Top-seeded standouts Evan Weinberg of Dayton and Kiara Powell of Union are the 2018 UCT bowling individual champions

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOE SKREC – Kiara Powell of Union won the girls’ UCT championship and is next to Union coach Danielle Schuermann. Also next to Schuermann is Union’s Kevin Oliveira, who placed fourth in the boys’ competition.
Kiara Powell of Union was the girls’ individual champion and teammate Kevin Oliveira was fourth for the boys’.
Kiara Powell of Union proved to be the best among the girls’ bowlers in Union County Tournament competition for 2018, winning the individual title.

Winning any kind of tournament as the top seed is not easy at all.

First, you are expected to win because you are the top seed.

Second, all the pressure is on the top seed to get the job done – that is why they are the top seed.

When the individual portion of the Union County Tournament was contested Wednesday (Jan. 24) at Jersey Lanes in Linden, standout senior bowlers Evan Weinberg of Dayton and Kiara Powell of Union had the chore of attempting to win as top seeds.

Both withstood the pressure and expectations and came through in striking fashion!

In a battle between the last two UCT champions, Weinberg rolled past defending champ Luis Torres of Roselle to capture the boys’ title for the second time in three years.

In the girls’ competition, Powell defeated Elizabeth’s Ashley Noel 226-205 for her crown.

Weinberg, who won his first UCT championship as a sophomore in 2016, defeated Torres 223-209 in the day’s final match. He produced a 667 series two days after he rolled a 709 in Monday’s opening day.

Weinberg defeated a red-hot bowler in Torres, who won three matches in the step-ladder format to reach the championship match.

The fifth seed for the step-ladder bracket, Torres edged the sixth-place bowler by just two points to qualify, rolling games of 237, 245 and 259 to eliminate fourth seeded Anthony Golabek of Linden, third-seeded Kevin Oliveira of Union and second-seeded Andrew Beach of Johnson to reach the final.

Union junior Nick Melchionna, who earlier this month bowled his first perfect game, placed seventh.

Powell, the runner-up as a junior a year ago, earned the top seed for the girls’ step-ladder with a combined, six-game total of 1,254. She concluded the final match with four consecutive strikes.

Noel, who started the day in fourth place but finished third to reach the step-ladder, defeated fourth-seeded Kaitlyn Lowe of Union Catholic 217-204 in the semifinal to reach the championship match.

 

UCT BOYS’ INDIVIDUAL QUALIFYING SCORES:

1-Evan Weinberg, Dayton, 1,376.

2-Andrew Beach, Johnson, 1,326.

3-Kevin Oliveira, Union, 1,303.

4-Anthony Golabek, Linden, 1,275.

5-Luis Torres, Roselle, 1,263.

6-James Fitz, Linden, 1,261.

7-Nick Melchionna, Union, 1,233.

8-Dylan Kurstedt, Westfield, 1,221.

9-Matthew Soto, Linden, 1,193.

10-Elijah Boone, Plainfield, 1,185.

11-Justin Peters, Linden, 1,152.

12-LeeDar Sneor, Scotch Plains, 1,106.

13-Austin Torres, Roselle, 1,088.

14-Scott Maran, Dayton, 1,043.

STEP-LADDER:

5-Luis Torres, Roselle, def. 4-Anthony Golabek, Linden, 237-174.

Torres def. 3-Kevin Oliveira, Union, 245-235.

Torres def. 2-Andrew Beach, Johnson, 259-244

1-Evan Weinberg, Dayton, def. Torres 223-209.

 

UCT GIRLS’ INDIVIDUAL QUALIFYING SCORES:

1-Kiara Powell, Union, 1,254.

2-Goldera Surles, Union Catholic, 1,218.

3-Ashley Noel, Elizabeth, 1,132.

4-Kaitlyn Lowey, Union Catholic, 1,120.

5-Samantha Valle, Union, 1083.

6-Lacel Beall, Union, 1,063.

STEP-LADDER:

3-Ashley Noel, Elizabeth, def. 4-Kaitlyn Lowe, Union Catholic, 217-204.

1-Kiara Powell, Union, def. Noel, 226-205.

 

INDIVIDUAL SERIES FROM MONDAY, JAN. 22 COMPETITION:

BOYS’:

Evan Weinberg, Dayton, 709

Kevin Oliveira, Union, 693

Luis Torres, Roselle, 689

Anthony Golabek, Linden, 655

Elijah Boone, Plainfield, 639

LeeDar Sneor, Scotch Plains, 638

Dylan Kurstedt, Westfield, 632

Matthew Soto, Linden, 628

Andrew Beach, Johnson ,622

James Fritz, Linden, 622

Nick Melchionna, Union, 619

Austin Torres, Roselle, 602

Scott Maran, Dayton, 594

Justin Peters, Linden, 592

GIRLS’:

Kiara Powell, Union, 679

Goldera Surles, Union Catholic, 601

Kaitlyn Lowey, Union Catholic, 586

Ashley Noel, Elizabeth, 583

Samantha Valle, Union, 539

Lacey Beall, Union, 506

 

TEAM SCORES FROM MONDAY, JAN. 22 COMPETITION:

The Top 8 advanced to the Thursday, Jan. 25 Team Finals.

1-Union 3,036

2-Linden 2,965

3-Roselle, 2,808

4-Westfield 2,731

5-Union Catholic 2,709

6-Dayton 2,695

7-Scotch Plains 2,631

8-Elizabeth 2,496

9-Johnson 2,419

10-Cranford 2,417

11-Oratory Prep 2,354

12-Rahway 2,138

13-Roselle Park 1,963

14-Plainfield 1,941

15-Roselle Catholic 1,798

16-Hillside 1,707