August 22, 2022 Nolan Hughes

The tournament field for the 2023 PBA Jr. National Championship has been set. After eight bowlers punched their tickets to the 2023 PBA Jr. National Championship last weekend, the final 12 spots were decided this weekend.

Each tournament champion and runner-up in the U18 Boys and U18 Girls divisions earned a spot in the national championships. All six champions earned a $2,000 scholarship.

Vivian Luna and Melia Mitskavich advanced in the East Region’s U18 Girls division from AMF Strathmore Lanes in Aberdeen, N.J. Daniel Robertson and Andru Blaney earned the U18 Boys spots.

In the Midwest Region, the advancing girls were Abigail Starkey and Gianna Bandolino. Zach Andersen and Devan Skridla secured the boys spots from AMF West Lanes in Milwaukee.

Forest Lanes in Lake Forest, Calif. hosted the West Region qualifier, where Katelyn Abigania and Saphyre Nofuente earned the girls spots while Brody Chatterton and Dohoon Kwon secured the boys positions.

East Region

Vivian Luna and Daniel Robertson won the PBA Jr. East Regional Qualifier in their home state of New Jersey.

Vivian Luna, a 17-year-old from Elizabeth, N.J., defeated Pennsylvania’s Melia Mitskavich to claim the U18 Girls East Region title.

The stepladder featured the top four qualifiers and Amelia Lemanowicz, who qualified ninth before defeating tournament leader Sydney Bohn in match play.

Bohn got revenge in the first match of the stepladder, but fell to Luna in the next match.

Luna then took down Emma Fetterman 211-208 in the semifinals, then Mitskavich 233-193 in the championship.

Full standings and more information on the U18 Girls East Region qualifier can be found here.

Top qualifiers found similar success in the U18 Boys division, where five of the top six qualifiers advanced to the stepladder finals.

Daniel Robertson from Jackson, N.J. earned the top seed in qualifying, and never looked back. He took down Maxwell Benware and Kai Strothers in match play, then No. 2 seed Andru Blaney in the title match.

Full standings and more information on the U18 Boys East Region qualifier can be found here.

Midwest Region

Devan Skridla, Zach Andresen, Abigail Starkey and Gianna Bandolino earned berths in next year's PBA Jr. National Championships.

Abigail Starkey captured the U18 Girls division title, defeating top-seeded Gianna Bandolino in the title match.

The Schaumburg, Ill. native qualified in fourth on Saturday. After winning two matches in the single-elimination bracket, she earned the No. 2 seed for the stepladder finals.

Malaya Chavez defeated Morgan Brunner and Lani Breedlove before falling to Starkey in the semifinals.

Brandolino earned the No. 1 seed after leading qualifying, then winning both of her matches. She was the only player to average over 200 during qualifying.

Low scores did not continue into the title match as Starkey took down Brandolino 240-229 to claim the title.

Kayla Starr, who finished as the national runner-up earlier in 2022, finished in 14th place.

Full standings and more information on the U18 Girls Midwest Region qualifier can be found here.

In the U18 Boys division, Minnesota’s Zach Andresen defeated Illinois native Devan Skridla in a dominant performance. 

Qualifying in third place appeared to be the key in the Midwest. Andresen averaged over 220, then won both of this matches to earn the top seed for the stepladder.

Skridla, the No. 2 seed, defeated No. 4 seed Braden Mallasch in the semifinals. But Skridla stood little chance in the title match, as Andersen cruised to a 279-192 win.

The 2022 PBA Jr. National Champion, Landin Jordan, finished in seventh place.

Full standings and more information on the U18 Boys Midwest Region qualifier can be found here.

West Region

Saphyre Nofuente, Katelyn Abigania, Brody Chatterton and Dohoon Kwon secured the final four PBA Jr. National Championship berths.

A familiar name rose to the top in the wild, wild West Region.

Katelyn Abigania will be returning to the PBA Jr. National Championship as a two-time West Region titleist. The 15-year-old defeated fellow Californian Saphyre Nofuente in the title match.

Nofuente averaged 220 and went undefeated in match play to earn the No. 1 seed. 

Abigania, who qualified in sixth place, earned the No. 3 seed for the stepladder. She defeated Reagan Clifton, Ashtyn Woods, then Nofuente to successfully defend her title.

Full standings and more information on the U18 Girls West Region qualifier can be found here.

In the U18 Boys division, Idaho’s Brody Chatterton defeated 12-year-old Dohoon Kwon from Vancouver, Wash.

Chatterton earned the No. 1 seed after finishing second in qualifying and going undefeated in match play.

Kwon snuck into match play as the 13th qualifier, then took down Gregorio Sicard and Luke Brown to make the stepladder as the No. 4 seed.

He stayed hot in the finals, earning a national championship berth with wins over Elias O’Hollaren, Manny Ferrell and Joshua Oliver Abigania.

Chatterton ended Kwon’s meteoric ascent in the championship match with a 222-183 victory.

Full standings and more information on the U18 Boys West Region qualifier can be found here.

Last weekend, Kaitlyn Stull and Jakob Robertson won the South Region divisions. Ridgely Potter and Erin Klemencic also advanced to the PBA Jr. National Championship.

Avery Domaguin and Zachary Smullen captured the Southwest Region titles, while runners-up Bella Love Castillo and Tyler Galbreath also clinched berths in the PBA Jr. National Championship.

Read more on advancers from the South and Southwest Regions here.

PBA Jr. National Championship Finalists

U18 Girls: Kaitlyn Stull, Erin Klemencic, Avery Domaguin, Bella Love Castillo, Abigail Starkey, Gianna Bandolino, Vivian Luna, Melia Mitskavich, Katelyn Abigania and Saphyre Nofuente

U18 Boys: Jakob Robertson, Ridgely Potter, Zachary Smullen, Tyler Galbreath, Zach Andresen, Devan Skridla, Daniel Robertson, Andru Blaney, Brody Chatterton and Dohoon Kwon

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