Three golds in trios for Team USA at 2024 PANAM Bowling Championships
August 22, 2024
Tournament Page
RENO, Nev. – The Team USA contingent collected three gold medals and one silver Thursday in trios competition at the 2024 PANAM Bowling Adult, Senior and Super Senior Championships.
The group’s medal count at the National Bowling Stadium now is up to 15 overall through three days, with eight gold medals.
The tournament features Adult (Elite), Senior (age 50 and over) and Super Senior (age 60 and over) classifications with a men’s and women’s division for each event. Competition includes singles, doubles, mixed doubles (Super Senior only), trios (Elite and Senior only) and team disciplines, with medals also being awarded for the top scores in all-events for 24 games.
Thursday’s action featured trios and mixed doubles, with total combined pinfall for six games determining the medalists in each classification.
Team USA collected its first gold medal of the week in the women’s Elite category in a thrilling battle against Colombia. The trios team for the United States featured Shannon Pluhowsky, Lauren Russo and Jillian Martin, and the group from Colombia included Juliana Botero, Laura Plazas and Rocio Restrepo.
Both teams ran away from the field down the stretch but remained close during the second half of the block. Colombia led by two pins after four games and 12 after five.
Team USA was able to post 699 in the final game, highlighted by a 254 from Russo, to close with a 4,156 total. Pluhowsky added 231, and Martin closed with an open frame (4-6-7 split) to finish at 214.
Colombia still had more than a frame to go when the United States concluded Game 6, and a strong ninth frame gave them the opportunity to get to the lead.
A 6-7-10 split and open frame from Plazas in the second position put the top spot out of reach, though, as Colombia finished with 665 to claim the silver medal with 4,134.
Both scores passed the previous trios record at the PANAM Bowling Women’s Championships, which also was held by Pluhowsky. She won gold with Josie Barnes and Shannon O’Keefe at the 2016 event in Cali, Colombia, with a 4,044 total.
Colombia earned a second medal in the women’s Elite field Thursday as Clara Guerrero, Juliana Franco and Maria José Rodriguez finished with bronze at 3,870.
Team USA’s second trios team – Breanna Clemmer, Crystal Elliott and Hope Gramly – finished ninth with 3,740.
Pluhowsky led the way Thursday, averaging more than 255 after rolling games of 279, 269, 248, 264, 242 and 231 for a 1,533 total. Russo finished with a score of 1,361, and Martin claimed her first medal as a member of the adult team after posting 1,262.
As Pluhowsky continued to strike from the left side to start Game 6, the moves on the right side for Russo and Martin required some big adjustments from what they had seen the previous game.
After starting with a Brooklyn strike and 4-6-7-10 split, Russo spared in the third before rolling the final nine strikes to close her set.
“It wasn’t an ideal start, so I had to make a huge move – maybe five-to-seven boards left – and commit to what I was doing,” Russo said. “I just kept telling myself we only have eight frames left and really need to buckle down.”
After winning her first title on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour in June at the PWBA Southern Indiana Open with a game-clinching strike in the 10th, Russo’s final frame Thursday matched the same mindset.
“I feel like it kind of brought me back to winning my first tour title, where I needed to strike on the first shot,” Russo said. “I tried to keep that same mentality of executing a good shot. My first shot was pure, and the second one had a cool messenger take out the 10. I felt right then that we were going to take home the gold.”
Team USA and Colombia were only separated by one pair in Game 6, which added an additional element to the atmosphere at the NBS.
“It was really intense,” Martin said. “You’d hear them cheer, then we would cheer, and it was going back and forth the whole game. I knew it was close, and we did everything we could.
“I felt like I struggled a little bit shot-execution wise and just seeing it as quick as I saw it the past couple days, but Lauren was there to help me, and she bowled really well. Shannon had an absolutely killer day. They carried me across the finish line. They’ve both done a lot on this team, and to get the experience of being around them for this means the world to me.”
Pluhowsky felt she was on the cusp of finding a few more strikes after singles and doubles, and she was excited to see how well Russo and Martin worked together on the right side.
“I felt close the last couple days, so I put a little more surface on the ball and got to do what I like to do,” Pluhowsky said. “Going into the last game, I knew we needed a good game and just had to see what happened. On the right, they transition more and it’s different from pair to pair, so it was important that they started off well and had a good read. Even though Lauren had the open in the second frame, it was a good enough shot to let Jillian know the move to stay ahead of it. Then, Lauren aced the last eight frames of the game. They were battling. They were quick to make changes, very gutsy with moves and trusted each other.”
Pluhowsky has been on Team USA for the last 24 years, but this week’s event marked her first tournament wearing the red, white and blue in a couple years. The win had an added bonus as she was able to share it with family.
“My mom and dad are here, my wife Carrie is here, and so are Christopher, Autumn and Emersyn,” Pluhowsky said. “Carrie, Christopher, Autumn and Emersyn have never been to a Team USA event, so it’s awesome to have them here this week. I haven’t bowled competitively on the team since 2018, so just missing the first two days was a bummer. I came in today with some confidence, though. When there’s more of us on the same pair, we’re stronger, and it showed.”
The excitement in the final game continued in the men’s Senior field for Team USA as Tom Adcock, Dan Knowlton and John Janawicz fired 764 in Game 6, highlighted by a 297 game from Janawicz, to capture the gold medal in trios with a 4,022 total.
The group was up by more than 120 pins on Mexico – featuring Jose De Alba, Francisco Peralta and Mario Quintero – after four games, but some struggles in Game 5 allowed Mexico to gain 71 pins back and pull within 53 pins with one game to go.
The strikes added up for both teams in the final game, but Team USA delivered 16 strikes on 20 offerings after the fifth frame to maintain the top spot. Knowlton finished with 235, and Adcock added 232.
Mexico finished Game 6 with 739 to earn the silver medal with 3,944. Puerto Rico’s team of Israel Laureano, Edgardo Ruiz and Antonio Santa claimed the bronze medal with 3,538.
Overall, Janawicz led the way for the group with a 1,464 total. Adcock posted 1,321, and Knowlton finished with 1,237. Team USA’s fourth member in the Senior division – Steve Badovinac – also bowled during the squad to contribute to his all-events tally. He rolled 1,262.
Knowlton and Adcock now have medaled in each event this week, and Janawicz earned his second visit to the podium. They finished in the top three spots in singles (Knowlton – gold, Adcock – silver, Janawicz – bronze), while Knowlton and Adcock took bronze in doubles.
Janawicz’s big day started after making some changes from what he saw Wednesday in doubles, and he was able to settle in quickly on the final pair.
“I just tried to get a little smarter with lane play and continued to get softer and slower and use more angle through the front,” Janawicz said. “That was more of the key for me than trying to stay right. I had to try something different during practice, and it looked pretty good. The transition hit and I kind of got stuck there for about a game but got lined up pretty quick on that last pair.
“That was one of the cooler experiences and endings I’ve had. We kind of knew early on that Mexico was going to bowl a good game, so we knew we had to keep going forward and striking. They were going to put up a good number, and fortunately, we were able to put up a good one, too.”
The team was able to quickly refocus after posting 583 in Game 5.
“We had popped a couple of really good games until we got to Game 5,” Adcock said. “That pair was not very good for us, and we didn’t shoot a very good game. We scratched out the last two or three frames to get close to even, which was really big compared to what we had after five frames. Going into the last game, I just wanted to continue to make good shots knowing Dan was throwing the ball fantastic and JJ, after the third or fourth shot, said he just had to get it off his hand. That’s when I thought this could be fun.”
The United States and Mexico bowled next to each other for the final game, amplifying the excitement as each team started to string strikes.
“It was nice that we were a couple frames ahead of them,” Knowlton said. “They were putting the pressure on us, and at one point, the math added up that they could catch us. But, we kept throwing strikes to apply the pressure to them. It was a great feeling.”
The win also marked Adcock’s first gold medal in the Team USA program.
“It was very intense, and I’m not too sure if I was more nervous bowling my 10th frame than when I was bowling for my title last year,” said Adcock, who won his first Professional Bowlers Association 50 Tour title last August at the PBA50 The Villages Classic. “To perform and make quality shots, that got to me. We got the gold. It’s a phenomenal feeling and a dream come true without question.”
In the women’s Senior classification, Team USA stayed ahead of Canada in the final game to win gold for the third consecutive day, finishing with a 3,613 total.
The group of Dana Ausec, Liz Johnson and Jodi Woessner entered Game 6 ahead of Canada’s Angie Merrick, Lana Mink and Kerrie Watson by 34 pins. Team USA was able to fill frames, highlighted by Johnson’s 224, to add onto the lead and secure victory.
Canada claimed the silver medal with 3,547, and Mexico’s trios squad – Claudia Falconi, Patricia Moreno and Veronica Hernandez – earned bronze with 3,479.
Johnson paced Team USA with a 1,305 total. Woessner finished with 1,165, and Ausec added 1,143. The group’s fourth member – Kathy Ledford – also competed during the squad to add onto her all-events score, posting 1,098.
Woessner and Johnson placed first and second in singles Tuesday, and the pairing of Johnson and Ausec won gold in doubles Wednesday. Woessner and Ledford earned a silver medal in doubles.
The lanes have played tough throughout the week in the women’s Senior category, so steady communication and teamwork has been necessary for the U.S. team to stay ahead of the pace.
“Everyone worked well together,” Johnson said. “We received some good feedback from (Team USA assistant coach) Andy (Diercks) and just tried some different things to keep the ball in play. We made some good choices and hit the 1-3 pocket a lot, and once they started to break down, we tried to take advantage of the good pairs.”
“They were tricky again and keep developing different each day,” Woessner said. “We saw what we needed to do, and Liz was really the one that was able to do it. We could get it a little bit right of the tracer in singles and doubles, but we needed to be closer to that in trios. If we got it a little right, it wiggled and played a little flatter. We held each other up today. If someone struggled, the others were shooting a decent game. It was also very cool that Kathy was right there rooting us on. We still felt like we bowled as a team.”
The team’s ability to comeback from any miscues and help each other has been a big theme so far at the National Bowling Stadium. The results certainly show that mindset has been key in the group’s success.
“I think we did a really good job of picking each other up,” Ausec said. “When you’re playing on a tough pattern, we’re all going to make mistakes. If there was an open, the next person would step up and throw a strike or fill a frame. We did a good job of supporting each other knowing there were going to be some open frames, and we got through it as a team.
“Anytime you can step on the podium and hear the anthem of your country, it’s really, really special. The ultimate goal is to keep it going for team and hoping all four of us get to stand up there together.”
A big final game in the men’s Elite field helped Colombia secure the gold medal in trios with a 4,240 total at the National Bowling Stadium. Oscar Rodriguez led the way in Game 6 for Colombia with 279 and was joined by Jaime Gonzalez (247) and Alfredo Quintana (244) to close the set with 770.
Colombia entered the final game up by 14 pins over the Team USA grouping of Packy Hanrahan, Spencer Robarge and Julian Salinas. The United States claimed the silver medal with 4,139 after rolling 683 in Game 6.
Quintana led the performance for Colombia, firing 1,468. Gonzalez followed with 1,399, and Rodriguez had 1,373.
Hanrahan collected his third medal of the week and led Team USA with 1,441. Robarge had 1,417, and Salinas took home his first medal as part of the adult team with 1,281.
The bronze medal went to Mexico’s Enrique Gutierrez, Ricardo Lecuona and Sergio Villanueva with 4,074.
Team USA’s second trios squad of AJ Johnson, Jake Peters and Darren Tang finished fifth with 4,064.
Hanrahan started the week with gold in singles, and he paired with Robarge to claim the top spot in doubles Wednesday.
Salinas was excited to join forces alongside Hanrahan and Robarge in trios, and the group worked together well in a unique way.
Both Hanrahan and Robarge are two-handers that attack the lanes from the left side. Salinas also is a two-hander, but he releases the ball from his right hand to naturally play the lanes like a right-hander.
His versatility allows him to also throw a backup ball when the place and time calls for it, and he used this method in five of his six games Thursday.
“I knew they were going to put up some good scores like they have all week, and thankfully, I was able to throw a backup ball for most of the day,” said Salinas, who’s also a member of Junior Team USA in 2024. “I could communicate with them, and they were keeping me present. All of us could have had a few more hits along the way, but I feel all three of us bowled really well.
“For the week, it’s been about half and half. We were on a pair on the lower end where the right side looked good, so we saw that and I committed to it. We watched our other trios team on our final pair and saw the right side didn’t look good at all, so we prepared for that and committed to throwing backup to not waste any frames.”
Salinas has been part of Junior Team USA since 2022, and he traveled with Robarge to compete at the 2022 International Bowling Federation World Youth Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden, and 2023 PANAM Bowling Youth Championships in Lima, Peru.
He's been able to apply what he has learned through those experiences and has enjoyed watching the team work together in Reno.
“It’s truly an honor,” said Salinas, who collected a silver medal in Helsingborg and three golds in Lima. “Spencer and I have traveled to all of the same tournaments on the junior team, so to be able to go from that to this and experience everything together is really cool. Representing the United States at the junior level was already incredible, and this is more than I could have imagined. Being able to be part of this and come away with the silver was just awesome.”
Team USA did not field a team for the Super Senior classification. In mixed doubles, Mexico’s Rafael Gomez and Veronica Berumen rolled to the top spot, earning the gold medal with a 2,330 total.
The team event will be contested across Friday and Saturday to close the 2024 event. The competitors in the Senior and Super Senior divisions will return to the National Bowling Stadium to roll three games Friday at noon Eastern. The athletes in the Elite classification will start their three-game block at 5 p.m. Eastern. All teams will return Saturday for a final three games of competition.
The 2024 PANAM Bowling Adult, Senior and Super Senior Championships features 19 countries from within the Western Hemisphere.
RENO, Nev. – The Team USA contingent collected three gold medals and one silver Thursday in trios competition at the 2024 PANAM Bowling Adult, Senior and Super Senior Championships.
The group’s medal count at the National Bowling Stadium now is up to 15 overall through three days, with eight gold medals.
The tournament features Adult (Elite), Senior (age 50 and over) and Super Senior (age 60 and over) classifications with a men’s and women’s division for each event. Competition includes singles, doubles, mixed doubles (Super Senior only), trios (Elite and Senior only) and team disciplines, with medals also being awarded for the top scores in all-events for 24 games.
Thursday’s action featured trios and mixed doubles, with total combined pinfall for six games determining the medalists in each classification.
Team USA collected its first gold medal of the week in the women’s Elite category in a thrilling battle against Colombia. The trios team for the United States featured Shannon Pluhowsky, Lauren Russo and Jillian Martin, and the group from Colombia included Juliana Botero, Laura Plazas and Rocio Restrepo.
Both teams ran away from the field down the stretch but remained close during the second half of the block. Colombia led by two pins after four games and 12 after five.
Team USA was able to post 699 in the final game, highlighted by a 254 from Russo, to close with a 4,156 total. Pluhowsky added 231, and Martin closed with an open frame (4-6-7 split) to finish at 214.
Colombia still had more than a frame to go when the United States concluded Game 6, and a strong ninth frame gave them the opportunity to get to the lead.
A 6-7-10 split and open frame from Plazas in the second position put the top spot out of reach, though, as Colombia finished with 665 to claim the silver medal with 4,134.
Both scores passed the previous trios record at the PANAM Bowling Women’s Championships, which also was held by Pluhowsky. She won gold with Josie Barnes and Shannon O’Keefe at the 2016 event in Cali, Colombia, with a 4,044 total.
Colombia earned a second medal in the women’s Elite field Thursday as Clara Guerrero, Juliana Franco and Maria José Rodriguez finished with bronze at 3,870.
Team USA’s second trios team – Breanna Clemmer, Crystal Elliott and Hope Gramly – finished ninth with 3,740.
Pluhowsky led the way Thursday, averaging more than 255 after rolling games of 279, 269, 248, 264, 242 and 231 for a 1,533 total. Russo finished with a score of 1,361, and Martin claimed her first medal as a member of the adult team after posting 1,262.
As Pluhowsky continued to strike from the left side to start Game 6, the moves on the right side for Russo and Martin required some big adjustments from what they had seen the previous game.
After starting with a Brooklyn strike and 4-6-7-10 split, Russo spared in the third before rolling the final nine strikes to close her set.
“It wasn’t an ideal start, so I had to make a huge move – maybe five-to-seven boards left – and commit to what I was doing,” Russo said. “I just kept telling myself we only have eight frames left and really need to buckle down.”
After winning her first title on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour in June at the PWBA Southern Indiana Open with a game-clinching strike in the 10th, Russo’s final frame Thursday matched the same mindset.
“I feel like it kind of brought me back to winning my first tour title, where I needed to strike on the first shot,” Russo said. “I tried to keep that same mentality of executing a good shot. My first shot was pure, and the second one had a cool messenger take out the 10. I felt right then that we were going to take home the gold.”
Team USA and Colombia were only separated by one pair in Game 6, which added an additional element to the atmosphere at the NBS.
“It was really intense,” Martin said. “You’d hear them cheer, then we would cheer, and it was going back and forth the whole game. I knew it was close, and we did everything we could.
“I felt like I struggled a little bit shot-execution wise and just seeing it as quick as I saw it the past couple days, but Lauren was there to help me, and she bowled really well. Shannon had an absolutely killer day. They carried me across the finish line. They’ve both done a lot on this team, and to get the experience of being around them for this means the world to me.”
Pluhowsky felt she was on the cusp of finding a few more strikes after singles and doubles, and she was excited to see how well Russo and Martin worked together on the right side.
“I felt close the last couple days, so I put a little more surface on the ball and got to do what I like to do,” Pluhowsky said. “Going into the last game, I knew we needed a good game and just had to see what happened. On the right, they transition more and it’s different from pair to pair, so it was important that they started off well and had a good read. Even though Lauren had the open in the second frame, it was a good enough shot to let Jillian know the move to stay ahead of it. Then, Lauren aced the last eight frames of the game. They were battling. They were quick to make changes, very gutsy with moves and trusted each other.”
Pluhowsky has been on Team USA for the last 24 years, but this week’s event marked her first tournament wearing the red, white and blue in a couple years. The win had an added bonus as she was able to share it with family.
“My mom and dad are here, my wife Carrie is here, and so are Christopher, Autumn and Emersyn,” Pluhowsky said. “Carrie, Christopher, Autumn and Emersyn have never been to a Team USA event, so it’s awesome to have them here this week. I haven’t bowled competitively on the team since 2018, so just missing the first two days was a bummer. I came in today with some confidence, though. When there’s more of us on the same pair, we’re stronger, and it showed.”
The excitement in the final game continued in the men’s Senior field for Team USA as Tom Adcock, Dan Knowlton and John Janawicz fired 764 in Game 6, highlighted by a 297 game from Janawicz, to capture the gold medal in trios with a 4,022 total.
The group was up by more than 120 pins on Mexico – featuring Jose De Alba, Francisco Peralta and Mario Quintero – after four games, but some struggles in Game 5 allowed Mexico to gain 71 pins back and pull within 53 pins with one game to go.
The strikes added up for both teams in the final game, but Team USA delivered 16 strikes on 20 offerings after the fifth frame to maintain the top spot. Knowlton finished with 235, and Adcock added 232.
Mexico finished Game 6 with 739 to earn the silver medal with 3,944. Puerto Rico’s team of Israel Laureano, Edgardo Ruiz and Antonio Santa claimed the bronze medal with 3,538.
Overall, Janawicz led the way for the group with a 1,464 total. Adcock posted 1,321, and Knowlton finished with 1,237. Team USA’s fourth member in the Senior division – Steve Badovinac – also bowled during the squad to contribute to his all-events tally. He rolled 1,262.
Knowlton and Adcock now have medaled in each event this week, and Janawicz earned his second visit to the podium. They finished in the top three spots in singles (Knowlton – gold, Adcock – silver, Janawicz – bronze), while Knowlton and Adcock took bronze in doubles.
Janawicz’s big day started after making some changes from what he saw Wednesday in doubles, and he was able to settle in quickly on the final pair.
“I just tried to get a little smarter with lane play and continued to get softer and slower and use more angle through the front,” Janawicz said. “That was more of the key for me than trying to stay right. I had to try something different during practice, and it looked pretty good. The transition hit and I kind of got stuck there for about a game but got lined up pretty quick on that last pair.
“That was one of the cooler experiences and endings I’ve had. We kind of knew early on that Mexico was going to bowl a good game, so we knew we had to keep going forward and striking. They were going to put up a good number, and fortunately, we were able to put up a good one, too.”
The team was able to quickly refocus after posting 583 in Game 5.
“We had popped a couple of really good games until we got to Game 5,” Adcock said. “That pair was not very good for us, and we didn’t shoot a very good game. We scratched out the last two or three frames to get close to even, which was really big compared to what we had after five frames. Going into the last game, I just wanted to continue to make good shots knowing Dan was throwing the ball fantastic and JJ, after the third or fourth shot, said he just had to get it off his hand. That’s when I thought this could be fun.”
The United States and Mexico bowled next to each other for the final game, amplifying the excitement as each team started to string strikes.
“It was nice that we were a couple frames ahead of them,” Knowlton said. “They were putting the pressure on us, and at one point, the math added up that they could catch us. But, we kept throwing strikes to apply the pressure to them. It was a great feeling.”
The win also marked Adcock’s first gold medal in the Team USA program.
“It was very intense, and I’m not too sure if I was more nervous bowling my 10th frame than when I was bowling for my title last year,” said Adcock, who won his first Professional Bowlers Association 50 Tour title last August at the PBA50 The Villages Classic. “To perform and make quality shots, that got to me. We got the gold. It’s a phenomenal feeling and a dream come true without question.”
In the women’s Senior classification, Team USA stayed ahead of Canada in the final game to win gold for the third consecutive day, finishing with a 3,613 total.
The group of Dana Ausec, Liz Johnson and Jodi Woessner entered Game 6 ahead of Canada’s Angie Merrick, Lana Mink and Kerrie Watson by 34 pins. Team USA was able to fill frames, highlighted by Johnson’s 224, to add onto the lead and secure victory.
Canada claimed the silver medal with 3,547, and Mexico’s trios squad – Claudia Falconi, Patricia Moreno and Veronica Hernandez – earned bronze with 3,479.
Johnson paced Team USA with a 1,305 total. Woessner finished with 1,165, and Ausec added 1,143. The group’s fourth member – Kathy Ledford – also competed during the squad to add onto her all-events score, posting 1,098.
Woessner and Johnson placed first and second in singles Tuesday, and the pairing of Johnson and Ausec won gold in doubles Wednesday. Woessner and Ledford earned a silver medal in doubles.
The lanes have played tough throughout the week in the women’s Senior category, so steady communication and teamwork has been necessary for the U.S. team to stay ahead of the pace.
“Everyone worked well together,” Johnson said. “We received some good feedback from (Team USA assistant coach) Andy (Diercks) and just tried some different things to keep the ball in play. We made some good choices and hit the 1-3 pocket a lot, and once they started to break down, we tried to take advantage of the good pairs.”
“They were tricky again and keep developing different each day,” Woessner said. “We saw what we needed to do, and Liz was really the one that was able to do it. We could get it a little bit right of the tracer in singles and doubles, but we needed to be closer to that in trios. If we got it a little right, it wiggled and played a little flatter. We held each other up today. If someone struggled, the others were shooting a decent game. It was also very cool that Kathy was right there rooting us on. We still felt like we bowled as a team.”
The team’s ability to comeback from any miscues and help each other has been a big theme so far at the National Bowling Stadium. The results certainly show that mindset has been key in the group’s success.
“I think we did a really good job of picking each other up,” Ausec said. “When you’re playing on a tough pattern, we’re all going to make mistakes. If there was an open, the next person would step up and throw a strike or fill a frame. We did a good job of supporting each other knowing there were going to be some open frames, and we got through it as a team.
“Anytime you can step on the podium and hear the anthem of your country, it’s really, really special. The ultimate goal is to keep it going for team and hoping all four of us get to stand up there together.”
A big final game in the men’s Elite field helped Colombia secure the gold medal in trios with a 4,240 total at the National Bowling Stadium. Oscar Rodriguez led the way in Game 6 for Colombia with 279 and was joined by Jaime Gonzalez (247) and Alfredo Quintana (244) to close the set with 770.
Colombia entered the final game up by 14 pins over the Team USA grouping of Packy Hanrahan, Spencer Robarge and Julian Salinas. The United States claimed the silver medal with 4,139 after rolling 683 in Game 6.
Quintana led the performance for Colombia, firing 1,468. Gonzalez followed with 1,399, and Rodriguez had 1,373.
Hanrahan collected his third medal of the week and led Team USA with 1,441. Robarge had 1,417, and Salinas took home his first medal as part of the adult team with 1,281.
The bronze medal went to Mexico’s Enrique Gutierrez, Ricardo Lecuona and Sergio Villanueva with 4,074.
Team USA’s second trios squad of AJ Johnson, Jake Peters and Darren Tang finished fifth with 4,064.
Hanrahan started the week with gold in singles, and he paired with Robarge to claim the top spot in doubles Wednesday.
Salinas was excited to join forces alongside Hanrahan and Robarge in trios, and the group worked together well in a unique way.
Both Hanrahan and Robarge are two-handers that attack the lanes from the left side. Salinas also is a two-hander, but he releases the ball from his right hand to naturally play the lanes like a right-hander.
His versatility allows him to also throw a backup ball when the place and time calls for it, and he used this method in five of his six games Thursday.
“I knew they were going to put up some good scores like they have all week, and thankfully, I was able to throw a backup ball for most of the day,” said Salinas, who’s also a member of Junior Team USA in 2024. “I could communicate with them, and they were keeping me present. All of us could have had a few more hits along the way, but I feel all three of us bowled really well.
“For the week, it’s been about half and half. We were on a pair on the lower end where the right side looked good, so we saw that and I committed to it. We watched our other trios team on our final pair and saw the right side didn’t look good at all, so we prepared for that and committed to throwing backup to not waste any frames.”
Salinas has been part of Junior Team USA since 2022, and he traveled with Robarge to compete at the 2022 International Bowling Federation World Youth Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden, and 2023 PANAM Bowling Youth Championships in Lima, Peru.
He's been able to apply what he has learned through those experiences and has enjoyed watching the team work together in Reno.
“It’s truly an honor,” said Salinas, who collected a silver medal in Helsingborg and three golds in Lima. “Spencer and I have traveled to all of the same tournaments on the junior team, so to be able to go from that to this and experience everything together is really cool. Representing the United States at the junior level was already incredible, and this is more than I could have imagined. Being able to be part of this and come away with the silver was just awesome.”
Team USA did not field a team for the Super Senior classification. In mixed doubles, Mexico’s Rafael Gomez and Veronica Berumen rolled to the top spot, earning the gold medal with a 2,330 total.
The team event will be contested across Friday and Saturday to close the 2024 event. The competitors in the Senior and Super Senior divisions will return to the National Bowling Stadium to roll three games Friday at noon Eastern. The athletes in the Elite classification will start their three-game block at 5 p.m. Eastern. All teams will return Saturday for a final three games of competition.
The 2024 PANAM Bowling Adult, Senior and Super Senior Championships features 19 countries from within the Western Hemisphere.