Hamilton leads after two rounds at 2014 USBC Queens

Standings: Queens | Senior Queens

RENO, Nev. -
Team USA member Brittni Hamilton of Wood Ridge, N.J., leads the field at the 2014 United States Bowling Congress Queens presented by Storm after two rounds of qualifying at the National Bowling Stadium.

HamiltonBrittni2014_465x262The 24-year-old right-hander rolled games of 209, 212, 257, 246 and 222 on Sunday for a 1,146 second-round effort and a 10-game total of 2,326, a 232.6 average. Opening-round leader Ashly Galante of Palm Harbor, Fla., sits in second with 2,227, and two-time National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association Most Valuable Player Tannya Roumimper of Indonesia is third with 2,244.

"I just felt really comfortable the past two days," said Hamilton, who won the 2014 USBC Team USA Trials. "I've been able to find a look pretty quickly both days. For tomorrow, I'm just going to try and keep a loose swing and get as many pins as I can."

Qualifying will continue with five more games Monday. After the 15 games, the top 31 competitors from the 178-player field will join defending champion Diana Zavjalova of Latvia for double-elimination match play, which will begin Tuesday at 1 p.m. EDT.

Zavjalova finished the second day in eighth place with a 2,208 total. Should she not qualify for match play, she automatically will earn the 32nd seed.

Match play will continue Wednesday, and the final five players will advance to the stepladder finals, which will be televised live on ESPN2 on July 3 at 7 p.m. EDT. The winner will take home the coveted tiara and $20,000 of the more than $91,000 prize fund, which includes a $20,000 contribution by presenting sponsor Storm.

All of the qualifying rounds and match play competition at the 2014 Queens are being broadcast live on BowlTV. The Queens is open to any female USBC member.

TISH JOHNSON SECURES TOP SPOT AT 2014 USBC SENIOR QUEENS

JohnsonTish_465x262USBC Hall of Famer Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colo., came to the 2014 USBC Senior Queens presented by Storm feeling a lot sharper on the lanes than she has in a long time, and it showed as she paced the field at the National Bowling Stadium on Sunday.

The 52-year-old left-hander started the second day of qualifying in second place but found her way to the top of the standings with a 10-game total of 2,232, a 223.2 average.

Johnson is followed by a pair of fellow hall of famers, Dana Miller-Mackie of Albuquerque, N.M. (2,176) and defending Senior Queens champion Lucy Sandelin of Tampa, Fla. (2,160).

"In the last month, I've bowled more than I have in a long time, and that really seems to be helping," said Johnson, who was the runner-up to Sandelin at last year's Senior Queens. "I definitely feel a lot sharper. But one thing I'm really trying to do is keep within my own game and get a feel for different things, especially as the lanes transition. I've been able to get comfortable and try a few things, which is good, but anything can happen when you get to the three-game matches."

Johnson is coming off a busy month that included stops at the Suncoast Professional Bowlers Association Senior U.S. Open presented by Dexter and the 2014 USBC Senior Masters. She made the first cut at both events. She also finished second at the 2014 National Golden Ladies Classic in March.

All 56 Senior Queens participants will finish their 15 games of qualifying Monday, and the field then will be cut to the top 15, plus Sandelin, for the double-elimination match-play bracket starting Tuesday at 1 p.m. EDT. Should Sandelin not qualify, she automatically will earn the 16th seed.

BowlTV is providing live streaming coverage of the four-player stepladder finals Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern.

The player who survives the bracket to win the event will take home $3,500 of the $21,000 prize fund, which includes a $5,000 contribution by presenting sponsor Storm.

The Senior Queens, open to all female USBC members age 50 and older, marks the second stop of the Senior Women's Triple Crown Series presented by The Orleans. The Triple Crown Series is a special competition for bowlers who compete in the Senior Queens, National Golden Ladies Classic and Bowling's U.S. Senior Women's Open.

The top 10 players in the Triple Crown standings, which combines qualifying totals from all three events, will take part in the Triple Crown Shoot-Out presented by The Orleans.

The Triple Crown Shoot-Out will be held after the U.S. Senior Women's Open qualifying rounds July 24 at The Cherry Bowl in Rockford, Ill.