United States starts strong in team at 2022 PANAM Women’s Championships

RESULTS AND INFORMATION

LIMA, Peru –
The members of Team USA have been looking more comfortable on the lanes with each passing day at the 2022 PANAM Bowling Women’s Championships, and the group put together its best overall performance Thursday as team competition got underway.

The team improved in each of its three games at the Bowling Center of La Villa Deportiva Nacional (VIDENA) and has opened up nearly a 200-pin lead on the field.

Led by Jordan Richard’s 690 set, Team USA rolled games of 1,016, 1,048 and 1,066 for a 3,130 total to take the advantage with just three games left to go before the conclusion of the 2022 event in Lima on Friday.

Colombia sits in second with a 2,938 total, and Puerto Rico is third with 2,819.

Richard was joined in the five-player team event by Danielle McEwan (639 series), Stephanie Zavala (614), Bryanna Coté (612) and Lauren Pate (575). Team USA’s sixth player, Breanna Clemmer, also bowled three games Thursday to contribute to her all-events total and finished with 644.

The 2022 PANAM Women’s Championships consists of 11 countries from the Western Hemisphere competing in singles, doubles, trios and team competition. The top overall performers for 24 games (six in each event) also will be recognized with medals in all-events.

The event is being broadcast at FedePeruBowling.pe.

The United States entered the team event as the defending champion at the PANAM Women’s Championships after claiming the gold medal at the 2021 event in Cali, Colombia. Thursday’s title defense started as well as they could have hoped for on the demanding 38-foot oil pattern that has kept scores on the lower side throughout the week.

“It was very smooth sailing,” Team USA head coach Bryan O’Keefe said. “The communication was great, our execution was great and all of the games just fell into place. We didn’t bowl a ton of huge games, but we only had three games under 200 between all six of us. It was a lot of fun to be a part of, and hopefully, we can come out tomorrow and execute like that again.”

Coté was part of the 2021 team in Cali, along with Clemmer and Pate. She also collected the gold medal in trios and bronze in all-events in 2021.

The 36-year-old right-hander has been working hard to get going at the 2022 event this week, and she felt Thursday’s performance was a step in the right direction.

“When they’re this hard, it’s tough to physically get comfortable,” said Coté, a seven-time member of Team USA. “I was struggling with a little bit of timing. My spares were off. I didn’t feel like myself the last three days. I’ve been trying to figure out what I needed to do to reset, because I didn’t want to let my team and coaches down.

“Coming into today, I had a different game plan. It allowed me to play in an area I’m a little more comfortable with, and we made some surface changes. I went through and watched some videos for key physical things I could pick up on, so I could try and execute a little bit better.”

In addition to having things start to fall into place with her physical game, Coté noted that the team shined in figuring out the moves and staying ahead of trouble.

“We all kind of play the lanes a little different,” Coté said. “When it came down to communication about what the lanes were doing, we were very specific on what was going on and what we were trying to achieve. It allowed us to have trust in each other. Even if we were playing them a little different, we still could get the job done, execute and make our spares. Our communication was top-notch today. We were all seeing the picture and had confidence in each other’s shots.”

The team event always is circled as the one to win for Team USA’s athletes and coaches, and the group in Lima is in position to complete the main task for the trip.

Despite some ups and downs during the week, Coté has remained upbeat and energetic regardless of her score. Team competition is about being able to bring out the best in your teammates, and she hopes the group will continue to thrive off that energy to end the week on a positive note.

“It’s something you learn to do when you bowl a lot of team events, whether it is in high school, college or for Team USA,” Coté said. “No matter what happens, I need to be positive because they still have a job to do. I’m here for them, just like they’re here for me. As long as we keep that positive mentality, we will do great on the lanes and hopefully take home the gold tomorrow.”

The final team squad will start Friday at 10 a.m. Central, and the medal ceremony for team and all-events will conclude the 2022 event.

Team USA currently holds the top two spots in all-events, with Richard out in front with a 4,458 total for 21 games (212.29 average). McEwan is second with 4,290, and Colombia’s Maria José Rodriguez is third with 4,230.

Richard, McEwan and Rodriguez are the only athletes averaging over 200 through 21 games.

Pate is fifth at 4,101 and followed by Clemmer (4,052), Zavala (4,045) and Coté (4,028) in eighth, ninth and 10th place, respectively.

The week in Lima kicked off Monday with McEwan winning gold in singles and Richard claiming the silver medal. Venezuela’s Karen Marcano earned the bronze medal.

On Tuesday, Colombia’s Rodriguez and Juliana Franco earned the gold medal in doubles. McEwan and Richard finished second for silver, and Puerto Rico’s Zorani Reyes and Estefania Cobo collected the bronze medal.

Trios took place Wednesday at VIDENA, with McEwan, Richard and Clemmer capturing the gold medal for Team USA. Colombia’s Rodriguez, Franco and Clara Guerrero were second, while Canada’s Jennifer Besana, Sarah Klassen and Felicia Wong finished third.