It was a feeling Lindenwood junior Brian Valenta (right) didn't want to experience again -- finishing second at the United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Singles Championships. Now for the second straight year, he ended his season as a collegiate national champion.

Valenta used timely strikes and relatively error-free play to defeat East Tennessee State senior Aaron Murray (left) 3-1 in the best-of-5 men's title match of the 2006 USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships on Tuesday at Olympic Lanes -- avenging his runner-up finish at the 2004 event.

"I didn't feel like being second again," said the two-hand throwing Valenta, a Lockport, Ill., native who averaged 222.45 in 11 games Tuesday. "This is great feeling."

It is the second collegiate national championship for Valenta. He led Lindenwood to the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships men's national title in 2005.

Valenta, who earned the No. 1 seed from Monday's qualifying, opened the championship match with a 227-216 victory in Game 1 before Murray, Greenville, Tenn., roared back -- stringing seven consecutive strikes -- to take the second game, 266-206.

"I knew the championship match would be high-scoring," said Valenta, a first-team All-American who opened only once in the championship match. "Especially after Aaron shot 266, I knew I had to really bowl. Going through my head, I was thinking I needed 500 over the next two games if I wanted to win."

He got his 500 -- and a lot more. Valenta responded with six strikes in the first eight frames of his 237-223 Game 3 victory, and then struck on his first five shots in Game 4 on the way to a convincing 267-219 championship clinching triumph.

Valenta defeated Western New England senior Vito Genova, Franklin Square, N.Y., 3-0 in the quarterfinals and Newman senior Brandon Frazier, Mulvane, Kan., 3-1 in the semifinals. He received the Joe Norris Trophy, named for the legendary American Bowling Congress Championships Tournament champion.

Wichita State senior Olivia Sandham, Wichita, Kan., rallied from two games down to claim the women's national championship, defeating Penn State junior Elysia Current, Ephrata, Pa., 3-2 in the title match. Sandham, who was seeded No. 1 as well, was presented with the Marion Ladewig Trophy, named in honor of the legendary Women's International Bowling Congress Championship Tournament champion.

It is the first time both top seeds emerged victorious in the three-year history of the championships. All four finalists have experience as past or present members of Junior Team USA.

Hammer Bowling, an Ebonite International brand, is the official sponsor of the 2006 USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships.

Participants bowled 12 qualifying games Monday to determine seeding for Tuesday's best-of-5, single-elimination match play competition beginning. The top four seeds in each division received byes to match play's third round, while No. 5 through No. 8 seeds received byes to the second round.

Qualifying for the USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships was held at the four Intercollegiate Bowling Championships Sectional Qualifier sites -- Allentown, Pa.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Fairview Heights, Ill.; and Fort Worth, Texas -- on March 24. All participants bowled six games with total pinfall determining final standings. The top four finishers in each division (male and female) at each site advanced to the USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships.

The event replaced the Association of College Unions International National Championships as the premier individual college bowling tournament supported by the USBC Collegiate program.