Current, Former Huskers Selected to Team USA

Las Vegas, Nev. – Two former members of the Nebraska bowling team have been selected to Team USA 2016 and two current Husker bowlers have been selected to Junior Team USA 2016 following the 2016 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Team USA Trials, held Jan. 3-7 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Shannon Pluhowsky, a Husker from 2001-2005, and Kayla Johnson, a Husker from 2009-2012, will be members of Team USA this year. Pluhowsky was selected to the team based on her performance at the trials this past week, while Johnson earned a spot from the National Selection Committee based on a submitted resume.

Current junior Gazmine Mason was selected to Junior Team USA 2016 based on her performance at the Trials, while sophomore Julia Bond had already earned a spot on Junior Team USA 2016 based on her performance at the 2015 Junior Gold Championships.

Competitors this week earned points based on their finishing position in each of the qualifying rounds - the top bowler of the block earned one ranking point, second place in the block earned two points, etc. - with the lowest total of ranking points after five six-game blocks determining the winners.

Pluhowsky, from Dayton, Ohio, finished fifth overall in a field of 109 bowlers with 66 ranking points. Mason finished 19th overall and seventh among competitors in her age group with 164 ranking points, while Bond finished 24th overall and 10th among competitors in her age group with 180 ranking points.

A three-time National Bowler of the Year (2001, 2004 and 2005), Pluhowsky led the Huskers to three national titles, including back-to-back national championships in the first two years as an NCAA-sanctioned sport in 2004 and 2005. Following her time at Nebraska, she has gone on to a successful professional bowling career. She is a 26-time international medalist and a member of Team USA for the 16th consecutive year. She was inducted into the International Bowling Hall of Fame in 2011 and was a member of the inaugural Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame Class in 2015.

Johnson, from Washington, Ill., was a first team All-American in her senior year at Nebraska in 2012. She posted a team-best 216.2 average at the 2012 NCAA Championships to help Nebraska to a third-place finish. Johnson finished second at the 2013 and 2014 USBC Team USA Summer Trials and has been a member of Team USA in 2014 and 2015.

Mason, from Cranston, R.I., was a third-team All-American a season ago for Nebraska. She won a gold medal and four silver medals at the 2015 Youth Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships in Panama City, Panama, in July of 2015. She finished first in the overall standings at the Crusader Classic in early November with a 223.8 average and has been a member of the all-tournament team at both the Big Red Invitational and TRACK Kat Klash in addition to the Crusader Classic this season. She currently holds a team-leading 207.7 average on the season.

Bond, from Aurora, Ill., was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Bowler after leading Nebraska to the 2015 NCAA Championship last April. She was also a third team All-American in her freshman campaign. She finished second overall at the Big Red Invitational Nov. 12-14 with a 223.4 average and third at the TRACK Kat Klash Dec. 4-6 with a 214.4 average. She is currently second on the team with a 207.6 average.

The Huskers will return to action next Friday through Sunday, Jan. 15-17, in Jonesboro, Ark., for the Mid-Winter Invitational hosted by No. 1 Arkansas State. The Huskers finished third at the tournament a year ago and have finished in the top five every year in which they have competed going back to 2007. NU won the tournament in 2013.