Diandra Asbaty of Chicago and Dan Patterson of West Seneca, N.Y., were crowned U.S. Amateur champions Friday at the United States Bowling Congress Team USA Championships in the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada.
Asbaty, the 1999 U.S. Amateur champion, earned a spot on Team USA for the eighth time in her career by posting a total of 10,811, including match play bonus pins, for 48 games. She went 15-8-1 in matches.

Patterson, who was a first-time Team USA member in 2005, won the title with 12,540, including match play bonus pins, for 56 games. He went 22-10-0 in matches.

The top five men and women earned automatic spots on Team USA 2006. Patterson is joined on the men's side by Fero Williams of Gardena, Calif., Scott Pohl of Eagan, Minn., Martin Bedford of Lockport, N.Y., and Ronnie Sparks Jr. of Wayne, Mich.

Asbaty is joined by Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix, Olivia Sandham of Wichita, Kan., Lynda Barnes of Flower Mound, Texas, and Samantha Linder of Winter Haven, Fla.

The National Selection Committee also selected three men and women from the players who made match play to join the team. David Haynes of Las Vegas, Bill Hoffman of Columbus, Ohio, Rhino Page of San Diego, Stefanie Nation of Orlando, Fla., Shannon O'Keefe of Rochester, N.Y., and Amanda Burgoyne of Newport, Minn., were all picked.

The committee also awarded two-year Team USA spots to Haynes, Hoffman, Williams, Pluhowsky, Barnes and Nation. Patterson and Asbaty automatically earned two-year spots.

Asbaty charged into the lead for the first time all week after 47 of 48 games. A 279 in game 47 moved her ahead of Pluhowsky and Linder. Despite falling to Pluhowsky 195-190 in the final position round match, Asbaty hung on to win the title.

"I came here just to make Team USA, and that's all that mattered to me," Asbaty said. "I knew it was going to be a marathon week, so I just sort of paced myself. Coming into the last eight games I knew I needed to turn it on to make the team."

Patterson's run to the title was just as stressful. Leading by just eight pins heading into the position round game against Williams, Patterson struck out in the 10th for a 259 game. Williams struck on the first ball in the 10th but failed to strike on the second ball for 254.

"I put a note on my wall two years ago that I wanted to make Team USA, and that goal came true last year," Patterson said. "Then my new goal was to win the U.S. Amateur championship. It's one of those things were the dream came true, and I can't even put it into words. It's amazing."

Team USA 2006 members will participate in events such as the World Tenpin Bowling Association Men's World Championships, Tournament of the Americas and QubicaAMF World Cup.

Martin Bedford of Lockport, N.Y., surprised the field and even himself Thursday at the United States Bowling Congress Team USA Championships.

Bedford, who is in the Air Force, averaged just under 242 for eight games on the short oil pattern in the second block of round-robin match play at the National Bowling Stadium. He leads with 8,899, including bonus pins, and was 11-4-1 in matches over Thursday's 16 games. Fero Williams of Gardena, Calif., is second at 8,890.

"I never would have dreamed I'd be this high in the standings," said the 38-year-old Bedford, who is stationed at Hill Air Force Base near Salt Lake City. "I absolutely love the short oil pattern. Everything just suits me, from my equipment to my release to my speed. I just get lined up on it."

Bedford is one of 45 players who competed in the U.S. Armed Forces Championships, which uses players scores in the Team USA Championships to determine winners. Bedford led Air Force to the men's team title.

On the women's side, Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix maintained her lead but saw the margin shrink after eight games of match play. Pluhowsky went 5-3 and has a 7,288 total. She leads fellow left-hander Samantha Linder of Winter Haven, Fla., by 162 pins.

Pluhowsky's lead slowly shrunk after six games but a ball change helped her surge back and establish a more comfortable margin. She closed with games of 278 and 217. "I changed balls and moved left and it worked out," Pluhowsky said. "I went to a more even roll that wasn't as snappy at the break point. That gave me a little more room than the other balls I was throwing."

The women's record or the highest eight-game block was broken for the third time this week. Pluhowsky set a new record on the first day with 1,874, which was broken a day after by Amanda Burgoyne after shooting 1,878 Tuesday. Olivia Sandham (pictured), Wichita, KS, rolled a 1,896 series en route to leap four spots into fifth place.

The 32 men and 24 women return for Friday's final two rounds of match play to determine the two U.S. Amateur champions as well as the 16 players who will make up Team USA in 2006.

The week started with nearly 225 of the best amateur players in the United States. Only the top five men and women are guaranteed spots on Team USA. The National Selection Committee, which consists of Team USA head coach Jeri Edwards, assistant coach Ken Yokobosky and former Team USA member Kendra Gaines, will select three more men and women from those who advanced to match play.

"This is always the most difficult decision that we face in a year's time, and this year is every bit as difficult as any year I've seen," Edwards said. "We've got a huge talent pool here this week. The tough thing is we don't have enough spots on the team for every good player. We'll have some very difficult decisions to make."

Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix continued to dominate the field, breaking the 24-game qualifying record Wednesday at the United States Bowling Congress Team USA Championships.

Pluhowsky, a three-time U.S. Amateur champion, finished qualifying 244 pins ahead of second place at the National Bowling Stadium. She totaled 5,491, an average of better than 228 a game, to top the previous 24-game record of 5,174 set by Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., in 1999. Six other players also surpassed that mark this week.

P.J. Haggerty of Clovis, Calif., was the high qualifier for the men, totaling 5,277. He leads Chris Pitts of Fresno, Calif., by 28 pins.

The top 32 men and 24 women advanced to match play on Thursday and Friday. The man and woman with the highest pinfall after match play will be declared U.S. Amateur champion.

"Each day gets more comfortable game by game because there's one less game," Pluhowsky said. "As match play goes on I'll start to relax a little bit. The field is a lot smaller now so the pace will pick up and things will get faster and in a better rhythm."

Pluhowsky posted an eight-game total of 1,770 Wednesday, her lowest of the three qualifying blocks.

"The lanes were different today and there was a little more hook in the middle and not as much hold," Pluhowsky said. "I started out trying to play the same area as Monday but I had some over/under. I moved in with a little stronger ball to get away from it."

For Haggerty, the lanes also played different in comparison to the same long oil pattern the players saw Monday.

"The lanes hooked a little earlier but I just played with some wrist positions and went through different balls to find a lot of success," Haggerty said. "The game I had the front nine was the only game I used that ball and then it went back in the bag. It's funny how it worked. The longer patterns mean you have to play in, so that's what I did and just played smart. I made the right moves and filled frames."

Chris Pitts of Fresno, Calif., had modest expectations heading into the United States Bowling Congress Team USA Championships. He hoped to just make match play. Now, Pitts finds himself at the top of the leaderboard on the men's side with 3,561 after 16 games at the National Bowling Stadium.

Pitts leads John Janawicz of Winter Haven, Fla., by just one pin heading into the final round of qualifying on Wednesday. "My actual goal coming in was just to make the top 32," the 26-year-old Pitts said. "Of course, you want to make Team USA but you also have to set realistic goals and then change them in the future."

For the women, Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix continued to roll over the field. She sits in first by 115 pins at 3,721. However, Pluhowsky's record for the highest eight-game block (1874) in the Team USA Championships was broken a day after she set it. Amanda Burgoyne of Newport, Minn., a Team USA member in 2005, set the new record after shooting 1,878 Tuesday. Burgoyne is tied for fourth at 3,490.

Pluhowsky, who is averaging 232 for 16 games, should have little trouble breaking the 24-game record for women. She needs just 1,454, an average of just over 180 a game, to top the record of 5,174 set by Kelly Kullick of Union, N.J., in 1999.

Three players recorded perfect games Tuesday. Anita Manns of Austin, Texas, Samantha Linder of Winter Haven, Fla., and Ronnie Sparks Jr. of Wayne, Mich., each shot 300.

Qualifying wraps up Wednesday with eight games on the long oil pattern. The top 32 men and 24 women will advance to match play on Thursday and Friday.

Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix set the record for the highest eight-game qualifying block in the history of the United States Bowling Congress Team USA Championships on Monday at the National Bowling Stadium.

The 23-year-old left-hander a three-time U.S. Amateur champion and two-time World Cup champion, had an 1,874 total, topping the previous record of 1,869 by Missy Sullivan of Coon Rapids, Minn., in 1996.

"I was comfortable, didn't have to change balls at all and things just fell into place," said Pluhowsky, who only had one open in the block. "We've got a lot of games left, though. I'll just start over tomorrow. It's a different day and a different pattern. I'll have to keep making good shots and try to stay clean."

On the men's side, three-time Junior Team USA member P.J. Haggerty of Clovis, Calif., took a narrow lead with 1,828. Steve Weber of Chalmette, La., a member of Team USA in 2005, sits in second at 1,816.

"I had a great look the whole day," Haggerty said. "It's nice to get off to a good start, but I can't get comfortable. I have to keep working hard and making shots."

Qualifying continues Tuesday with eight games on the short oil pattern. The final eight games of qualifying will take place Wednesday on the long oil pattern. The top 32 men and 24 women will advance to match play on Thursday and Friday.

Nearly 225 of the best amateur bowlers in the United States are competing for spots on Team USA this week. The top five men and women are guaranteed spots on Team USA with the National Selection Committee selecting three more men and women from those who advanced to match play.

Team USA 2006 members will participate in events such as the World Tenpin Bowling Association Men's World Championships, Tournament of the Americas and QubicaAMF World Cup.

After a two-year absence, the 2006 USBC Team USA Championships formerly known as USA Bowling National Amateur Championships will return to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, from January 8-13, 2006.

The USBC Team USA Championships, in which athletes battle for U.S. Amateur titles and Team USA berths, has a rich history at the National Bowling Stadium, which played tournament host from 1998 to 2003.

The 2004 National Amateur Championships were held at the Castaways Bowling Center in Las Vegas (Shannon Pluhowsky and Richard Fairley were the champions) while Lynda Barnes and Rhino Page won the 2005 U.S. National Amateur titles at Don Carter's All-Star Lanes West in Dallas, Texas.

The top five men and women in their respective divisions at the USBC Team USA Championships will earn Team USA berths for that calendar year, along with three additional men and women who will receive at-large selections from the National Selection Committee following competition. The 2006 championships will also be used as preliminary qualifying for the 2007 Pan American Games.

"We are honored to be hosting the USBC Team USA Championships once again," said Joe Kelley, National Bowling Stadium general manager. "It's a real honor that our U.S. national team will be decided on our new lanes and we look forward to continuing our great relationship with USBC and its members."

New for 2006, athletes only need to pay the $250 direct entry fee to secure a spot in the USBC Team USA Championships and are no longer required to participate in local and/or state qualifiers to receive special entry. State and local associations are encouraged to hold qualifiers and sponsor qualifying athletes for the $250 entry fee.

Current Team USA members will continue to receive paid entries to the USBC Team USA Championships.

The 2006 USBC Women's Championships (formerly the Women's International Bowling Congress Championship Tournament) and the 2006 USBC Queens and Senior Queens (formerly WIBC Queens and Senior Queens Tournaments) also will be held at the National Bowling Stadium. In 2007, the USBC Open Championships (formerly the American Bowling Congress Championships Tournament) will return to the National Bowling Stadium as well.