runner-Up - Ava Mazza, Utica, Michigan
Boys
Lucas Drisdel, Chicago, Illinois
Dalton Wheeler, Harrisburg, Illinois
U15B Champion - Zachary Maine, Parma, Ohio
U15B Runner-Up - Francis Johnson, Orlando, Florida
*Since event champion Antony and runner-up Mazza were first and second after qualifying, the next available spots went to Oppedisano and Strode as the third-place and fourth-place finishers after qualifying.
U18 GIRLS
No. 3 seed Elena Weinstok of Costa Rica added her name to the history books by becoming the first international female to win at Junior Gold, defeating No. 2 seed Amber Benson of Dunkirk, North Dakota, 183-159, and No. 1 seed Tori Franklin of Frisco, Texas, 225-192.
“I can’t really describe my emotions right now, but it feels amazing to represent my country really well here,” said Weinstok.
The right-handed Costa Rican made her country proud with the win, adding to her trophy case that includes multiple gold medals from the Pan American Games and International Bowling Federation Youth World Cup.
Her journey began against Benson with an open, but Weinstok quickly recovered from it and struck three times over the next four frames to keep the match close. Two opens in the fifth and sixth by Benson put Weinstok in the driver’s seat the rest of the way, closing with 183 to Benson’s 159.
In the title match, Weinstok started with a spare and three straight strikes as Franklin left and converted three consecutive 10 pins, struggling to take the corner pin out before opening in the fifth frame. Weinstok stayed clean amid her own carry troubles before striking out in the 10th frame for 225 to Franklin’s 192, earning the U18 Girls win.
After the win, Weinstok had nothing but praise about Junior Gold in her fourth year bowling the event.
“Hopefully my win will invite more people to come to the states to bowl,” said Weinstok. “This tournament in particular has made me improve so much and I still can’t believe that I won it, it feels like the job’s not finished yet but it is.
“Having so many different oil patterns made me not only learn about lane play, but improving myself and learn new skills that I don’t get to back home.”
Weinstok will take these new skills back to Costa Rica in hopes of bringing more young bowlers to the Junior Gold Championship and keep the sport growing in the youth ranks.
U18 BOYS
Arguably, the best was saved for last in the all two-handed U18 Boys stepladder as No. 3 seed Kaeden White of Lees Summit, Missouri, shot games of 256 and 269 on his way to a U18 title, defeating No. 2 seed Chance McLane of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, and Jos Weems of Chicago.
“I’m just speechless,” said White.
White took the longest road possible after losing his opening match in match play, winning five straight matches in the Elimination Bracket just to earn the No. 3 seed and face McLane first in the stepladder.
“(After the opening round loss) I had nothing to lose, it was win or go home,” said White. “I told myself to get on the approach, take a deep breath and execute.”
The Missouri bowler began with the first five strikes and the lead after McLane started with a flush 4 pin, double and another 4 pin to fall behind early. After two spares by White in the sixth and seventh frame, he struck the next three shots to advance to the title match with McLane falling with a 227.
White proceeded to start the final match with a spare before throwing the next seven strikes in a row as Weems struggled to get any strikes in the first five frames, save for the opening frame. Weems ended with the final seven strikes, but it was too little, too late for him as he closed out with 247 to White’s 269.
White stayed composed throughout his matches, only releasing his emotions once he knew he clinched the win.
“It was a sigh of relief,” he said. "I try my best to not show much emotion when I bowl, but that shot I was super tense and had to tell myself it’s just another shot.”
This was only White’s second year competing at Junior Gold and he took full advantage of the opportunity, not only winning the title but also being named to the 2026 edition of Junior Team USA.
“I knew going into the advancer rounds that I had a shot at Junior Team,” he said. "It’s the most amazing feeling ever and it means a lot to be a part of the team.”
Junior Team USA 2026
Six boys and six girls from the U18 division also earned spots on Junior Team USA for 2026 based on their performances this week at the Junior Gold Championships.
Boys
*Kai Strothers, Maplewood, New Jersey
Kaeden White, Lees Summit, Missouri
Riley Speer, Beech Grove, Indiana
Nicolas Trentler, Phoenix, Maryland
U18B Champion – Chance McLane, Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
U18B Runner-Up – Jos Weems, Chicago
Girls
*Abigail Starkey, Schaumburg, Illinois
Ashlin Teves, Machesney Park, Illinois
Katelyn Abigania, San Diego, California
Haley Swindle, Newnan, Georgia
Gianna Brandolino, Joliet, Illinois
U18G Champion/Runner-Up – Tori Franklin, Frisco, Texas
*McLane already earned a spot as the leader of qualifying, his spot went to Strothers as the sixth-place finisher. Weinstok is ineligible for Junior Team USA due to being from Costa Rica, the next available spot went to Starkey as the sixth-place finisher.