BATON ROUGE, La. – United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Lucy Sandelin of Tampa, Florida, won the 2017 USBC Senior Queens on Friday to become the third bowler in history to claim the coveted tiara for a third time.
The 60-year-old right-hander defeated fellow hall of famer Anne Marie Duggan of Edmond, Oklahoma, in the championship match at Circle Bowl, 193-179, to collect the top prize of $6,000.
With the win, Sandelin matches fellow USBC Hall of Famers Robin Romeo and Sandra Postma as the only three-time winners at the event. Sandelin’s previous wins came in 2007 and 2013.
Sandelin grabbed the early lead in the title match as Duggan, the 2012 Senior Queens champion, opened in the second and third frames. Sandelin locked up the win with a strike to start her final frame.
The 10-time Team USA member has been putting in the time on and off the lanes in preparation of another run at the title, and Sandelin established herself as the player to beat during qualifying, leading the 59-player field through 15 games at Circle Bowl.
Sandelin cruised to a 5-0 record in match play on her way to earning the top seed for Friday’s stepladder, averaging more than 211 in her wins. As the top seed, Sandelin would have had to be beaten twice in the true double-elimination format.
“I have been preparing for this event for nearly a year,” Sandelin said. “I started a fitness program last July and have been working with a personal trainer the last two months to get in shape to win this tiara. I wanted another one, and if you take care of yourself, good things can happen. I love this sport, love to bowl and love to compete. I was motivated to win, and it’s crazy that it actually happened.”
Sandelin also defeated Duggan, also a Professional Women’s Bowling Association Hall of Famer, in the final of the winners bracket to secure the top seed, 585-527.
Duggan advanced to the title match by defeating Kristy Whitcher of Belfair, Washington, in the semifinal, 233-208. Whitcher finished in third place.
Whitcher collected a win against Panama’s Edissa Andrade a match earlier, 225-194. Andrade finished in fourth place.
In the opening game of the stepladder, Andrade knocked off Romeo, the three-time defending Senior Queens champion, in a roll-off after they tied at 194. After matching each other’s efforts in the first two attempts, Andrade edged Romeo in the third round, 7-6.
Romeo, who finished fifth, was looking to become the first player to win four Senior Queens titles.
A four-player shootout round determined the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 seeds for the stepladder, and Whitcher finished strong to earn the third seed with a 631 three-game total.
Romeo secured her fourth consecutive stepladder appearance with a 592 series to earn the fourth seed, and Andrade posted 559 for the fifth spot. Cheryl Keslar of Tonganoxie, Kansas, finished sixth with a 491 total.
All competitors at the 2017 Senior Queens bowled 15 games of qualifying over two days to determine the 31 players who joined Romeo in the double-elimination match-play bracket. Match play consisted of three-game matches, with total pinfall determining who advanced.
For more information on the USBC Senior Queens, visit BOWL.com/SeniorQueens.
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). USBC conducts championship events nationwide including the largest participation sporting events in the world – the USBC Open and Women’s Championships – and professional events such as the USBC Masters and USBC Queens.
Founded in 1895, today USBC and its 2,500 state and local associations proudly serve more than a million members. USBC is headquartered in Arlington, Texas, working toward a future for the sport. The online home for USBC is BOWL.com.
2017 USBC Senior Queens
At Circle Bowl, Baton Rouge, La.
Thursday’s and Friday’s results
QUALIFYING
(15-game totals)
1, Lucy Sandelin (a), Tampa, Fla., 3,033. 2, Robin Romeo (a), Newhall, Calif., 2,982. 3, Regina Aboud (a), San Jose, Calif., 2,923. 4, Kristy Whitcher, Belfair, Wash., 2,871. 5, Tish Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2,846. 6, Debbie Ayers, La Mesa, Calif., 2,845.
7, Anne Marie Duggan, Edmond, Okla., 2,804. 8, Sharon Powers (a), Lakewood, Colo., 2,799. 9, Beth Owen Cipielewski, Bradenton, Fla., 2,793. 10, Carol Teel (a), The Villages, Fla., 2,788. 11, Char Hammel, Las Vegas, 2,774. 12, Penny Fentiman, Sweet Home, Ore., 2,767.
13, Karen Barcal (a), Albuquerque, N.M., 2,757. 14, Cheryl Keslar (a), Tonganoxie, Kan., 2,756. 15, Paula Vidad, Sun City, Calif., 2,734. 16, Melody Felton (a), Colfax, Iowa, 2,729. 17, Mandy Wilson (a), Dayton, Ohio, 2,720. 18, Christina Niles, Florence, Ariz., 2,717.
19, MeiLing Billingsley, Lee’s Summit, Mo., 2,715. 20, June Shimoda, Fresno, Calif., 2,695. 21, Edissa Andrade (a), Panama, 2,670. 22, Yolanda Garrett (a), The Colony, Texas, 2,653. 23, Nereyda Mock, Panama, 2,647. 24, Rosanne Costanzo (a), San Diego, 2,646.
25, Ann Sperling, Byram Township, N.J., 2,642. 26, Pam Lawrence (a), Pflugerville, Texas, 2,634. 27, Dawn Leonard (a), Virginia Beach, Va., 2,626. 28, Lizzette Abood (a), Panama, 2,625. 29, Cyndee Sutherland, San Jose, Calif., 2,624. 30, Judith Leroux (a), Meraux, La., 2,623.
31, Inger Bortolazzo (a), Santa Barbara, Calif., 2,598. 32, Susan Condeff, Fremont, Calif., 2,592.
DID NOT ADVANCE
33, Judy Vogel, Slidell, La., 2,581. 34, Lisa Wasson, Murphy, Texas, 2,571. 35, Michele Carter (a), National City, Calif., 2,531. 36, Velma Watson, Chicago, 2,530.
37, Jennifer Nelson (a), Menlo Park, Calif., 2,523. 38, Sharon Ryan, Davie, Fla., 2,515. 39, Tammee Abraham-Loprete (a), Bloomington, Minn., 2,500. 40, Karen Coffey, Rio Rancho, N.M., 2,492. 41, Ann Swann, Wilmington, N.C., 2,489. 42, Debbie Colby (a), Frisco, Texas, 2,483.
43, Shelley Nell (a), Silverdale, Wash., 2,481. 44, Lynn Minning (a), Austin, Texas, 2,474. 45, Linda Andrews (a), Highlands Ranch, Colo., 2,472. 46, Jackie Wyckoff, Campbell, Calif., 2,469. 47, Melanie McAllister (a), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2,468. 48, Guadalupe Coparropa (a), Panama, 2,462.
49, Lisa Goodson (a), Ardmore, Okla., 2,455. 50, Karen Whiteside, Kilgore, Texas, 2,430. 51, LoriJo Turner (a), Sheridan, Wyo., 2,424. 52, Carmen Aguilar (a), St. Petersburg, Fla., 2,397. 53, Milka Vargas, Sun City Center, Fla., 2,393. 54, Susan O’Hara (a), Sahuarita, Ariz., 2,376.
55, Lynn Louze (a), Mosinee, Wis., 2,373. 56, Jacqueline Delawski (a), Williston Park, N.Y., 2,286. 57, Nadine Darsam (a), Baton Rouge, La., 2,250. 58, Elia Isabel Bennett (a), Panama, 2,238. 59, Bernice Downs (a), Chicago, 2,184.
MATCH PLAY
Double elimination, three-game matches decided by total pinfall
ROUND 1
(Winners remain in winners bracket. Losers move to elimination bracket).
(1) Lucy Sandelin, Tampa, Fla., def. (32) Susan Condeff, Fremont, Calif., 643-468
(16) Melody Felton, Colfax, Iowa, def. (17) Mandy Wilson, Dayton, Ohio, 551-469
(9) Beth Owen-Cipielewski, Bradenton, Fla., def. (24) Rosanne Costanzo, San Diego, 604-525
(25) Ann Sperling, Byram Township, N.J., def. (8) Sharon Powers, Lakewood, Colo., 615-578
(5) Tish Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo., def. (28) Lizzette Abood, Panama, 575-517
(21) Edissa Andrade, Panama, def. (12) Penny Fentiman, Sweet Home, Ore., 541-515
(13) Karen Barcal, Albuquerque, N.M., def. (20) June Shimoda, Fresno, Calif., 544-527
(4) Kristy Whitcher, Belfair, Wash., def. (29) Cyndee Sutherland, San Jose, Calif., 533-464
(30) Judith Leroux, Meraux, La., def. (3) Regina Aboud, San Jose, Calif., 623-533
(14) Cheryl Keslar, Tonganoxie, Kan., def. (19) MeiLing Billingsley, Lee’s Summit, Mo., 569-530
(22) Yolanda Garrett, The Colony, Texas, def. (11) Char Hammel, Las Vegas, 538-516
(27) Dawn Leonard, Virginia Beach, Va., def. (6) Debbie Ayers, La Mesa, Calif., 539-518
(7) Anne Marie Duggan, Edmond, Okla., def. (26) Pam Lawrence, Pflugerville, Texas, 663-536
(23) Nereyda Mock, Panama, def. (10) Carol Teel, The Villages, Fla., 552-509
(15) Paula Vidad, Sun City, Calif., def. (18) Christina Niles, Florence, Ariz., 543-506
(31) Inger Bortolazzo, Santa Barbara, Calif., def. (2) Robin Romeo, Newhall, Calif., 677-628
ROUND 2 – WINNERS BRACKET
Sandelin def. Felton, 643-533
Sperling def. Owen-Cipielewski, 600-552
Andrade def. Johnson, 691-565
Whitcher def. Barcal, 672-671
Keslar def. Leroux, 602-509
Leonard def. Garrett, 576-512
Duggan def. Mock, 565-459
Bortolazzo def. Vidad, 530-522
ROUND 2 – ELIMINATION BRACKET
(Losers eliminated, earn $500)
Condeff def. Wilson, 565-502
Powers def. Costanzo, 576-497
Sutherland def. Shimoda, 499-467
Fentiman def. Abood, 537-492
Billingsley def. Aboud, 528-477
Hammel def. Ayers, 525-517
Romeo def. Niles, 584-512
Teel def. Lawrence, 634-548
ROUND 3 – ELIMINATION BRACKET
(Losers eliminated, earn $575)
Condeff def. Garrett, 533-454
Leroux def. Powers, 543-528
Sutherland def. Mock, 492-487
Fentiman def. Vidad, 544-539
Owen-Cipielewski def. Billingsley, 582-533
Hammel def. Felton, 632-562
Romeo def. Johnson, 609-514
Barcal def. Teel, 556-496
ROUND 3 – WINNERS BRACKET
Sandelin def. Sperling, 618-465
Andrade def. Whitcher, 581-487
Keslar def. Leonard, 569-564
Duggan def. Bortolazzo, 575-505
ROUND 4 – ELIMINATION BRACKET
(Losers eliminated, earn $650)
Leroux def. Condeff, 566-497
Fentiman def. Sutherland, 649-493
Hammel def. Owen-Cipielewski, 612-532
Romeo def. Barcal, 647-534
ROUND 4 – WINNERS BRACKET
Sandelin def. Andrade, 686-605
Duggan def. Keslar, 519-508
ROUND 5 – ELIMINATION BRACKET
(Losers eliminated, earn $750)
Whitcher def. Leroux, 520-452
Sperling def. Fentiman, 535-533
Hammel def. Bortolazzo, 582-527
Romeo def. Leonard, 589-569
ROUND 5 – WINNERS BRACKET
(Winner earns No. 1 seed for stepladder; loser is No. 2 seed)
Sandelin def. Duggan, 585-527
ROUND 6 – ELIMINATION BRACKET
(Losers eliminated, earn $850)
Whitcher def, Sperling, 565-527
Romeo def. Hammel, 582-575
ROUND 7 – ELIMINATION BRACKET
(Three highest scores advance to stepladder, high score is No. 3 seed, second high is No. 4, third high is No. 5, lowest score is eliminated, earns $950).
Whitcher 631, Romeo 592, Andrade 559, Keslar, 491
Final standings
1, Lucy Sandelin, Tampa, Fla., 193 (one game), $6,000
2, Anne Marie Duggan, Edmond, Okla., 412 (two games), $5,000
3, Kristy Whitcher, Belfair, Wash., 433 (two games), $4,000
4, Edissa Andrade, Panama, 388 (two games), $3,000
5, Robin Romeo, Newhall, Calif., 194 (one game), $2,000
Stepladder results
Match One – Andrade def. Romeo, 194-194 (Andrade wins roll-off 6-6, 10-10, 7-6)
Match Two – Whitcher def. Andrade, 225-194
Semifinal – Duggan def. Whitcher, 233-208
Championship – Sandelin def. Duggan, 193-179
