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Bowling

Sectional invitation is 'great achievement' for new USF program

By PHIL GULICK
Published March 4, 2005

The University of South Florida men's and women's squads, in their first intercollegiate season and with only three tournaments under their belts, received an invitation to the USBC Intercollegiate Team and Singles Sectional Finals. "It's a great achievement for our first-year teams, and we're looking forward to competing against the best," said Bill Bedford, who with his wife, Cheryl, coaches the USF program.

The sectional is scheduled for March 18-20 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The United States Bowling Congress now is the governing body of youth, collegiate and adult bowling, and many tourneys carry the USBC logo.

The Bulls will compete against the University of Kansas men and Pikeville (Ky.) women, both defending national champions, at the Holiday Bowl Brainerd in Chattanooga.

Other sectional squads are Ball State, Central Missouri State, Cincinnati, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Maryland-Baltimore County, McKendree, Purdue, Saginaw Valley State, Toledo, Vincennes and Virginia Tech.

The University of Central Florida, ranked first in the country by the Bowling Writers Association of America and coached by WIBC Hall of Famer Pat Costello, is in the Allentown, Pa., sectional. Fairview Heights, Ill., and San Jose, Calif., are the other sectionals.

In all, 64 top teams were invited. The squads will roll 64 Baker games, with the top four teams from each sectional, based on total pinfall, advancing to the USBC Intercollegiate Championships, set for May in Milwaukee.

The sectional singles run concurrently with the team event. All participants have six scratch games, with total pinfall determining the final standings. The top four finishers in each division (men and women) move on to Milwaukee.

YOUTH WINNERS: Greg Ickes, James Moore, Dave Segler, Brandon Hott and Brian Bright each won two titles in the Greater Pinellas YABA City Tournament at Southland Lanes.

Ickes' team won the A Division championship and he took the scratch all-events with 2,097. Moore and Segler were on the winning B Division squad and paired up for the doubles crown.

Hott and Austin Bohan took the C Division doubles and Hott topped handicap all-events (2,409). Bright and Steven Peacock captured the A Division and Bright the singles with a 720 series.

LANGTON CAPTURES TITLE: Seminole's Rich Langton won his first PBA South Region tournament Feb. 6 in Enterprise, Ala.

Langton defeated Wesley Chapel's Darin Hays for $2,500. Langton compiled a 7-1 match-play mark. ONEAL WINS: Tampa's Chris Oneal defeated St. Petersburg's Les Foerster 204-203 to win the NABI Club Tournament and $250 on Sunday at Seminole Lanes.

Cathy Worrall was third and Dale Barber fourth. Both are from St. Petersburg.

The club will be at Countryside Lanes on March 13.

CLOSE, BUT... Clearwater's Dave Hamm rolled 299, 300 and 278 games for an 875 series at Countryside Lanes. Hamm's series is three pins shy of the Pinellas County mark set by Largo's Paul Victory in 1997 and 11 pins short of the 886 state record established by William Connors Jr., Lakeland, last October.

AROUND THE LANES: High scorers - John Taft, 290-696 at AMF Kenneth City; Joe Panebianco, 300-800, and Ray Mann, 300-724, Seminole; Don MacDonald, 300-710, and Beth Lott, 290-693, Liberty; Steve Taton, 300-730, Dunedin; Josh Gillilan, 290-730, Tarpon; and Harold Baldwin, 300-694, and Carl Quick Jr., 290-717, Rainbow. ... The Clearwater Women's Association Tournament hits the boards this weekend and ends March 13 at Dunedin Lanes.

- Phil Gulick can be reached at xerxes8@msn.com

[Last modified March 4, 2005, 00:31:15]