Pro Bowling Tournament Draws Husker Greats

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

The last time a professional bowling tournament came to Lincoln, Bill Straub was a young man and the person writing this blog was interviewing him as a relative newcomer to the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association). That was 44 years ago at Lincoln's Hollywood Bowl Lanes.

Straub, Nebraska's head bowling coach, twice has been named National Coach of the Year and five times has led the Huskers to NCAA national championships (in 2004, 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2015). On Friday and Saturday, the Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) visits the Capital City for the first Lincoln Open at Sun Valley Lanes in West Lincoln.

An estimated 80-plus bowlers will compete this weekend, and 10 of them are former Huskers who have earned a combined 24 individual All-America honors, not to mention five former NCAA Women's Bowler of the Year Award winners, led by Shannon Pluhowky's three premier accolades in 2001, 2004 and 2005. 

Liz Kuhlkin Seeks Back-to-Back $10,000 Paydays

The other four Husker NCAA Women Bowlers of the Year who will compete this weekend are Diandra Asbaty (2000), Lindsay Baker (2006), Cassie Leuthold (2010) and Liz Kuhlkin, who won the NCAA's highest honor last April while helping lead Nebraska to its seventh national championship. Kuhlkin, the Huskers' 2015 Female Athlete of the Year, won the Topeka Open last weekend in Kansas and the $10,000 prize that went with it. The Lincoln Open offers the same amount for this weekend's winner.

Even though Kuhlkin is a prominent contender to win the Lincoln Open, Nebraska Associate Head Bowling Coach Paul Klempa said Sun Valley Lanes often favors left-handed bowlers, giving Pluhowsky an opportunity to capitalize and regain her remarkable consistency in professional bowling. Pluhowsky will be officially inducted into the inaugural Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame Class on September 5th when the Huskers host BYU in their season football opener.

Ten All-Americans Produced 24 Individual Honors

At a mini-reunion for former Husker bowlers Thursday night at the Union on UNL's East Campus, we shot a group picture. The following caption represents the years in which each bowler earned an All-America honor. Front row sitting, from left: Jasmine Laugerman, Diandra Asbaty (2000), Kristi Mickelson (2012), Andrea Ruiz and Leuthold (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010). Back row standing, from left: Coach Klempa, Jennifer Wilson (1991), Jamie Martin (2005, 2006), Pluhowsky (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005), Kayla Johnson (2012), Kuhlkin (2013, 2014, 2015) and Elise Bolton (2013). 

Send a comment to ryork@huskers.com (Please include city, state)

Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider

Randy’s N-Sider Column Archive