Powers leads after Day 1 at the 2024 USBC Senior Queens
April 14, 2024
STANDINGS
LAS VEGAS – Sharon Powers of Lakewood, Colorado, averaged over 221 through 10 games of qualifying Saturday at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Senior Queens at Gold Coast Bowling Center and holds a 38-pin lead over second place in the 93-player field.
Kristin McEntee of Homewood, Illinois, is second with a 10-game total of 2,173, Linda Walbaum of Brighton, Colorado, is third at 2,121, Shelley Zarick of Sun City West, Arizona, is fourth at 2,107 and Cindy Mattingly of Puyallup, Washington, rounds out the top five with 2,101.
Defending champion Dana Ausec of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is guaranteed a spot in the double-elimination match-play bracket as the No. 32 seed if she is outside the cut number, and is currently sitting in 10th place with a 2,076 total. Paula Vidad of Sun City, California, is currently the final bowler in match play with a total of 1,959.
For Powers, being at the top of the standings is not unfamiliar to her, as she also was the leader after one day and into match play during the 2022 edition of the Senior Queens, an event where she finished seventh after battling her way through the Elimination Bracket after being upset in the first round.
Powers had a slow start on the fresh, averaging an even 200 through four games, but a big 288 game at the end of Round 1 of qualifying propelled her up the standings, and she started Round 2 of qualifying with a 277 to solidify herself at the top of the leaderboard through 10 games.
“I started on the burn with a ball change and just kept making the right moves, everything kind of fell into place,” said Powers.
She also credits an increased confidence level since 2022 as she continues to represent the United States in international competition, winning two gold medals for Senior Team USA in 2023 at the International Bowling Federation World Senior Championships.
Powers also has two USBC Women’s Championships Eagles, winning in 2019 and 2021, but to win the Senior Queens would be at the top of her achievement list.
“Winning this event would be the crowning achievement for me,” Powers said. “That would absolutely top everything.”
She knows that there’s still a lot more bowling to do before then, however.
“For the fresh tomorrow, I’m going to take what I learned today and just stay relaxed. I know more what to expect and to make quick adjustments.”
All bowlers will return tomorrow at noon Eastern for the final round of qualifying, with match play for the top 32 players set to begin at 5 p.m. Eastern.
For more information on the USBC Senior Queens, visit BOWL.com/SeniorQueens.
LAS VEGAS – Sharon Powers of Lakewood, Colorado, averaged over 221 through 10 games of qualifying Saturday at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Senior Queens at Gold Coast Bowling Center and holds a 38-pin lead over second place in the 93-player field.
Kristin McEntee of Homewood, Illinois, is second with a 10-game total of 2,173, Linda Walbaum of Brighton, Colorado, is third at 2,121, Shelley Zarick of Sun City West, Arizona, is fourth at 2,107 and Cindy Mattingly of Puyallup, Washington, rounds out the top five with 2,101.
Defending champion Dana Ausec of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is guaranteed a spot in the double-elimination match-play bracket as the No. 32 seed if she is outside the cut number, and is currently sitting in 10th place with a 2,076 total. Paula Vidad of Sun City, California, is currently the final bowler in match play with a total of 1,959.
For Powers, being at the top of the standings is not unfamiliar to her, as she also was the leader after one day and into match play during the 2022 edition of the Senior Queens, an event where she finished seventh after battling her way through the Elimination Bracket after being upset in the first round.
Powers had a slow start on the fresh, averaging an even 200 through four games, but a big 288 game at the end of Round 1 of qualifying propelled her up the standings, and she started Round 2 of qualifying with a 277 to solidify herself at the top of the leaderboard through 10 games.
“I started on the burn with a ball change and just kept making the right moves, everything kind of fell into place,” said Powers.
She also credits an increased confidence level since 2022 as she continues to represent the United States in international competition, winning two gold medals for Senior Team USA in 2023 at the International Bowling Federation World Senior Championships.
Powers also has two USBC Women’s Championships Eagles, winning in 2019 and 2021, but to win the Senior Queens would be at the top of her achievement list.
“Winning this event would be the crowning achievement for me,” Powers said. “That would absolutely top everything.”
She knows that there’s still a lot more bowling to do before then, however.
“For the fresh tomorrow, I’m going to take what I learned today and just stay relaxed. I know more what to expect and to make quick adjustments.”
All bowlers will return tomorrow at noon Eastern for the final round of qualifying, with match play for the top 32 players set to begin at 5 p.m. Eastern.
For more information on the USBC Senior Queens, visit BOWL.com/SeniorQueens.