Bearkats medal in international competition
7/21/2011 9:17:00 AM | Women's Bowling
Bearkat bowlers Neishka Cardona and Elise Bolton have racked up impressive performances in the 2011 Pan American Bowling Confederation Youth Championships in Santiago, Dominican Republic this week.
On the first day of competition, Bolton (a 2011 Sam Houston signee who will begin competing for the Bearkats this fall) took the silver medal in the sub-20 girls singles while Cardona (who will be a sophomore this fall at SHSU) rallied to finish third and take the bronze medal.
Tuesday, Cardona and her Puerto Rico teammate Kristie Lopez took gold in the girls doubles with a total of 2,560 pins. Bolton and her Team USA partner Danielle McEwan finished in sixth place with 2,364 pins.
The win by Cardona and Lopez represents the first gold medal in the under 20 girls doubles in Puerto Rico's women's bowling history
The 2011 PABCON Youth Championships are being held at the Cibao Bowling Center in Santiago.
Cardona was a member of the inaugural Bearkat women's bowling team that earned a berth in the NCAA Division I Elite Eight and finished No. 7 in the country in 2011.
Bolton, the Merritt Island, Fla. Product, will join the Bearkat team as a freshman in 2011-12, is playing for Team USA.
More than 100 bowlers from 16 countries are competing in the PABCON Youth Championships, which features two divisions, one for bowlers 20 and younger and the other for bowlers 16 and younger. Junior Team USA will compete only in the under-20 division.
The competition continues with trios on Wednesday, team on Thursday and Friday and concludes Saturday with Masters. Medals will also be awarded in all-events.
Joining Bolton on the Junior Team USA which will compete only in the under-20 division are Jessica Earnest of Vandalia, Ill., Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, N.Y., and Kaitlin Quinn of Livonia, N.Y. On the boys side, Junior Team USA is represented by Marshall Kent of Yakima, Wash., Kyle King of Glendale, Ariz., Andrew Koff of Miami and EJ Tackett of Huntington, Ind.
