Southeast Region's X-Men win 2023 USA Bowling National Championships title on CBS Sports Network
July 19, 2023
INDIANAPOLIS – The team representing the Southeast region won the title in the 12-and-under division at the 2023 USA Bowling National Championships. The finals aired on CBS Sports Network Tuesday night.
The Southeast region’s X-Men defeated the Lower Great Lakes region’s EYT Phenoms 2.0, in a 3-0 sweep.
The championship round featured a four-person Baker format with the lead-off bowler bowling the first, fifth and ninth frames, the second bowler bowling the second, sixth and 10th frames, the third bowler bowling frames three and seven, and the fourth bowler bowling frames four and eight.
Bowling for the X-Men in the U12 finals were Ean Laws, Ryan Campbell, Nolyn Conway, Jax Neal and Vincent Cintron. Head coach Geran Conway and assistant coach Patrick Campbell guided the team.
The X-Men captured a low-scoring Game 1, 181-137, and even though the outcome of the match was not in doubt at the end, the 10th frame still provided a memorable highlight. X-Men head coach Conway subbed in Cintron for the 10th frame, and he calmly struck on all three shots (the only three-bagger by either team in Game 1) with his unique back-up ball delivery, making Cintron an instant crowd favorite.
Perhaps Cintron’s performance loosened both teams up, as the scoring pace improved in Game 2. The Phenoms put together five consecutive strikes in frames four through eight, but the X-Men countered with a six-bagger late in the match to secure a 255-225 win, putting them one game from the title.
Game 3 was the closest of the match. The Phenoms bowled a clean game, with the exception of an open frame in the third, and finished with the last four strikes. But the X-Men were up to the challenge, striking on seven of eight shots in frames two through nine for a 209-203 win to earn the championship.
For the X-Men, the win meant something special as they were bowling for their friend Mallory Newton who is battling Stage 4 cancer. The victory for the X-Men came on her 15th birthday.
“Mallory lives in Anderson (North Carolina) and bowls in the upstate with us,” said coach Conway. “She bowls various tournaments, including the Beast of the East Tour, and she bowls in a lot of local tournaments, as well as the all-stars of South Carolina. Our team knows her well and we wanted to win this for her, not just for our team.”
Although the competition was tough, the X-Men were still able to enjoy the experience.
“The best part about the whole thing was just competing with all our friends, getting to know the players on the other teams and just having fun,” Neal said. “Plus, being able to win for Mallory makes it even better.”
The USA Bowling National Championships featured 11 regions in U12 and 16 in U15. Each team that competed in Indianapolis earned their spot by winning their region.
Qualifying and match play rounds leading up to the CBS Sports Network finals were streamed live on BowlTV.com.
The finals of the U15 division will be televised on CBS Sports Network Tuesday, July 25, at 7 p.m. Eastern.
The Southeast region’s X-Men defeated the Lower Great Lakes region’s EYT Phenoms 2.0, in a 3-0 sweep.
The championship round featured a four-person Baker format with the lead-off bowler bowling the first, fifth and ninth frames, the second bowler bowling the second, sixth and 10th frames, the third bowler bowling frames three and seven, and the fourth bowler bowling frames four and eight.
Bowling for the X-Men in the U12 finals were Ean Laws, Ryan Campbell, Nolyn Conway, Jax Neal and Vincent Cintron. Head coach Geran Conway and assistant coach Patrick Campbell guided the team.
The X-Men captured a low-scoring Game 1, 181-137, and even though the outcome of the match was not in doubt at the end, the 10th frame still provided a memorable highlight. X-Men head coach Conway subbed in Cintron for the 10th frame, and he calmly struck on all three shots (the only three-bagger by either team in Game 1) with his unique back-up ball delivery, making Cintron an instant crowd favorite.
Perhaps Cintron’s performance loosened both teams up, as the scoring pace improved in Game 2. The Phenoms put together five consecutive strikes in frames four through eight, but the X-Men countered with a six-bagger late in the match to secure a 255-225 win, putting them one game from the title.
Game 3 was the closest of the match. The Phenoms bowled a clean game, with the exception of an open frame in the third, and finished with the last four strikes. But the X-Men were up to the challenge, striking on seven of eight shots in frames two through nine for a 209-203 win to earn the championship.
For the X-Men, the win meant something special as they were bowling for their friend Mallory Newton who is battling Stage 4 cancer. The victory for the X-Men came on her 15th birthday.
“Mallory lives in Anderson (North Carolina) and bowls in the upstate with us,” said coach Conway. “She bowls various tournaments, including the Beast of the East Tour, and she bowls in a lot of local tournaments, as well as the all-stars of South Carolina. Our team knows her well and we wanted to win this for her, not just for our team.”
Although the competition was tough, the X-Men were still able to enjoy the experience.
“The best part about the whole thing was just competing with all our friends, getting to know the players on the other teams and just having fun,” Neal said. “Plus, being able to win for Mallory makes it even better.”
The USA Bowling National Championships featured 11 regions in U12 and 16 in U15. Each team that competed in Indianapolis earned their spot by winning their region.
Qualifying and match play rounds leading up to the CBS Sports Network finals were streamed live on BowlTV.com.
The finals of the U15 division will be televised on CBS Sports Network Tuesday, July 25, at 7 p.m. Eastern.