Jazreel wins Collegiate Bowlers of the Year Award
20th April, Columbus: Jazreel Tan of Wichita State University and T.J. Schmidt of Purdue University were presented the Bowling Writers Association of America's (BWAA) Collegiate Bowlers of the Year awards at the awards reception held in conjunction with the Intercollegiate Bowling Championships in Columbus, Georgia.
Both bowlers, Tan in the women's competitions and Schmidt in the men's, had dominating seasons, particularly in the year's major tournaments.
Tan captured the individual all-events titles in the Blue & Gold Classic and the Backhaul Direct Hoosier Classic. She also finished fourth in the Collegiate Shoot-Out and sixth in the Glenn Carlson Las Vegas Invitational, giving her a top-6 finish in all four of the Tier 1 tournaments in which she competed this season.
She also claimed the all-events crown in the Mid-States Tournament, a Tier 2 tournament which consistently features a very strong field, giving her top-6 finishes in 5 out of 6 tournaments this season.
Schmidt captured the men's all-events crowns in the National Collegiate Team Match Games and the Backhaul Direct Hoosier Classic. With a 3rd place finish in the Blue & Gold Classic, he had top-3 finishes in three of the four Tier 1 tournaments in which he competed.
He also took the top individual honors in the Brickyard Classic, for top 3 finishes in 5 out of the 9 tournaments in which he competed this season.
| Runners-Up for the women's award (in alphabetical order): | |
| • Jenn Boisselle | University of Central Florida |
| • Amanda Greene | Lindenwood University |
| • Maria Rodriguez | University of Maryland (Eastern Shore) |
| • Kim Yioulos | Pikeville College |
| Women's finalists receiving Honorable Mention (6th through 8th places in the BWAA voting) are: | |
| • Brandi Branka | McKendree University |
| • Heather D'Errico | Robert Morris University (Illinois) |
| • Kristie Petravich | University of Central Florida |
| Runners-Up for the men's award (in alphabetical order, five names due to a tie for 5th place in the voting): | |
| • Chris Bardol Robert | Morris University (Illinois) |
| • Marcus Berndt | Wichita State University |
| • Charles Easton | University of Toledo |
| • Greg Geering | California State University (Fresno) |
| • Marcelo Suartz | Webber International University |
| Men's finalists receiving Honorable Mention (7th & 8th places in the BWAA voting) are: | |
| • Jack Castellano | Briarcliffe College |
| • Erik Gulbrandson | Wichita State University |
| Bowling Writers Association of America (BWAA), founded in 1934, with membership open to top professional and amateur bowling writers and photographers, has a mission to create a new and continuing generation of bowling journalists offering opportunities for achievement, recognition and growth.Photos courtesy of BWAA. | |