ARLINGTON, Texas - Team USA's Shannon Pluhowsky of Kettering, Ohio, capped off a record-setting year by capturing her third World Bowling Writers Female Bowler of the Year honor and a spot in the World Bowling Writers Hall of Fame.

She joins Australia's Cara Honeychurch (1998) and Colombian standout Clara Guerrero (2009) as the only bowlers in the organization's history to receive both awards in the same year. 

Pluhowsky made history at the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Women's Championships in September when she became the first bowler to claim four gold medals in one tournament.

The 29-year-old left-hander won doubles and trios gold at the World Women's Championships before helping Team USA to its first team gold medal in 24 years. She added a bronze medal in all-events and then wowed bowling fans in Hong Kong by rolling games of 300 and 299 on the way to the Masters title.

"We practiced a lot and definitely felt ready, but everything had to fall into place," said Pluhowsky, a 12-time Team USA member (including 2012) who has won eight medals in World Women's Championships competition. "The more you bowl, the better you feel and perform. I did a lot of bowling, and it paid off. You always work hard and hope for the best, and I ended up having the best year of my career."

Pluhowsky found success on three continents in 2011 and bookended the year with victories on opposite sides of the globe. She started things off with her fourth career win at the USBC Team USA Trials and closed out the year by winning the women's side of the AMF Australian Masters in October.

In all, Pluhowsky has won more than 20 medals in international competition. Her list of accomplishments also includes three Professional Bowlers Association Women's Series victories, three consecutive USBC Junior Gold Championships wins, QubicaAMF World Cup titles in 2002 and 2004, two NCAA team national championships and a USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships win with Nebraska and a USBC Queens title as an amateur in 2006.

Years of success at all levels of the game have earned Pluhowsky countless awards and honors, and her election to the World Bowling Writers Hall of Fame is an honor she shares with just four other Americans - Les Zikes (1999), Diandra Asbaty (2005), Lynda Barnes (2006) and Bill Hoffman (2008).

"This is something I've always dreamed of, but it's still pretty shocking," Pluhowsky said. "To achieve something like this before you're 30 and long before your career is done, is crazy. It really hasn't sunk in yet."

The 2011 World Bowling Writers Male Bowler of the Year is PBA star Mika Koivuniemi of Finland, and Sweden's Raymond Jansson will join Pluhowsky in the WBW Hall of Fame.