Pikeville, KY – Two members of UPIKE bowling achieved Junior Team USA status this summer, following the Junior Gold Championships held around Grand Rapids, MI. Men's bowling standout Chris LeSuer finished fourth overall while incoming women's bowler Brianna Rogers finished ninth overall.
The competition is a prestigious one, featuring four qualifying rounds followed by advancers and final advancers rounds and a match play bracket. The top three individuals from each division are featured on BowlTV.
LeSueur quickly found himself in the conversation, finishing second in day one of qualifying after totaling 959 throughout four games. Carter Street, who would eventually finish runner-up, was the only bowler with a higher score. LeSueur would rank second in rounds one and two, finishing third in qualifying rounds three and four.
Following the advancers round, LeSueur had cumulated 5544 pins and sat in third. After a tough battle in the match-play bracket opening round, LeSueur fell to Hayden Tarris to fall to the elimination bracket. This wasn't the end for the Kent, Ohio native as he completed a masterclass effort in the elimination bracket that saw the sophomore defeat four opponents before facing Street in the battle for the TV finals. Street pulled ahead with a narrow 43 pin victory to advance, placing LeSueur fourth in the competition that began with over 1,000 bowlers from across the country.
Rogers, who hails from South Carolina, began her Junior Gold run ranked eighth after day one of qualifying. She climbed to seventh overall after an 821 pin performance on day two, sitting comfortably in the top ten. Her best performance came on the third day, where she knocked down 855 pins to shoot to fourth. She remained competitive throughout the advancers rounds, holding the fourth spot entering the match play bracket.
Like LeSueur, Rogers would fall in the opening round of match play by 36 pins but bounced back in the elimination bracket. After defeating Brenna Hartzier 387-374 in Friday's elimination game, Rogers faced Victoria Varano on Saturday and would fall by a narrow 19-pin margin.
USBC's Junior Team USA consists of at least 18 boys and 18 girls, and both Rogers and LeSueur achieved this status by way of their performances in this years' Junior Gold Championships.
