TAT News - Courtesy Of TAT. Pictured Are TAT Finalists.
Congratulations to the champion of the TAT Morongo Classic, Justin Pluchino (center) of Reseda, California, winner of $5,190!
More information and a story to come after we return home. Look for an article in an upcoming issue of the Desert Bowler Newspaper and California Bowling News!
Many thanks to our hosts Morongo Casino, Resort and Spa and Canyon Lanes and their superb GM Paula Vidad. She and her terrific staff provided us an outstanding venue for this event, and we can't wait to return!
Thanks to all the bowlers across the region who participated in this event and to our sponsors who made this event possible: Storm Bowling, CoolWick, B3 Performance, Tenpin Toolkit, and of course True Amateur Tournaments Las Vegas!
Don't forget about the TAT coming up in Las Vegas during the first week of July, which has a $100,000 Progressive Pot!
Our next TAT Desert Southwest event will be at Cerbat Lanes in Kingman, Arizona the first weekend of August, the TAT Monsoon Classic!
Pictured (L-R):
TAT Desert Southwest director John Verbil
Kyle Ponzo, 3rd place ($1,500)
Justin Pluchino, Champion ($5,190)
Carl Mangaran, 2nd place ($2,000)
DA Smith, 4th place ($1,000)
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Strike Force Tour News - Courtesy Of SFT.
Chandler - - - We had a nice turnout today, Sunday June 9, at AMF Chandler. We would see 97 total entries (78 qualifying & 19 parlays) paying out over $6,500 in main and side event prizefunds.
The bowlers played on a tough 42ft Kegel Autobahn oil pattern that saw some higher scores on the fresh but got tricky pair to pair as the lanes transitioned. We would see a great Final match as it would come down to the tenth frame to determine our winner. Jonah Tafoya would hit a few key strikes to take home his 2nd AHT SFT title and the $1,000 first place prize! Congrats to Kyler Adams on 2nd place and also Michael Lemos on 3rd place.
Thank you to everyone that came out today to bowl our event. We saw a lot of new bowlers today and with all the other events going on throughout the Valley we appreciate all that came out today.
Thanks to Shannon Fletcher and the staff at AMF Chandler for hosting us today and the great customer service they provided. Also thanks to Michael Dragon and Tawna Jean for all they do to keep us going. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks for another 3-squad tournament at Bowlero Gilbert on Sunday, June 23rd.
Tournament results and event summary will be online tomorrow. Thanks and have a great week!
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Loads Of Lopes. Earn Post Season Honors. Courtesy Of GCU.
Phoenix - - - The awards came in bunches for the Lopes in what GCU Bowling Head Coach Ben Canfield referred to as "the most successful season to date", as 14 GCU bowlers were recognized for various postseason accolades.
To begin the awards, GCU's Nicholas Barrieault, Hannah Bartel, Lukas Carlson, Wesley Cunningham, Ian Draeger, Garrett Hansen, Kyler Harden, Erika Kemp, Joshua Knox, Andrew Merrell, Roman Roberts, and Nathan Tidball were all recognized as National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association Scholar Athletes due to their 3.5+ cumulative grade point averages during the season.
"I always want to celebrate the success of our student athletes in the classroom," said Canfield. "We want them to be proud of the way in which they can balance everything that comes with competing as a college bowler."
The Club Team Bowling Coaches Association awarded Barrieault, Merrell, Jovan Mercado, Joshua Molloy, and Anthony Scharton as All-American finalists and Mercado once again as the Rookie of the Year, an award that no GCU bowler has ever earned. All-American and Rookie of the Year honors were voted on by members of the Club Team Bowling Coaches Association.
"This award is a huge reflection of everything that not only the coaches here at GCU, but my family and coaches back home, has done for me," said Mercado. "Going into next year, it fuels the fire for me to work even harder. If I can continue to be better individually, our team can continue to be better, and I want my team to be successful."
Kemp and Molloy were recognized as West Coast Collegiate All-Stars for their stellar performances at West Coast events this year. This is Molloy's second consecutive appearance on the West Coast All-Star team. Similar to the CTBCA awards, the West Coast Collegiate All-Stars were voted on by the coaches of the West Coast teams.
"Throughout the year we focus on the team's success, and we recognize that we have to be a cohesive group to be successful," said Canfield. "But at the same time, we're proud of our individuals who receive recognition for all of their hard work."
Last but not least, after leading the Lopes to their second-ever ITC Nationals berth and the No. 18 ranking for the regular season, Coach Canfield was recognized by the NCBCA as the Gordon Vadakin Men's Coach of the Year, and by Club Team Bowling Coaches Association as the Randy Widger Men's Club Coach of the Year.
"It's really humbling to receive an award named after the most legendary coach in our sport [Gordon Vadakin], and it's something I would have never expected," said Canfield. "These awards reaffirm that all of the work that our program has been putting in."
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