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Tampa's Jeffrey Mersch won the singles gold medal, and his American teammates captured nearly every other gold medal in the 42nd annual Tournament of the Americas last week at Miami's Cloverleaf Lanes.
The United States capped the competition Saturday by winning team, individual all-events and national all-events gold medals in the adult, senior and junior divisions.
Mersch, a 2004 Junior Team USA member, also won the junior men's singles and the junior division team gold, and placed sixth in both the junior men's doubles with Junior Team USA's Adam Dugan of Austin, Texas, and the junior mixed doubles with Junior Team USA 2004 member Lindsey Coulles of Centerville, Ohio.
Team USA 2004 member Jennifer Petrick of Canton, Ohio, won the adult women's singles; Shirley Levens (formerly Hintz) of Cocoa captured the senior singles and Coulles was the junior women's singles winner. Junior Team USA's Amanda Burgoyne of Newport, Minn., and Coulles captured the gold medal in the junior women's doubles. Burgoyne and Coulles, each 19 years old, teamed up to each earn a second gold medal.
Levens, former WIBC Senior Queens champion, won her second medal (silver) with Fran Deken of Coweta, Okla., in the senior women doubles. Team USA 1995 members Ed Roberts of Cambridge, Mass., and Mark Van Meter of Albuquerque, N.M., won the silver medal in the senior men's doubles.
Team USA 2004 members Richard Fairley Jr. of Lynchburg, Va., and Petrick won gold in the adult mixed-doubles division.
Levens and Roberts struck gold in the senior division mixed doubles.
Junior Team USA 2004 members Adam Dugan of Austin, Texas, and Burgoyne claimed silver in the junior mixed doubles. Rhino Page of San Diego, Holly Hoopii of Honolulu, Fairley and Petrick cruised to the adult team title.
Fairley won the adult men's all-events, and Petrick claimed the women's gold. Burgoyne won the junior women's all-events gold.
Roberts, Van Meter, Levens and Deken captured the senior adult-division gold medal.
MAZZANTI WINS: Vince Mazzanti Jr. of Levittown, Pa., battled a right quadriceps injury to defeat Ocala's Roger Bowker 2-0 in the title match of the PBA Senior Jackson Open on Aug. 18 at Jackson, Mich.
Mazzanti, who suffered burst blood vessels in his right leg a few weeks ago, took the first game 264-233, striking on eight consecutive shots beginning with the fourth frame.
Mazzanti, the 2002 PBA Senior Rookie of the Year, beat Brandon's Roger Kossert 248-238 to gain the title match. Bowker defeated Gary Smith of East Peoria, Ill., 2-0 in the best-of-three semifinals. Mazzanti earned $8,000. The 2004 senior tour season concludes Aug. 23-26 in Hammond, Ind., with the Lake County Open.
USF TRYOUTS: Tryouts for the first bowling squads at the University of South Florida will be Sept. 4-5 at AMF University Lanes in Tampa.
Contenders will roll 30 games over five lane conditions, and the fee is $100 to cover team registration, sanction and lineage.
For more information contact Bill Bedford at (727) 376-4682 or (727) 514-2378.