Huskers Return to Competition

This Weekend
Tournament: Southern Varsity Invitational
2003 Finish: First appearance
This week’s lineup: Amanda Burgoyne, Adrienne Miller, Jamie Martin, Christina Perez, Shannon Pluhowsky and Jen Schultz.
Next Week: @ Brunswick Coca Cola Classic (Jan. 30-Feb. 1)

Huskers Return to Competition
After a six-week break, the Nebraska bowling team returns to action this week looking to establish another school record, as they travel to Baton Rouge, La., for the Southern Varsity Classic. Action starts at 8 a.m. each morning, as Nebraska will return to the lanes for the first time in 2004.

"We are looking forward to competing this weekend," NU Coach Bill Straub said. "The break gave us a chance to get rested and we have had a good week of practice. With Central Missouri State, Sacred Heart and Southern, we will have some good competition this week.

The Huskers, who were on top of the first coaches poll of the season, will be looking to win their fifth tournament title in a row and become the first Husker bowling team to accomplish the feat. The 2003-04 Huskers have equalled the record of four straight tourney titles set in 2001.

Not only have the Huskers won all four team titles during the fall, but also swept the individual honors as well. Shanon Pluhowsky (Phoenix, Ariz.) has a team-high three titles, and is averaging a 228.667 in 33 games. The average is on pace to shatter her own single-season mark of 222.140 set in 2000-01, the Huskers’ last national championship season. Freshman Amanda Burgoyne (Newport, Minn.) claimed the other individual title at the Women’s Triad Classic in November, and is averaging a 193.759 in 29 games. Her total, along with fellow freshmen Adrianne Miller (Albuquerque, N.M.) rank just off the top five seasons by a Husker freshman.

The Huskers have been forced to juggle their schedule for the second semester. NU will now travel to Las Vegas for the Brunswick Coca-Cola Classic Jan. 30-Feb. 1 and will make trips to Newark N.J. (March 5-7) and Birmingham, Ala. (March 12-14). Straub said that other tournaments may be added since NU now has a month break following the Coca-Cola Classic.

Huskers Well Represented on Team USA
While the team was off, a pair of current Huskers got the year off on the right foot last weekend at the U.S. Amateur championships. Junior Shannon Pluhowsky won her third straight U.S. Amateur title with a total pinfall of 10,387 pins. Her pinfall beat Olivia Sandham’s total by 105 pins, as Pluhowsky averaged 208.90 over 40 games. It marked the first time that a female bowler won three straight U.S. Amateur titles and chinched Pluhowsky’s fourth straight appearance on Team USA.

Another current Husker joined Pluhowsky on Team USA as freshman Amanada Burgoyne earned one of the automatic qualifying marks with a fifth-place showing. Burgonye finished with a pinfall of 10,098 (205.70 average ) over five days of bowling. Burgoyne, who will make her first appearance on Team USA, also turned in the top average during three days of qualifying, topping more than 100 bowlers with an average of 212.

The duo will be joined by another former Husker, as Diandra Asbaty (Hyman) qualified for one of the three at-latge spots, finishing 10th with a total of 9,792. In all, three of the eight Team USA positions in 2004 will be filled by bowlers with ties to the Husker program.

"We are proud to have to current bowlers on Team USA with Shannon and Amanda," Straub said.