Masters champion Simonsen joins 2016 Team USA

Terry Bigham
USBC Communications
Published: March 15, 2016 | Bowl.com
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ARLINGTON, Texas – Anthony Simonsen of Princeton, Texas, who earned a spot on Junior Team USA at the United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials in January, has been added to the Team USA roster for 2016.

Simonsen finished sixth at the 2016 Team USA Trials, shortly after he captured his first Professional Bowlers Association title at the Mark Roth/Marshall Holman Doubles Championship and earned a sixth-place finish at the 2015 U.S. Open.

In February, Simonsen, 19, became the youngest major title winner when he won the 2016 USBC Masters.

“For Team USA to beat the best in the world, we not only must have the most talented bowlers in the country, but the right mix of players so we can select the strongest team for each event,” Team USA head coach Rod Ross said. “Anthony has the talent and composure to make Team USA much stronger now and in the future as we look toward the 2017 World Championships and beyond.”

Team USA consists of a minimum 12 men and 12 women, and the Team USA coaching staff, which annually holds a training camp for Team USA members, selects the teams for international competitions. For example, six players are selected for World Championships that feature a team competition; other international competitions, such as the World Cup or Pan American Games, require fewer competitors.

“There are no words to describe the feeling of joining the adult team,” Simonsen said. “I bowled Team Trials earlier this year with the goal of making Junior Team USA; making the adult team would have been a bonus. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed not making the adult team. Getting the call from Coach Rod Ross telling me they would like to have me join the adult team is a call I never imagined to get and definitely won’t ever forget. It is an honor to represent my country on both teams.”

Simonsen joined the PBA Tour in 2014 and quickly captured two PBA regional titles on his way to PBA Southwest Region Rookie of the Year honors. At the 2015 USBC Open Championships in El Paso, Texas, he won the Regular Doubles title with Mark Sleeper Jr.

Go to BOWL.com/TeamUSA to learn more about the Team USA program.

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