July 12, 2007
BUFFALO, NY – Josie Earnest is leading a strong contingent of Vanderbilt bowlers at the United States Junior Gold Bowling Championships after several days of competition.
Earnest, the MVP at last April’s NCAA Championship, is in third place in a field of 499 bowlers from around the nation. She is averaging 204.08 pins per game over the tricky lane conditions.
Amanda Halter and Ellen Morrison, a pair of incoming freshmen, are also in the top echelon of bowlers. Halter, of Georgetown, Texas, is in 13th position with a strong 194.78 average while Morrison, a native of Winnebago, Ill., is in 40th with a 186.4 average. Commodore sophomore Ashley Belden jumped in the standings after a slow start and is in 244th place.
The bulky field gets cut to 64 after today’s qualifying is finished. Those 64 bowl six games Friday morning and the field is cut again to 24 for another six games Friday afternoon.
The top four bowlers plus four at-large competitors are then selected for the USA Junior Gold team, a squad that Earnest has already made twice.
Follow complete results on bowl.com.