Gianna Brandolino Wins 2024 PBA LBC National Championships Clash
Teenage star outlasts the pros to win second annual event and $60,000 scholarship
Gianna Brandolino will henceforth be known by one name: The Dutchess.
The 17-year-old Illinois native won the 2024 PBA LBC National Championship Clash, featuring the finalists from the 2024 PBA LBC National Championships.
In the one-ball, roll-off eliminator format taped at Portland, Maine’s Bayside Bowl, Brandolino outlasted a dozen competitors to win the coveted Duke trophy and the $60,000 top prize. The high school senior and Jacksonville State University commit will accept the winnings as a SMART scholarship.
“As a PBA Hall of Famer and everything, (Norm Duke) is a great representation of the sport of bowling. To have his trophy, it’s just crazy,” Brandolino said.
Gianna Brandolino wins the 2024 PBA LBC National Championships Clash after a stunning final round against Kris Prather
The 17-year-old finished as the runner-up in the PBA Junior Girls National Championship earlier this year and could have competed in the Girls Jr. Handicap division of the PBA LBC National Championships.
Instead, Brandolino opted to compete in the Women’s Classic division against PWBA Tour stars like Liz Johnson, Danielle McEwan, Verity Crawley, Stephanie Zavala and co.
“It would be more beneficial to learn and grow when going against the women instead of the girls, so I decided to just throw myself out there, do what I do and hope for the best,” she said after taking the division lead in June.
While Johnson went on to surpass Brandolino’s 1,396 six-game score, Brandolino still clinched a berth in the Clash as the second-highest qualifier.
“I could have bowled in the junior division, but I wanted to bowl on my own without handicap and show that I can go up against all the divisions. Proving that I can beat even the PBA pros is crazy,” she said.
If there was one pro who ever-so-slightly intimidated the teenager, it was the one she faced in the final round: Kris Prather, a six-time titleist and two-time major champion on the PBA Tour.
“It came down to me and him and I was like Uh oh,” she said. “I knew I could do it, but I might need a little help. And he gave me that little bit of help.”
Prather, who knocked over just seven pins on his shot in the final round, admitted he felt the same way about facing Brandolino.
“Her calmness made me a little nervous,” Prather said. “Obviously she feels no pressure. She has tons of experience for her age — I don’t know how many times she’s already bowled on TV and she’s been on Junior Team USA — but I was like, ‘Man, this girl is not going away. This is wild.’”
“I hate to say it for the ladies out there, but if this is where she gets that huge confidence boost, I'm really sorry for you all,” Prather added.
Gianna Brandolino enjoys her winning moment as Kris Prather hypes up the crowd
In the Clash, the teenager proved wise beyond her years.
Before the event, Brandolino said she practiced bowling one shot in 30-minute intervals to prepare herself for the show’s unique format. During the show, she took notes between shots to help stay ahead of transition.
“You're sitting there for 20-ish minutes and your adrenaline is high, so you're going to forget things,” Brandolino said. “I wrote down where I was standing each time and if I thought I needed to make a move or not. I'd look at it before I bowled, and then I'd write down what I thought for the next time on that lane only since lanes are so different.”
Brandolino didn’t allow the blaring music to distract her; in fact, she harnessed its energy to power herself forward.
In total, she struck on eight of her 12 shots, including eight of nine between Rounds 2-10, and knocked over at least nine pins on every shot after Round 1.
In the moments after her win, she said the crowd at Bayside Bowl was the coolest part of her entire experience.
“It doesn't matter that they've never seen me before, they still treated me like I'm one of their own,” she said.
The finalists of the 2024 PBA LBC National Championships Clash
Prather earned $10,000 for his second-place finish, followed by David “Boog” Krol in third place.
After finishing third in last year’s event, Lennie Boresch Jr. brought home an inspirational fourth-place finish this year.
The 62-year-old PBA Hall of Famer has battled small cell carcinoma and kidney failure over the past year, finishing his third round of chemotherapy just a week before the Clash’s Sept. 15 taping.
Boresch struck on eight of his first nine shots and eight of 11 attempts overall. He was eliminated after leaving a pocket 7-10 in the Round 10 roll-off against Boog Krol.
Bobby Kunimura, Graham Fach, Chloe Hickland, Mark Blaha, Billy Froberg and Garrett 12-year-old Beyer each finished in the top 10. Brianna Merner, Liz Johnson and Kahlen Ransen rounded out the Clash field.
2025 PBA LBC National Championships
Priority registration for the 2025 PBA LBC National Championships, returning to Bowlero Mount Prospect in the Chicago area, is now open.
All PBA LBC members (Bowlero Corp. league bowlers), PBA members, and past participants of the PBA LBC National Championships are eligible to sign up for $100 through Nov. 30, 2024.
Beginning on Dec. 1, 2024, registration will open to bowlers of all skill levels and from all centers, including non‐PBA LBC and non‐PBA members.
The 2025 event will be held on weekends from May 31 through July 13, 2025.
More information, including how to register, is available here.
Round Scores
Round 1: Garrett Beyer 7, Brianna Merner 9, Mark Blaha X, Liz Johnson 9, Lennie Boresch Jr. X, Kris Prather 8, Chloe Hickland 7, Boog Krol 9, Bobby Kunimura 8, Kahlen Ranson 7, Billy Froberg 9, Gianna Brandolino 8, Graham Fach X
Roll-off: Beyer 9, Hickland X, Ranson 9 | Beyer X, Ranson 8
Kahlen Ranson eliminated
Round 2: Beyer 7, Merner X, Blaha X, Johnson 5, Boresch X, Prather 9, Hickland X, Krol 5, Kunimura 6, Froberg X, Brandolino X, Fach X
Roll-off: Johnson X, Krol X | Johnson X, Krol X | Johnson 7, Krol X
Liz Johnson eliminated
Round 3: Beyer X, Merner 9, Blaha X, Boresch X, Prather X, Hickland 9, Krol 9, Kunimura X, Froberg 9, Brandolino X, Fach X
Roll-off: Merner 6, Hickland 7, Krol X, Froberg 9
Brianna Merner eliminated
Round 4: Beyer 7, Blaha 7, Boresch 9, Prather X, Hickland X, Krol X, Kunimura X, Froberg 9, Brandolino X, Fach X
Roll-off: Beyer 5, Blaha 9
Garrett Beyer eliminated
Round 5: Blaha X, Boresch X, Prather X, Hickland 9, Krol X, Kunimura 9, Froberg 8, Brandolino 9, Fach X
Billy Froberg eliminated
Round 6: Blaha 7, Boresch X, Prather X, Hickland 8, Krol X, Kunimura 7, Brandolino X, Fach 8
Roll-off: Blaha 8, Kunimura 9
Mark Blaha eliminated
Round 7: Boresch X, Prather X, Hickland 8, Krol X, Kunimura X, Brandolino X, Fach X
Chloe Hickland eliminated
Round 8: Boresch X, Prather 9, Krol 8, Kunimura 5, Brandolino X, Fach 5
Roll-off: Kunimura 8, Fach 8 | Kunimura 9, Fach 6
Graham Fach eliminated
Round 9: Boresch X, Prather X, Krol X, Kunimura 9, Brandolino X
Bobby Kunimura eliminated
Round 10: Boresch 9, Prather X, Krol 9, Brandolino X
Roll-off: Boresch 8, Krol X
Round 11: Prather X, Krol 8, Brandolino 9
Boog Krol eliminated
Final Round: Prather 7, Brandolino 9
Kris Prather eliminated; Gianna Brandolino wins
Final Standings
- Gianna Brandolino, $60,000 (SMART scholarship)
- Kris Prather, $10,000
- David “Boog” Krol, $3,000
- Lennie Boresch Jr., $3,000
- Bobby Kunimura, $3,000
- Graham Fach, $3,000
- Chloe Hickland, $3,000
- Mark Blaha, $3,000
- Billy Froberg, $3,000
- Garrett Beyer, $3,000 (SMART scholarship)
- Brianna Merner, $3,000 (SMART scholarship)
- Liz Johnson, $3,000
- Kahlen Ranson, $3,000