Team USA wins gold in team, all-events to wrap PANAM Women’s Championships
October 29, 2022
RESULTS AND INFORMATION
LIMA, Peru – The 2022 PANAM Bowling Women’s Championships came to a close Friday with Team USA earning two additional gold medals, bringing its total to four for the week at the Bowling Center of La Villa Deportiva Nacional (VIDENA).
The United States already had claimed the top spots in singles and trios competition, and the group concluded its trip to Lima, Peru, with gold in team and all-events.
The unit captured the coveted five-player team title by 380 pins and was the only contingent to average more than 200 on Thursday and Friday. Team USA finished with a 6,129 total for six games on this week’s 38-foot oil pattern, a 204.3 combined average.
Colombia earned the silver medal in team with a 5,749 total, and Puerto Rico collected bronze with 5,565.
The athletes representing Team USA during the week in Lima included Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina; Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona; Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York; Lauren Pate of Ballwin, Missouri; Jordan Richard of Maumee, Ohio; and Stephanie Zavala of Downey, California.
The group was joined by Team USA head coach Bryan O’Keefe and Junior Team USA head coach and United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Kelly Kulick.
Richard was the top overall performer for 24 games at the 2022 tournament, easily winning the gold medal in all-events with a 5,128 total, a 213.67 average. McEwan took silver with a 4,933 total (205.54 average), and Colombia’s Maria José Rodriguez finished with 4,841 (201.71 average) to earn the bronze medal.
Richard, McEwan and Rodriguez were the only athletes to average more than 200 for 24 games at VIDENA.
Richard and McEwan were able to medal in each discipline during the week, with each adding three golds and two silvers to their expanding collections.
The 2022 PANAM Women’s Championships consisted of 11 countries from the Western Hemisphere participating in singles, doubles, trios and team competition, with the top athletes also earning medals in all-events. The tournament was broadcast live at FedePeruBowling.pe.
Team USA built up its lead over the field during the first three team games Thursday, taking nearly a 200-pin advantage into Friday’s final round.
Although the scoring pace seemed to slow down throughout the 24-lane complex to start Friday, the group was able to add onto its lead and cap the event with largest team game of the week.
The team rolled games of 1,016, 1,048, 1,066, 966, 964 and 1,069 on its way to victory.
Richard led the effort for Team USA with a 1,360 set, while McEwan added 1,282. Coté had 1,171, and Zavala posted 1,154. Pate was the fifth member of the team Thursday, finishing with 575. Clemmer came into the lineup Friday, recording a 587 series.
The team victory served as a successful title defense as well. Team USA recorded the win at the 2021 PANAM Women’s Championships in Cali, Colombia.
Clemmer, Coté and Pate were part of the team win in Cali last October, and the chemistry and communication that’s part of Team USA’s brand were on display this week.
“I love team events,” said Pate, a three-time member of Team USA. “Bowling together, I feel like all our nerves were put aside. We executed really well, worked together and communicated. When all of that clicks together, we’ll be up on the podium every single year.”
While five of the athletes added to their growing list of accolades as members of Team USA, Zavala was traveling with the team for the first time in her second year with the program.
She took in the moments, from sightseeing around Lima to watching her teammates ascend to the top of the medal stand earlier in the week, and she settled into her own rhythm as the tournament progressed at VIDENA.
Zavala was the only player on Team USA using urethane during the week, but that didn’t stop her from sharing and learning with her teammates to collect the first medal of her young career.
“I tried to hold it in and not get too emotional, but Bryan even asked me on the first day how it felt to put on that jersey for the first time,” Zavala said. “It’s the first time I’ve had the chance to wear it in competition, and as cliché as it sounds, it was a dream come true.
“I struggled the first day, but after talking with the girls and figuring out a solid game plan, everything became a little bit clearer. It helped a lot that Jordan and Danielle were doing what they were doing, so when I did ditch the urethane, I knew exactly where I had to go because they were executing so many good shots in a row.”
Richard was incredibly consistent for her first three events before rolling the top six-game score of the tournament in team. She had 1,252 in singles, 1,253 in doubles and 1,263 in trios.
The 26-year-old right-hander was the only athlete to record sets over 1,200 during each event at the 2022 PANAM Women’s Championships. Her execution, decision-making and spare shooting all were on point as she earned her first gold medal in all-events as a member of Team USA.
“Your execution had to be good, because your moves and misses were detrimental,” said Richard, a five-time member of Team USA. “If you threw a bad shot, you were getting six or seven. I just tried to stay with my process and make the best shots I could. I was able to play kind of where I like to play, so it made it a little easier, but they were hard this week.”
Richard, McEwan and Coté will be returning home from Lima for just a short time before they’re back in the air to represent Team USA.
They will join Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, and head to Queensland, Australia, as part of the women’s and men’s teams heading to the International Bowling Federation World Cup 2022 presented by QubicaAMF from Nov. 12-23.
The men’s team will feature Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona; AJ Johnson of Oswego, Illinois; Kristopher Prather of Romeoville, Illinois; and Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, North Carolina.
The success for the women’s team in Lima will serve as a catalyst in getting the team started in Australia as they look to send Stefanie Johnson’s storied Team USA career off with a memorable finish.
Earlier in 2022, Johnson, along with Shannon O’Keefe of Shiloh, Illinois, announced they would be retiring from the program at the end of the year. Both Johnson and O’Keefe have been part of Team USA since 2005.
“It was incredible bowling,” Bryan O’Keefe said. “I don’t like to take for granted the feeling of having a team work cohesively as a unit, and these six were just awesome. The way the week started, we knew it was going to take a lot of communication and great execution, because the lanes were so challenging. It was an incredible week and great setup for a few weeks from now. With three of these athletes going to Australia, it was a great way to build confidence and rapport among themselves as well.”
The 2022 event kicked off with singles competition Monday. McEwan started strong and rolled to the top spot, winning gold with a 1,299 total for six games. Richard earned the silver medal with a 1,252 total, and Venezuela’s Karen Marcano took home bronze with 1,230.
In doubles, Colombia’s Juliana Franco and Maria José Rodriguez were the only pair to average more than 200 on Tuesday and claimed the top prize with a 2,525 total. Franco led the way with 1,278, and Rodriguez added 1,247.
McEwan and Richard finished doubles in second place with a 2,344 total, and Puerto Rico’s Estefania Cobo and Zorani Reyes were third with 2,330.
The gold medal in trios went to Team USA’s Clemmer, McEwan and Richard on Wednesday, which featured strong performances from each athlete to finish with a 3,818 total. Clemmer posted a 1,294 block in the win, while Richard and McEwan contributed 1,263 and 1,261, respectively.
The silver in trios went to Colombia’s Franco, Rodriguez and Clara Guerrero with a 3,709 total. Canada claimed the bronze medal as Jennifer Besana, Sarah Klassen and Felicia Wong combined for 3,506.
LIMA, Peru – The 2022 PANAM Bowling Women’s Championships came to a close Friday with Team USA earning two additional gold medals, bringing its total to four for the week at the Bowling Center of La Villa Deportiva Nacional (VIDENA).
The United States already had claimed the top spots in singles and trios competition, and the group concluded its trip to Lima, Peru, with gold in team and all-events.
The unit captured the coveted five-player team title by 380 pins and was the only contingent to average more than 200 on Thursday and Friday. Team USA finished with a 6,129 total for six games on this week’s 38-foot oil pattern, a 204.3 combined average.
Colombia earned the silver medal in team with a 5,749 total, and Puerto Rico collected bronze with 5,565.
The athletes representing Team USA during the week in Lima included Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina; Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona; Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York; Lauren Pate of Ballwin, Missouri; Jordan Richard of Maumee, Ohio; and Stephanie Zavala of Downey, California.
The group was joined by Team USA head coach Bryan O’Keefe and Junior Team USA head coach and United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Kelly Kulick.
Richard was the top overall performer for 24 games at the 2022 tournament, easily winning the gold medal in all-events with a 5,128 total, a 213.67 average. McEwan took silver with a 4,933 total (205.54 average), and Colombia’s Maria José Rodriguez finished with 4,841 (201.71 average) to earn the bronze medal.Richard, McEwan and Rodriguez were the only athletes to average more than 200 for 24 games at VIDENA.
Richard and McEwan were able to medal in each discipline during the week, with each adding three golds and two silvers to their expanding collections.
The 2022 PANAM Women’s Championships consisted of 11 countries from the Western Hemisphere participating in singles, doubles, trios and team competition, with the top athletes also earning medals in all-events. The tournament was broadcast live at FedePeruBowling.pe.
Team USA built up its lead over the field during the first three team games Thursday, taking nearly a 200-pin advantage into Friday’s final round.
Although the scoring pace seemed to slow down throughout the 24-lane complex to start Friday, the group was able to add onto its lead and cap the event with largest team game of the week.
The team rolled games of 1,016, 1,048, 1,066, 966, 964 and 1,069 on its way to victory.
Richard led the effort for Team USA with a 1,360 set, while McEwan added 1,282. Coté had 1,171, and Zavala posted 1,154. Pate was the fifth member of the team Thursday, finishing with 575. Clemmer came into the lineup Friday, recording a 587 series.
The team victory served as a successful title defense as well. Team USA recorded the win at the 2021 PANAM Women’s Championships in Cali, Colombia.
Clemmer, Coté and Pate were part of the team win in Cali last October, and the chemistry and communication that’s part of Team USA’s brand were on display this week.
“I love team events,” said Pate, a three-time member of Team USA. “Bowling together, I feel like all our nerves were put aside. We executed really well, worked together and communicated. When all of that clicks together, we’ll be up on the podium every single year.”
While five of the athletes added to their growing list of accolades as members of Team USA, Zavala was traveling with the team for the first time in her second year with the program.
She took in the moments, from sightseeing around Lima to watching her teammates ascend to the top of the medal stand earlier in the week, and she settled into her own rhythm as the tournament progressed at VIDENA.
Zavala was the only player on Team USA using urethane during the week, but that didn’t stop her from sharing and learning with her teammates to collect the first medal of her young career.
“I tried to hold it in and not get too emotional, but Bryan even asked me on the first day how it felt to put on that jersey for the first time,” Zavala said. “It’s the first time I’ve had the chance to wear it in competition, and as cliché as it sounds, it was a dream come true.
“I struggled the first day, but after talking with the girls and figuring out a solid game plan, everything became a little bit clearer. It helped a lot that Jordan and Danielle were doing what they were doing, so when I did ditch the urethane, I knew exactly where I had to go because they were executing so many good shots in a row.”
Richard was incredibly consistent for her first three events before rolling the top six-game score of the tournament in team. She had 1,252 in singles, 1,253 in doubles and 1,263 in trios.
The 26-year-old right-hander was the only athlete to record sets over 1,200 during each event at the 2022 PANAM Women’s Championships. Her execution, decision-making and spare shooting all were on point as she earned her first gold medal in all-events as a member of Team USA.
“Your execution had to be good, because your moves and misses were detrimental,” said Richard, a five-time member of Team USA. “If you threw a bad shot, you were getting six or seven. I just tried to stay with my process and make the best shots I could. I was able to play kind of where I like to play, so it made it a little easier, but they were hard this week.”
Richard, McEwan and Coté will be returning home from Lima for just a short time before they’re back in the air to represent Team USA.
They will join Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, and head to Queensland, Australia, as part of the women’s and men’s teams heading to the International Bowling Federation World Cup 2022 presented by QubicaAMF from Nov. 12-23.
The men’s team will feature Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona; AJ Johnson of Oswego, Illinois; Kristopher Prather of Romeoville, Illinois; and Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, North Carolina.
The success for the women’s team in Lima will serve as a catalyst in getting the team started in Australia as they look to send Stefanie Johnson’s storied Team USA career off with a memorable finish.
Earlier in 2022, Johnson, along with Shannon O’Keefe of Shiloh, Illinois, announced they would be retiring from the program at the end of the year. Both Johnson and O’Keefe have been part of Team USA since 2005.
“It was incredible bowling,” Bryan O’Keefe said. “I don’t like to take for granted the feeling of having a team work cohesively as a unit, and these six were just awesome. The way the week started, we knew it was going to take a lot of communication and great execution, because the lanes were so challenging. It was an incredible week and great setup for a few weeks from now. With three of these athletes going to Australia, it was a great way to build confidence and rapport among themselves as well.”
The 2022 event kicked off with singles competition Monday. McEwan started strong and rolled to the top spot, winning gold with a 1,299 total for six games. Richard earned the silver medal with a 1,252 total, and Venezuela’s Karen Marcano took home bronze with 1,230.
In doubles, Colombia’s Juliana Franco and Maria José Rodriguez were the only pair to average more than 200 on Tuesday and claimed the top prize with a 2,525 total. Franco led the way with 1,278, and Rodriguez added 1,247.
McEwan and Richard finished doubles in second place with a 2,344 total, and Puerto Rico’s Estefania Cobo and Zorani Reyes were third with 2,330.
The gold medal in trios went to Team USA’s Clemmer, McEwan and Richard on Wednesday, which featured strong performances from each athlete to finish with a 3,818 total. Clemmer posted a 1,294 block in the win, while Richard and McEwan contributed 1,263 and 1,261, respectively.
The silver in trios went to Colombia’s Franco, Rodriguez and Clara Guerrero with a 3,709 total. Canada claimed the bronze medal as Jennifer Besana, Sarah Klassen and Felicia Wong combined for 3,506.