Pluhowsky Three-Peats as U.S. Amateur Champion

Las Vegas ? University of Nebraska bowler Shannon Pluhowsky became the first female to win three straight national titles, as she captured the 2004 U.S. Amateur championship Saturday evening in Las Vegas.

The 21-year-old from Phoenix, Ariz., added another title to her illustrious career with her third straight U.S. Amateur title, breaking the mark of two straight she held with both Julie Gardner (1991-92) and Liz Johnson (1993-94).

With the win, Pluhowsky, who topped a field of over 100 of the best female bowlers in the nation, also earned an automatic spot on Team USA for the 2004 season. She will represent the U.S. in upcoming international competition, including the Bowling World Cup, an event she won in 2002 and was runner-up last season. It marks the fifth Team USA selection for the 21-year old Pluhowsky.

"It has always been said that it is tougher to stay on top then get to the top, and that puts a lot of pressure on Shannon because people expect her to win every time she competes," NU Coach Bill Straub said. "Shannon has a lot of physical talent, but what separates her from the rest is her heart and drive. To come out and perform under the pressure shows so much about her physical and mental makeup. We are proud to have her do what no female bowler has ever done ? win three straight U.S. Amateur titles."

Pluhowsky finished the five-day tournament with a total score of 10,387 pins, topping runner-up Olivia Sandham’s total by 105 pins. Pluhowsky, who averaged 208.90 over 40 games, went 10-6 during Saturday’s 16 match play games.

"It definitely needs to sink in,” Pluhowsky said. “This week I just tried to play my own game and stay clean ? not get into too much trouble. It’s a great feeling to be able to represent our country as many times as I’ve been able to do.”

Pluhowsky, who also is a two-time U.S. Junior Amateur Champion, had eight-game blocks of 1,732 and 1,536 on Saturday.

Pluhowsky will be joined by another Husker on Team USA, as freshman Amanda Burgoyne (Newport, Minn.) clinched one of the five automatic berths with a fifth-place finish. Burgoyne, a two-time Junior Team USA member, claimed her first spot on Team USA and bettered her seventh-place finish of a year ago. The 18-year-old finished with a total pinfall of 10,098, including an 11-13 mark over two days of match play. Burgoyne averaged a 205.70 during the week

Pluhowsky and Burgoyne, who was also honored for the top score during the qualiying portion of the tournament with an average of over 212. both earned automatic bids based upon top-five finishes, while the selection committee was still deciding the other three spots as of late Saturday.

Diandra Asbaty (Hyman) and Kari Schwager both placed among the top 13 in the final results. Asbaty, who was selected as one of three at-large berths, claimed her sixth straight Team USA appearance by finishing 10th with a total pinfall of 9792 (198.79 average). Schwager, who was a team USA member in 2002, placed 13th with a score of 9,762 (197.96 average) and was not chosen for the national team.

"As the coach of this program, we were proud to have put three bowlers on Team USA this year," Straub said. It says a lot about this program and the special bowlers we have had over the years."

The Husker bowling team, which is ranked No. 1 in the national polls, return to action after nearly a two-month break next weekend, as they travel to Baton Rouge, La., for the Southern Classic.