The University of South Florida women's team finished second in its first tournament, and the outcome couldn't have been more delightful for coaches Bill and Cheryl Bedford .
"The ladies put up an absolutely outstanding performance, earning $300 for their club," Bill Bedford said.
"They won six of 12 matches, with the highest game by Alison Jomisko of 232," Bedford said. "Of their 12 games, two were over 740, nine were over 850, and their high series was 933."
USF's first tourney venture was last weekend at Orlando's Boardwalk Bowl in the Brunswick Collegiate Shootout. The University of Central Florida's Stephanie Nation led her squad to the women's title and won the individual crown with a 2,321 pinfall.
Jomisko was second at 2,184, and teammates Crystal Stutler and Courtney Yeakley placed third and fourth, respectively. Others on the USF team were New Port Richey's Anndrea Sablan , Tampa's Heather Meglino and Ohio's Lisa Tom .
The men's singles and team championships went to UCF's Shawn Ryan (2,488) and his squad. USF's C.J. Cale was eighth, and Andrew Adler took ninth.
Nine men's and four women's teams participated.
South Florida's men claimed fifth. The squad featured Bradenton's John Dickerman and Adler, New Port Richey's Stephen Alessi and Ben Zold and Lakeland's Cale, the captain. Adler rolled a team-high 220 game.
Of USF's 12 games, eight were in the high 800s, three were over 950, and its high series was 987.
Three more players will join the South Florida team after Christmas - Pete Lallone , Cape Coral; Kenny Korcak , Orlando; and Jason Abraham , Tampa.
The all-tournament team included Jomisko, Stutler and Yeakley.
The Bedfords, of New Port Richey, have worked more than a year to install the USF program. For years, they ran the Junior Gold leagues at Pasco's Lane-Glo Bowl, Countryside, AMF Clearwater and now AMF University lanes in Tampa.
Many on the Florida teams were tutored through those programs, including Nation, Stutler, Yeakley, Alessi, Zold and Ryan.
"All we hoped for from this first tournament was that we didn't finish last," Bedford said.
The squads will compete at Bethune-Cookman College the first weekend in December, then play host to a tournament at AMF University Lanes in January.
YOUTHADULT: Marissa Henrikson and Jason Manny from Sunshine Bowl head the MajorSenior Division after the first weekend of the Greater Pinellas YABA YouthAdult Tournament at Liberty Lanes.
Henrikson fired a 632 series for the 15-21 age group.
Babette Lent and Edward King , Liberty Lanes, are the Bantam Division leaders with a 1,381 pinfall in the youngest group, 8-and-under.
The tournament ends this weekend, and walk-in entries are welcome.
OTHER TOURNAMENTS: The 51st annual St.Petersburg Women's Classic is on weekends Nov.6-Nov.21 at Seminole Lanes. Entries are closed.
The 35th annual Upper Pinellas Junior Bowling Association Youthadult Tournament is scheduled for Nov.6-7 at Dunedin Lanes. Entries are closed.
HALL OF FAME: Longtime Dunedin youth coach Earl Lundgren was inducted into the Florida State YABA Hall of Fame for meritorious service. Lundgren was youth league coordinator for more than 20 years at Dunedin and AMF Clearwater lanes.
AROUND THE LANES: Jon Brady won the upper division title of the Florida Youth Scratch Bowlers Tournament on Oct.15 at Countryside Lanes. T. Reeves , David Beck , Ashly Galante and Samantha Linder finished out the top five. Palm Harbor's Chris Fecke won the lower division. Each of the winners received $300 in college scholarship money.
