Mika Koivuniemi, Shannon Pluhowsky chosen as 2011 BWAA Bowlers of the Year
03/24/12
Mika Koivuniemi (pictured left), the Finland star living in Hartland, Mich., and Shannon Pluhowsky (right) of Kettering, Ohio, added to their 2011 success by being selected male and female Bowlers of the Year by the Bowling Writers Association of America.
Voting in both divisions was fairly close with each first-place vote worth five points, second place three points and third place one point.
Koivuniemi received 30 of 63 first-place votes to total 192 points and finish ahead of two-handed Australian sensation Jason Belmonte who earned 15 top votes and 145 overall points.
Professional Bowlers Association Senior star Ron Mohr of Eagle River, Alaska, was third with 89 points (10 first-place votes) followed by Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, with 50 (7), Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., with 33 (1) and Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., with 9 (0).
Pluhowsky earned 29 of 68 first-place votes and finished with 182 points, just 21 ahead of Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y. Johnson collected 21 top votes. Bowling's U.S. Women's Open winner Leanne Hulsenberg of Roseville, Calif., was third in the voting with 63 points (9 first-place votes), 2010 Bowler of the Year Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., placed fourth with 58 points (4), Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of Keller, Texas, was fifth with 47 points (2) and USBC Queens champion Missy Parkin of Lake Forest, Calif., was sixth with 30 points (3).
Koivuniemi won three tournaments in 2011, the PBA Tournament of Champions and World Tenpin Bowling Association World Bowling Tour's Brunswick Ballmaster Open and World Bowling Tour Finals. He placed second in the U.S. Open and third in the Bayer United States Bowling Congress Masters.
The player known as "Major Mika" had two other top-five PBA Tour finishes, fourth in the Shark Open and fifth in the One-A-Day Earl Anthony Memorial. He finished 2011 with a 224.29 average while earning a PBA-best $325,540 in prize money.
Pluhowsky, a member of the USBC Team USA, dominated the WTBA World Women's Championships in September in Hong Kong. She won gold medals in the doubles (with Liz Johnson), trios (with Stefanie Nation and Shannon O'Keefe) and team (with Johnson, Nation, O'Keefe, Kelly Kulick and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard) events before rolling 300 and 299 games to help her beat Singapore's Daphne Tan three-games-to-one in the best-of-five games Masters championship match. She also earned a bronze medal in all-events.
The left-hander placed sixth in the U.S. Women's Open in Euless, Texas, eighth in the USBC Women's Championships Diamond/Classic singles and ninth in Diamond/Classic all-events.
Awards for Koivuniemi and Pluhowsky will be presented during the BWAA Annual Meetings and International Bowl Expo in Reno, Nev.
BAWW Awards
Mika Koivuniemi (pictured left), the Finland star living in Hartland, Mich., and Shannon Pluhowsky (right) of Kettering, Ohio, added to their 2011 success by being selected male and female Bowlers of the Year by the Bowling Writers Association of America.Voting in both divisions was fairly close with each first-place vote worth five points, second place three points and third place one point.
Koivuniemi received 30 of 63 first-place votes to total 192 points and finish ahead of two-handed Australian sensation Jason Belmonte who earned 15 top votes and 145 overall points.
Professional Bowlers Association Senior star Ron Mohr of Eagle River, Alaska, was third with 89 points (10 first-place votes) followed by Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, with 50 (7), Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., with 33 (1) and Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., with 9 (0).
Pluhowsky earned 29 of 68 first-place votes and finished with 182 points, just 21 ahead of Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y. Johnson collected 21 top votes. Bowling's U.S. Women's Open winner Leanne Hulsenberg of Roseville, Calif., was third in the voting with 63 points (9 first-place votes), 2010 Bowler of the Year Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., placed fourth with 58 points (4), Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of Keller, Texas, was fifth with 47 points (2) and USBC Queens champion Missy Parkin of Lake Forest, Calif., was sixth with 30 points (3).
Koivuniemi won three tournaments in 2011, the PBA Tournament of Champions and World Tenpin Bowling Association World Bowling Tour's Brunswick Ballmaster Open and World Bowling Tour Finals. He placed second in the U.S. Open and third in the Bayer United States Bowling Congress Masters.
The player known as "Major Mika" had two other top-five PBA Tour finishes, fourth in the Shark Open and fifth in the One-A-Day Earl Anthony Memorial. He finished 2011 with a 224.29 average while earning a PBA-best $325,540 in prize money.
Pluhowsky, a member of the USBC Team USA, dominated the WTBA World Women's Championships in September in Hong Kong. She won gold medals in the doubles (with Liz Johnson), trios (with Stefanie Nation and Shannon O'Keefe) and team (with Johnson, Nation, O'Keefe, Kelly Kulick and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard) events before rolling 300 and 299 games to help her beat Singapore's Daphne Tan three-games-to-one in the best-of-five games Masters championship match. She also earned a bronze medal in all-events.
The left-hander placed sixth in the U.S. Women's Open in Euless, Texas, eighth in the USBC Women's Championships Diamond/Classic singles and ninth in Diamond/Classic all-events.
Awards for Koivuniemi and Pluhowsky will be presented during the BWAA Annual Meetings and International Bowl Expo in Reno, Nev.
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