October 23, 2024 Nolan Hughes

Ready. Set. GO!

The Go Bowling PBA Elite League Strike Derby, featuring eight PBA Tour stars, airs Sunday, Oct. 27 on FOX. Check local listings for air time.

Chris Via, who won last year’s Strike Derby, headlines the field

Via, representing the PBA Elite League presented by Snickers’ Akron Atom Splitters, will square off with the Portland Lumberjacks’ Arturo Quintero in the quarterfinals. Both players were selected as commissioner wild cards to round out the field.

Six players were selected via a fan vote. Fans were able to vote for one player from each playoff team. The leading vote-getters, listed below, were seeded by their strike totals during the PBA Elite League regular season. 

  • Packy Hanrahan, New Jersey
  • Jason Belmonte, Lucky Strike L.A. X
  • Andrew Anderson, Las Vegas
  • EJ Tackett, Motown
  • Kyle Troup, Portland
  • Jesper Svensson, Akron

Hanrahan paced the field with 50 strikes, followed by Belmonte, Anderson, Tackett, Troup and Svensson. Belmonte won the tiebreaker over Anderson — each struck 47 strikes on 71 attempts — as the Australian netted more fan votes.

As the defending champion, Via earned the No. 1 seed for the bracket. Quintero, selected by host center Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine, was slotted as the No. 8 seed.

In each match, both players will have two minutes to throw as many strikes as they can across two lanes. The player with the most strikes advances to the next match. Ties will be broken by a one-ball roll-off, which can only be won with a strike.

The event was taped during the PBA Elite League Playoffs at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine.

CHRIS VIA, AKRON

PBA Elite League stats: 31 strikes, 59.6% strike percentage
PBA Tour stats via Lanetalk*: 234 games, 1,608 strikes, 61.0% strike percentage, 63.7% strike-on-strike percentage

PACKY HANRAHAN, NEW JERSEY

PBA Elite League stats: 50 strikes, 61.7% strike percentage
PBA Tour stats via Lanetalk: 242 games, 1,643 strikes, 60.0% strike percentage, 59.5% strike-on-strike percentage

JASON BELMONTE, L.A. X

PBA Elite League stats: 47 strikes, 66.2% strike percentage
PBA Tour stats via Lanetalk: 291 games, 2,065 strikes, 64.7% strike percentage, 65.8% strike-on-strike percentage

ANDREW ANDERSON, LAS VEGAS

PBA Elite League stats: 47 strikes, 66.2% strike percentage
PBA Tour stats via Lanetalk: 215 games, 1,406 strikes, 58.0% strike percentage, 58.6% strike-on-strike percentage

EJ TACKETT, MOTOWN

PBA Elite League stats: 43 strikes, 58.11% strike percentage
PBA Tour stats via Lanetalk: 327 games, 2,395 strikes, 64.7% strike percentage, 65.8% strike-on-strike percentage

KYLE TROUP, PORTLAND

PBA Elite League stats: 39 strikes, 52.0% strike percentage
PBA Tour stats via Lanetalk: 222 games, 1,513 strikes, 60.6% strike percentage, 61.2% strike-on-strike percentage

JESPER SVENSSON, AKRON

PBA Elite League stats: 34 strikes, 55.7% strike percentage
PBA Tour stats via Lanetalk: 227 games, 1,526 strikes, 59.8% strike percentage, 62.1% strike-on-strike percentage

ARTURO QUINTERO, PORTLAND

PBA Elite League stats: 29 strikes, 56.9% strike percentage
PBA Tour stats via Lanetalk: 105 games, 723 strikes, 60.9% strike percentage, 61.6% strike-on-strike percentage

*Lanetalk stats do not include the USBC Masters

More information on the PBA Elite League is available here.

Strike Derby Bracket

No. 1 Chris Via (defending champion) vs. No. 8 Arturo Quintero (29 strikes)
No. 4 Andrew Anderson (47 strikes) vs. No. 5 EJ Tackett (43 strikes)
No. 2 Packy Hanrahan (50 strikes) vs. No. 7 Jesper Svensson (34 strikes)
No. 3 Jason Belmonte (47 strikes) vs. No. 6 Kyle Troup (39 strikes)