Amateur Bowlers of Year named

ARLINGTON, Texas - Jazreel Tan, Wichita, Kansas, and Matt Weggen, Muscatine, Iowa, have been selected as the 2011 Bowling Writers Association of America Amateur Bowlers of the Year. Tan earned her honor through consistent, year-long college performances. Weggen earned his through a blistering, record-setting day in Reno.

Tan, 22, a Wichita State University junior majoring in Sports Management, was also the BWAA Collegiate Female Bowler of the Year. She was selected as the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association All-American Most Valuable Player and First Team All-American. She won individual titles at the Blue & Gold and Backhaul-Hoosier tournaments.

Tan, originally from Singapore, was a two-time Singapore National Champion and Singapore National Council Sportsgirl of the Year. She said, "It's always nice to be recognized."


Weggen, 32, a systems analyst for Involta Technologies, set a USBC Open Championships record by being the first bowler to roll consecutive 800 series on the tournament lanes. He followed up an 806 series in doubles with an 826 in singles to capture the Singles Championships. Adding his 636 in team won the All-Events title with 2,268.

"It's just unbelievable," he said. "You set goals for yourself, but never dream of doing anything like this."

Weggen states that, "Bowling has been a huge part of my life since I started way back when I was five years old. My parents drove me all over the Midwest for scholarship tournaments." Married to LeeAnn, he will now carry on that tradition with daughter, Addison, and son, Hunter.