Junior Team USA men advance to match play at IBF World Youth Championships

Junior Team USA bowlers (from left to right) Braden Mallasch, Zach Andresen, Jacob Bockstie and Brandon Bohn

WOMEN'S TEAM QUALIFYING I MEN'S TEAM QUALIFYING

ARLINGTON, Texas
– Junior Team USA’s men’s squad took its first step toward the podium by qualifying 13th in the 31-team men’s field and advancing to match play at the 2024 International Bowling Federation World Youth Championships in Incheon, Korea, on Monday.

The American quartet of Zach Andresen of Princeton, Minnesota; Jacob Bockstie of Nottingham, Maryland; Brandon Bohn of Jackson, New Jersey; and Braden Mallasch of Waupaca, Wisconsin, punched its ticket to the next round after authoring a 10-game total of 2,121 at Incheon’s Fiesta Bowling Center thanks to Baker scores of 238, 186, 220, 191, 180, 257, 207, 209, 197 and 236. 

Australia led the men’s qualifying field with a mark of 2,257, while Korea (2,236), Poland (2,229), Germany (2,212) and Finland (2,201) rounded out the top five.

The 16th and final spot in match play went to the Philippines, which used a final-game 246 to leapfrog five teams and grab the last advancing position with a 10-game total of 2,110.

Men’s and women’s team match-play competition will take place on Tuesday with each 16-team field being separated into two eight-team divisions. 

Teams will bowl head-to-head Baker matches against the other seven teams in their division and earn three points for a win, one point for a tie and zero points for a loss.

The two teams in each division with the highest point total at the end of seven matches will advance to the semifinals, thus keeping their gold-medal hopes alive.

Both the men’s and women’s team semifinals will be contested on Tuesday as well.

Junior Team USA’s women’s squad of Katelyn Abigania of San Diego; Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Illinois; Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio; and Annalise OBryant of Ball Ground, Georgia, will get the first opportunity to earn a semifinal berth as women’s match play kicks off the action Tuesday morning.

The Junior Team USA women’s foursome reached match play by finishing fifth in the 20-team women’s qualifying field on Sunday.

After cheering the ladies on, Andresen, Bockstie, Bohn and Mallasch will hit the lanes and try to stake their own claim to a medal during men’s team match play on Tuesday afternoon.

Once the men’s and women’s team finalists have been determined on Tuesday night, bowlers will prepare for mixed team competition, all phases of which will be contested on Wednesday.

The 2024 World Youth Championships, which features teams from 39 different countries, will end on Thursday with final-round action in singles, doubles and team and their accompanying medal ceremonies.

For more information on Junior Team USA, visit BOWL.com/JuniorTeamUSA.