Kanemoto, Doty take home U20 titles at Junior Gold
August 18, 2015
ADDISON, Illinois - Sierra Kanemoto of Dayton, Ohio, and Zachary Doty of Nassau, New York, recorded victories in the 20-and-under division at the 2015 Junior Gold Championships presented by Storm, Roto Grip and Master at Stardust Bowl.
In the U20 finals, aired nationally on CBS Sports Network, Kanemoto bested defending girls champion Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina, 401-385, while Doty defeated Brandon Biondo of Carpentersville, Illinois, 416-388, to secure the boys title.
The girls U20 final featured a back-and-forth contest between Kanemoto and Clemmer as both rebounded from slow starts in the two-game match. Kanemoto, who bowls collegiately for Wichita State, finished with a 232 game to earn the title and denied Clemmer the chance to become the first Junior Gold champion to repeat since Team USA's Stefanie Johnson captured three consecutive wins at the event (2003-2005).
"My collegiate teammates were making funny faces and really helped me calm down," said Kanemoto, a 19-year-old right-hander. "This week was unbelievable. No words can describe it. It hasn't even hit me yet."
Doty took the early lead in the boys U20 championship match against Biondo and held off a late rally down the stretch to capture the title in his final Junior Gold appearance.
"I was just trying to fill frames and trying to make every shot close to give it a chance to strike or leave something makeable," said Doty, a 20-year-old right-hander who competes collegiately at Morehead State. "This is crazy. It doesn't seem real. I came into this year just hoping to make the second cut, maybe match play. It's unbelievable."
Six boys and six girls also earned spots on Junior Team USA through their performances at the 2015 Junior Gold Championships.
Michael Tang of San Francisco, Kamron Doyle of Brentwood, Tennessee, Cortez Schenck of Phoenix and Thomas Peters of Belleville, Illinois, made the boys team after posting the top-age eligible scores through 24 games of qualifying. Qualifying leader Dallas Leong of Las Vegas was ineligible for a spot due to age requirements.
Biondo also made Junior Team USA for making the championship match, and the final spot went to Chad Mee of Hamburg, New York, who was the next highest age-eligible qualifier. Doty was ineligible for a spot due to age requirements.
For the girls, Clemmer, Hollyann Johansen of Wichita, Kansas, Sydney Brummett of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Julia Bond of Aurora, Illinois, and Jordan Richard of Tecumseh, Michigan, each earned spots through qualifying.
Kanemoto also earned the chance to represent Junior Team USA by making it to the girls U20 title match.
The 2015 Junior Gold Championships saw a record field of 3,191 bowlers travel to DuPage County, Illinois, to compete for part of the $275,000 in total scholarships.
All competitors participated in three rounds of qualifying before the field eventually was narrowed to the top 16 players in the U15 and U20 divisions and top eight in U12 for the double-elimination match-play bracket. Each round featured two-game matches with total pinfall determining the winner.
For more information on the Junior Gold Championships, visit BOWL.com/JuniorGold.
In the U20 finals, aired nationally on CBS Sports Network, Kanemoto bested defending girls champion Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina, 401-385, while Doty defeated Brandon Biondo of Carpentersville, Illinois, 416-388, to secure the boys title.
The girls U20 final featured a back-and-forth contest between Kanemoto and Clemmer as both rebounded from slow starts in the two-game match. Kanemoto, who bowls collegiately for Wichita State, finished with a 232 game to earn the title and denied Clemmer the chance to become the first Junior Gold champion to repeat since Team USA's Stefanie Johnson captured three consecutive wins at the event (2003-2005).
"My collegiate teammates were making funny faces and really helped me calm down," said Kanemoto, a 19-year-old right-hander. "This week was unbelievable. No words can describe it. It hasn't even hit me yet."
Doty took the early lead in the boys U20 championship match against Biondo and held off a late rally down the stretch to capture the title in his final Junior Gold appearance.
"I was just trying to fill frames and trying to make every shot close to give it a chance to strike or leave something makeable," said Doty, a 20-year-old right-hander who competes collegiately at Morehead State. "This is crazy. It doesn't seem real. I came into this year just hoping to make the second cut, maybe match play. It's unbelievable."
Six boys and six girls also earned spots on Junior Team USA through their performances at the 2015 Junior Gold Championships.
Michael Tang of San Francisco, Kamron Doyle of Brentwood, Tennessee, Cortez Schenck of Phoenix and Thomas Peters of Belleville, Illinois, made the boys team after posting the top-age eligible scores through 24 games of qualifying. Qualifying leader Dallas Leong of Las Vegas was ineligible for a spot due to age requirements.
Biondo also made Junior Team USA for making the championship match, and the final spot went to Chad Mee of Hamburg, New York, who was the next highest age-eligible qualifier. Doty was ineligible for a spot due to age requirements.
For the girls, Clemmer, Hollyann Johansen of Wichita, Kansas, Sydney Brummett of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Julia Bond of Aurora, Illinois, and Jordan Richard of Tecumseh, Michigan, each earned spots through qualifying.
Kanemoto also earned the chance to represent Junior Team USA by making it to the girls U20 title match.
The 2015 Junior Gold Championships saw a record field of 3,191 bowlers travel to DuPage County, Illinois, to compete for part of the $275,000 in total scholarships.
All competitors participated in three rounds of qualifying before the field eventually was narrowed to the top 16 players in the U15 and U20 divisions and top eight in U12 for the double-elimination match-play bracket. Each round featured two-game matches with total pinfall determining the winner.
For more information on the Junior Gold Championships, visit BOWL.com/JuniorGold.