Young team makes run at lead at 2014 USBC Open
May 10, 2014
RENO, Nev. - Brandon Hott of North Redington Beach, Fla., and his teammates knew they would need to shoot a record score to take the lead at the 2014 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and they did not shy away from the challenge.
Their years of bowling together as members of the successful Webber International University bowling program left them polished, confident and experienced beyond their years, and their poise showed as they made a run at history Saturday night at the National Bowling Stadium.
Hott helped Warriors of Lake Wales, Fla., to games of 1,170 and 1,221 before a crowd started to gather to see if the young team could catch Motion Plus Lanes of Cudahy, Wis., which leads Regular Team this year with a record score of 3,561.
With one frame to go, Warriors still had a shot at the top spot but came up short, finishing with 1,122 and a 3,513 total, which is tied for the seventh-highest team total in 111 years of USBC Open Championships history and fourth in this year's standings.
Anthony Colosimo, the veteran of the group with five years of Open Championships experience and the only member of the two teams who has not bowled for Webber, set the pace with a 764 series. He was followed by Colin Champion (754), Justin Dunn (718), Hott (639) and Cory Misura (638).
Dunn and companion team member Cruise Webster both started the final game with nine consecutive strikes, adding to the excitement and potentially dramatic finish.
Dunn's run ended with a 2-4-10 split on his first shot in the 10th frame, which he converted, while Webster struck two more times before a 4-6 split on his final offering left him with 298.
Webster finished with a 689 series to help Warriors Too to a 3,369 total. He was joined by Matthew Brannan (721), Javier Diaz (694), 2011 USBC Junior Gold Championships winner Gary Faulkner (664) and Kyle Calcote (601).
"One of our strengths is being able to keep our focus on the lanes, which really takes away everything else going on around us," said Hott, who made his second Open Championships appearance. "Our experience in college bowling, and some time in the spotlight, helped prepare us for tonight. We just tried to keep things as simple as possible and focus on each shot."
Champion, Hott, Diaz, Webster and Faulkner all were members of the Webber team that won the 2012 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Invitational and returned to the winner's circles three weeks later as they claimed the men's title at the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships. Their dual success came in the program's fourth year.
With a one-of-a-kind practice facility in the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales and top-notch coaching from USBC Gold coaches Del Warren and Randy Stoughton, the Webber players have found continued success, but they remain humble and determined.
"Going through the experience of college bowling was life-changing for us, and being able to bowl at Kegel on any pattern at any time with the best coaches around there to help us, has been amazing," Hott said. "We came out here knowing this could be the right team, and we've definitely talked about how great it would be to be such young team and win an eagle. Getting close to having that chance gave us a little taste of what it's like, and we're looking forward to coming back again."
For now, the two teams must maintain the focus that helped them succeed at the NBS on Saturday and continue their momentum in doubles and singles. The 10 bowlers will be split over two squads Sunday, but they're all already looking toward the task at hand.
"It was a fun night, but we're already looking forward to tomorrow," Hott said. "We've got a lot of games left, and there's still a shot for an eagle."
The Warriors aren't the only collegiate bowlers who have accepted the challenge of the Open Championships this year.
Last month, while in town for the 2014 XBowling Intercollegiate Singles and Team Championships, which were held at the nearby Reno-Sparks Convention Center, home of the 2014 USBC Women's Championships, Urbana University's Graham Fach celebrated his Open Championships debut with a 300 game en route to an 836 series, the first 800 of the 2014 event.
Fach's effort helped Donovan's Bunch of Painted Post, N.Y., to second place in Regular Team with a 3,551 total. He was joined by Urbana teammate James Tucker, Notre Dame-Ohio's Via and Kevin Donovan and Donovan's father, Mike, a 17-time tournament participant.
The bowlers from Midland University made a run at the top of the leaderboard and now are fourth in Team All-Events with a 10,140 total and 10th in Regular Team with 3,403. Janz's H.I. of Beaver Dam, Wis., leads Team All-Events with 10,363.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
Presenting sponsors for the 2014 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.
Their years of bowling together as members of the successful Webber International University bowling program left them polished, confident and experienced beyond their years, and their poise showed as they made a run at history Saturday night at the National Bowling Stadium.
Hott helped Warriors of Lake Wales, Fla., to games of 1,170 and 1,221 before a crowd started to gather to see if the young team could catch Motion Plus Lanes of Cudahy, Wis., which leads Regular Team this year with a record score of 3,561.
With one frame to go, Warriors still had a shot at the top spot but came up short, finishing with 1,122 and a 3,513 total, which is tied for the seventh-highest team total in 111 years of USBC Open Championships history and fourth in this year's standings.
Anthony Colosimo, the veteran of the group with five years of Open Championships experience and the only member of the two teams who has not bowled for Webber, set the pace with a 764 series. He was followed by Colin Champion (754), Justin Dunn (718), Hott (639) and Cory Misura (638).
Dunn and companion team member Cruise Webster both started the final game with nine consecutive strikes, adding to the excitement and potentially dramatic finish.
Dunn's run ended with a 2-4-10 split on his first shot in the 10th frame, which he converted, while Webster struck two more times before a 4-6 split on his final offering left him with 298.
Webster finished with a 689 series to help Warriors Too to a 3,369 total. He was joined by Matthew Brannan (721), Javier Diaz (694), 2011 USBC Junior Gold Championships winner Gary Faulkner (664) and Kyle Calcote (601)."One of our strengths is being able to keep our focus on the lanes, which really takes away everything else going on around us," said Hott, who made his second Open Championships appearance. "Our experience in college bowling, and some time in the spotlight, helped prepare us for tonight. We just tried to keep things as simple as possible and focus on each shot."
Champion, Hott, Diaz, Webster and Faulkner all were members of the Webber team that won the 2012 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Invitational and returned to the winner's circles three weeks later as they claimed the men's title at the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships. Their dual success came in the program's fourth year.
With a one-of-a-kind practice facility in the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales and top-notch coaching from USBC Gold coaches Del Warren and Randy Stoughton, the Webber players have found continued success, but they remain humble and determined.
"Going through the experience of college bowling was life-changing for us, and being able to bowl at Kegel on any pattern at any time with the best coaches around there to help us, has been amazing," Hott said. "We came out here knowing this could be the right team, and we've definitely talked about how great it would be to be such young team and win an eagle. Getting close to having that chance gave us a little taste of what it's like, and we're looking forward to coming back again."
For now, the two teams must maintain the focus that helped them succeed at the NBS on Saturday and continue their momentum in doubles and singles. The 10 bowlers will be split over two squads Sunday, but they're all already looking toward the task at hand.
"It was a fun night, but we're already looking forward to tomorrow," Hott said. "We've got a lot of games left, and there's still a shot for an eagle."
The Warriors aren't the only collegiate bowlers who have accepted the challenge of the Open Championships this year.
Last month, while in town for the 2014 XBowling Intercollegiate Singles and Team Championships, which were held at the nearby Reno-Sparks Convention Center, home of the 2014 USBC Women's Championships, Urbana University's Graham Fach celebrated his Open Championships debut with a 300 game en route to an 836 series, the first 800 of the 2014 event.
Fach's effort helped Donovan's Bunch of Painted Post, N.Y., to second place in Regular Team with a 3,551 total. He was joined by Urbana teammate James Tucker, Notre Dame-Ohio's Via and Kevin Donovan and Donovan's father, Mike, a 17-time tournament participant.
The bowlers from Midland University made a run at the top of the leaderboard and now are fourth in Team All-Events with a 10,140 total and 10th in Regular Team with 3,403. Janz's H.I. of Beaver Dam, Wis., leads Team All-Events with 10,363.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
Presenting sponsors for the 2014 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.