2025 Team USA Trials set to begin in Reno, spots on Team USA up for grabs
January 01, 2025
RENO, Nev. – Each year, hundreds of bowlers converge in one place looking for a spot to represent the United States in international competition.
Starting Thursday, a scheduled field of 184 men and 100 women will compete to earn the honor of representing their country when the 2025 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials and United States National Amateur Bowling Championships begins at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada.
Darren Tang of Las Vegas will be defending his Team USA Trials crown when competition begins, while Julian Salinas of Richmond, Texas, and Crystal Elliott of Palm Bay, Florida, return as U.S. Amateur champions from last year. Now a member of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association, Elliott will be competing as a professional, meaning a new champion will emerge on the women’s side in the U.S. Amateur.
Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio – last year’s Team USA Trials champion on the women’s side – will not be attending Team USA Trials this year since she was selected to compete at the International Bowling Federation World Cup in Hong Kong, which gets underway Jan. 5.
Joining Pluhowsky in Hong Kong will be Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona; Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio; and Lauren Russo of Ballwin, Missouri, on the women’s side and Packy Hanrahan of Wichita, Kansas; Kristopher Prather of Romeoville, Illinois; Matthew Russo of Ballwin, Missouri, and Christopher Via of Blacklick, Ohio, for the men.
Although Tang has won the men’s Team USA Trials title twice in the last three years, that doesn’t change how he’s preparing for Reno, where he was part of the squad that helped Team USA win the team gold during the 2024 PANAM Bowling Adult, Senior and Super Senior Championships at the National Bowling Stadium.
“I always try to approach tournaments with the same mindset,” said Tang. “With success, there comes a certain addition of confidence, which definitely helps settle the nerves. I think the combination of being on the team for a handful of years and winning a couple of times has provided a good road map to making Team USA. That is my goal every year, winning has been a bonus.”
As for Elliott, Team USA Trials in 2024 was a springboard for what transpired the rest of the year, going from winning the U.S. Amateur to becoming an NCAA champion with Jacksonville State to earning the 2024 PWBA Rookie of the Year award. She also helped Team USA earn two medals during the PANAM Bowling Adult, Senior and Super Senior Championships in Reno, earning silver in doubles and bronze in team.
“Last year’s Team Trials was the start of the best year of bowling I’ve ever experienced in my career,” said Elliott. “I personally find Team Trials to be one of the hardest tournaments of the year, which helped me prepare for the college season. I do remember using Team Trials and the NCAA tournament to be my preparation for the PWBA season. It helped me dictate where I was in my game to be able to improve over the next few months before the (PWBA) Tour.
“2024 was full of learning experiences that helped me grow as a player and person. These experiences are still helping me prepare for what is to come in 2025.”
Salinas was in the unique position of being on both Team USA and Junior Team USA in 2024, after winning the U.S. Amateur and his excellent performance at the 2023 Junior Gold Championships in the U20 division. 2024 was his first year on the adult team, and he found the experience rewarding, helping bring Team USA the gold in team and silver in trios at the PANAM Bowling Adult, Senior and Super Senior Championships.
“In the beginning I wasn’t sure how things were going to go, but very quickly the guys who’ve had experience on the adult team made myself and Spencer (Robarge) feel very welcomed,” said Salinas. “I definitely think that my performance last year gave me a strong reminder that I am more than capable of achieving what I set my mind to. But as far as preparation goes, I do my best to keep my mindset the same no matter what the tournament may be.
“I’d say there’s definitely a little more pressure that comes from being on both teams when competing, but one of the biggest things I realized from the adult team is that just being able to compete in our sport at a high level is an honor. There’s a lot of less fortunate scenarios I could be in, so just being able to do what I’m doing at this point in my life is something I’m truly grateful for.”
Tournament action at the 2025 Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur begins Friday with the first of five six-game qualifying blocks.
Each block will feature a different and challenging lane condition, forcing bowlers to demonstrate versatility if they hope to remain in contention throughout the five-day event.
Standings at the Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur are determined using a ranking points system specifically designed for these events.
Competitors earn ranking points based on their finishing positions during each of the five qualifying rounds - the top bowler of the round will earn one ranking point, second place will earn two points, etc. - with the lowest total of ranking points after five rounds determining the men's and women's Team USA Trials champions. Each champion will earn an automatic spot on Team USA for 2025.
In addition to the champions, the top four age-eligible men and top four age-eligible women at the 2025 Team USA Trials, based on ranking points, earn automatic spots on Team USA as well.
The final invitations awarded at the 2025 Team USA Trials will be determined by the National Selection Committee, which will name two additional men and two additional women to Team USA from the pool of players that competed at this year’s Team USA Trials.
In order to be eligible for a spot on Team USA 2025, a bowler must be at least 18 years old as of the end of the 2025 Team USA Trials.
The National Selection Committee also will select additional men and women for this year’s team based on submitted resumes. Those applicants must have been Team USA or Junior Team USA members within the last 10 years or among the top 25 in earnings during the 2024 Professional Bowlers Association Tour season or top 25 in points during the 2024 PWBA Tour season.
At the conclusion of the fifth and final round of Team USA Trials qualifying, the top three amateur men and top three amateur women will advance to a stepladder final to determine the 2025 U.S. Amateur champions, both of whom will earn spots on Team USA as well.
If the U.S. Amateur champion already has earned a spot on the team, the spot will be awarded to the next-highest Team USA Trials qualifier based on ranking points.
To be eligible for this year's U.S. Amateur, a bowler must not hold or have held a professional membership (PBA or PWBA) in 2024. Anyone who has won a professional title (regional, national or senior) as a professional is also not eligible to compete as an amateur.
For youth competitors, the top four age-eligible boys and top four age-eligible girls, based on ranking points, automatically earn spots on Junior Team USA 2025. Two additional boys and two additional girls also will be selected by the National Selection Committee based on performances from either the 2025 Team USA Trials or 2024 Junior Gold Championships.
They will join the youth competitors who already earned their spots on Junior Team USA 2025 during the 2024 Junior Gold Championships.
All rounds of Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur competition will be broadcast live at BowlTV.com beginning Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern and will continue daily through Tuesday when competition ends and the announcement and introduction of Team USA and Junior Team USA 2025 takes place.
Starting Thursday, a scheduled field of 184 men and 100 women will compete to earn the honor of representing their country when the 2025 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials and United States National Amateur Bowling Championships begins at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada.
Darren Tang of Las Vegas will be defending his Team USA Trials crown when competition begins, while Julian Salinas of Richmond, Texas, and Crystal Elliott of Palm Bay, Florida, return as U.S. Amateur champions from last year. Now a member of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association, Elliott will be competing as a professional, meaning a new champion will emerge on the women’s side in the U.S. Amateur.
Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio – last year’s Team USA Trials champion on the women’s side – will not be attending Team USA Trials this year since she was selected to compete at the International Bowling Federation World Cup in Hong Kong, which gets underway Jan. 5.
Joining Pluhowsky in Hong Kong will be Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona; Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio; and Lauren Russo of Ballwin, Missouri, on the women’s side and Packy Hanrahan of Wichita, Kansas; Kristopher Prather of Romeoville, Illinois; Matthew Russo of Ballwin, Missouri, and Christopher Via of Blacklick, Ohio, for the men.
Although Tang has won the men’s Team USA Trials title twice in the last three years, that doesn’t change how he’s preparing for Reno, where he was part of the squad that helped Team USA win the team gold during the 2024 PANAM Bowling Adult, Senior and Super Senior Championships at the National Bowling Stadium.
“I always try to approach tournaments with the same mindset,” said Tang. “With success, there comes a certain addition of confidence, which definitely helps settle the nerves. I think the combination of being on the team for a handful of years and winning a couple of times has provided a good road map to making Team USA. That is my goal every year, winning has been a bonus.”
As for Elliott, Team USA Trials in 2024 was a springboard for what transpired the rest of the year, going from winning the U.S. Amateur to becoming an NCAA champion with Jacksonville State to earning the 2024 PWBA Rookie of the Year award. She also helped Team USA earn two medals during the PANAM Bowling Adult, Senior and Super Senior Championships in Reno, earning silver in doubles and bronze in team.
“Last year’s Team Trials was the start of the best year of bowling I’ve ever experienced in my career,” said Elliott. “I personally find Team Trials to be one of the hardest tournaments of the year, which helped me prepare for the college season. I do remember using Team Trials and the NCAA tournament to be my preparation for the PWBA season. It helped me dictate where I was in my game to be able to improve over the next few months before the (PWBA) Tour.
“2024 was full of learning experiences that helped me grow as a player and person. These experiences are still helping me prepare for what is to come in 2025.”
Salinas was in the unique position of being on both Team USA and Junior Team USA in 2024, after winning the U.S. Amateur and his excellent performance at the 2023 Junior Gold Championships in the U20 division. 2024 was his first year on the adult team, and he found the experience rewarding, helping bring Team USA the gold in team and silver in trios at the PANAM Bowling Adult, Senior and Super Senior Championships.
“In the beginning I wasn’t sure how things were going to go, but very quickly the guys who’ve had experience on the adult team made myself and Spencer (Robarge) feel very welcomed,” said Salinas. “I definitely think that my performance last year gave me a strong reminder that I am more than capable of achieving what I set my mind to. But as far as preparation goes, I do my best to keep my mindset the same no matter what the tournament may be.
“I’d say there’s definitely a little more pressure that comes from being on both teams when competing, but one of the biggest things I realized from the adult team is that just being able to compete in our sport at a high level is an honor. There’s a lot of less fortunate scenarios I could be in, so just being able to do what I’m doing at this point in my life is something I’m truly grateful for.”
Tournament action at the 2025 Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur begins Friday with the first of five six-game qualifying blocks.
Each block will feature a different and challenging lane condition, forcing bowlers to demonstrate versatility if they hope to remain in contention throughout the five-day event.
Standings at the Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur are determined using a ranking points system specifically designed for these events.
Competitors earn ranking points based on their finishing positions during each of the five qualifying rounds - the top bowler of the round will earn one ranking point, second place will earn two points, etc. - with the lowest total of ranking points after five rounds determining the men's and women's Team USA Trials champions. Each champion will earn an automatic spot on Team USA for 2025.
In addition to the champions, the top four age-eligible men and top four age-eligible women at the 2025 Team USA Trials, based on ranking points, earn automatic spots on Team USA as well.
The final invitations awarded at the 2025 Team USA Trials will be determined by the National Selection Committee, which will name two additional men and two additional women to Team USA from the pool of players that competed at this year’s Team USA Trials.
In order to be eligible for a spot on Team USA 2025, a bowler must be at least 18 years old as of the end of the 2025 Team USA Trials.
The National Selection Committee also will select additional men and women for this year’s team based on submitted resumes. Those applicants must have been Team USA or Junior Team USA members within the last 10 years or among the top 25 in earnings during the 2024 Professional Bowlers Association Tour season or top 25 in points during the 2024 PWBA Tour season.
At the conclusion of the fifth and final round of Team USA Trials qualifying, the top three amateur men and top three amateur women will advance to a stepladder final to determine the 2025 U.S. Amateur champions, both of whom will earn spots on Team USA as well.
If the U.S. Amateur champion already has earned a spot on the team, the spot will be awarded to the next-highest Team USA Trials qualifier based on ranking points.
To be eligible for this year's U.S. Amateur, a bowler must not hold or have held a professional membership (PBA or PWBA) in 2024. Anyone who has won a professional title (regional, national or senior) as a professional is also not eligible to compete as an amateur.
For youth competitors, the top four age-eligible boys and top four age-eligible girls, based on ranking points, automatically earn spots on Junior Team USA 2025. Two additional boys and two additional girls also will be selected by the National Selection Committee based on performances from either the 2025 Team USA Trials or 2024 Junior Gold Championships.
They will join the youth competitors who already earned their spots on Junior Team USA 2025 during the 2024 Junior Gold Championships.
All rounds of Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur competition will be broadcast live at BowlTV.com beginning Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern and will continue daily through Tuesday when competition ends and the announcement and introduction of Team USA and Junior Team USA 2025 takes place.