2023 JBT Las Vegas Main Event- press release (please share!)

Lucas Finley, Katelyn Abigania, Nolan Randisi, Cailyn Robey, Elias O'Hollaren

    Lucas Finley of Longmont CO, Katelyn Abigania of San Diego, and Nolan Randisi, Brooklyn NY, captured singles titles to highlight a record-setting 2023 JBT Las Vegas Main Event, hosted and sponsored by the incomparable South Point Bowling Plaza.  An enormous $67,132 was awarded to the sold-out field.

    After five days of sold-out competition that tested all facets of bowlers' skill sets, finalists competed in a hybrid bracket/stepladder to play for the coveted singles titles.  The scratch division produced an all-time classic, as Elias O'Hollaren, the current points leader in our year-round JBT tour and current TPC champ, fired the event's only 300 game on the challenging singles pattern in the semifinal match to advance against Finley, last year's runner-up.   It looked like deja vu for Lucas after a missed 7-pin in the seventh, but he doubled after that to remain in the match.  After O'Hollaren finished with a brilliant 245, Finley needed 29 in the tenth to win.  He calmly stepped up and did exactly that for 246, putting last year to bed and claiming the Main Event title with its record $5,300 top scholarship prize! 

    In Girls Scratch, more history was made as the previous two Main Event champs faced each other for the title for the first time.  To set up the match, defending champ Katelyn Abigania had gotten past Avery Domaguin in yet another iteration of their friendly rivalry, while top overall seed  Vanessa Fuzie, the 2021 champ, got past rapidly improving Lindsay Greim.  The final was all Abigania as she started hot and did not give Fuzie's high powered strike ball a chance to catch up.  With the win, worth $2,000, Katelyn joins Wesley Low as the only back to back Main Event singles winners, and joins Brent Bowers and Solomon Salama as the only multiple singles winners of any type.  It's also her 10th JBT title, tying her with Bryanna Cote (Caldwell) for the all-time female titles lead- wow!

    Handicap embodied our 'all ages and skill levels' motto, as 7 year-old Avery Dolorfino finished third, but it was 9 year-old Randisi who stole the show.  He started the week hot with the handicap sweeper win with his sister, then struggled in matchplay, barely holding on to the #4 seed.  He righted the ship in the finals, getting past Leo Lebel Jr and Dolorfino to reach the title match.  Cailyn Robey was making her first finals appearance in any bowling tournament- wow! and held her own, but Randisi made up for his opens with strikes, and the precocious preteen claimed the victory with the win over Robey.  He earned a record $3,700 for the singles win, and a total of $5,366 on the week with successes in all the other events. 

    O'Hollaren teamed with Zach Greim to blast a Main Event record 1542 for 6 to earn scratch doubles and split $1,000.  They hoped for a five-peat in team, but Hawaii and New York based Nicholas Kidd, Connor Miyake, Kyle Ortiz, Anthony Mastroianni and Michael Martell snagged the team scratch adult/youth title with 3439.  Handicap team went to California based Jai and Neel Kankariya, Jayden Macias, Ezekiel De Guzman, and Frankie Katz, winning by just 7 pins to split the $700 top prize.

    Twelve bowlers won balls from co-title-sponsor Brands of Brunswick, and thanks to them and other great sponsors IAM, South Point, and the sold-out turnout, a record $67,132 scholarship windfall was split between 147 prize-earning bowlers.  Much more detail can be found at the JBT website, www.bowljbt.com.  We can't thank everyone enough for coming, and everyone involved for making this event happen.  We can't wait to see you at the 2024 JBT Las Vegas Main Event, Dc 26-30 at South Point!  

JBT Las Vegas Main Event- singles finalists

Scratch

1. Lucas Finley, CO,  $5,300

2. Elias O'Hollaren, CA, $3,500

3. Chasten Pojas, HI, $2,000

4. Austin Grammar, OH, $1,500

5. Garrett Lee, CA, $1,250

6. Daniel Hong, CA, $1,000

7. Dmitri Richardson, CO, $800

8. Bud Sicard, OR, $700

Handicap

1. Nolan Randisi, NY, $3,700

2. Cailyn Robey, CA, $2,500

3. Avery Dolorfino, CA, $2,000

4. Vincenzo Cruzate, NV, $1,500

5. Kelsey Oshiro, HI, $1,000

6. Leo Lebel Jr, CA, $800

7. Eddie Torres, CA, $700

8. Neel Kankariya, CA, $650

Girls Scratch

1. Katelyn Abigania, CA, $2,000

2. Vanessa Fuzie, NV, $1,300

3. Lindsay Greim, CA, $900

4. Avery Domaguin, CA, $700

5. Kendall Bollea, AZ, $600

6. Kelcey Aczon-Kawamura, NV, $500