Earnest helps Team USA to gold medal

Vandalia native Jessica Earnest led Junior Team USA to the gold medal on Sunday at the World Youth Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

Jessica Earnest

In the championship round, Earnest led her team, with a 217, as the girls defeated Singapore, 850-799.

In the semifinals, Team USA took down two-time defending champion Korea, 924-846.

“I think even just being picked to represent Junior Team USA here was a big accomplishment,” Earnest told bowl.com. “We went out and we won team gold, and that was our goal from the beginning of the week.

“We came out and did it together.”

Other members of the team were: Amanda Greene, Romney, W. Va.; Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y.; and Kelsey Muther, Topeka, Kan. Team USA last won the event in 2004.

The U.S. advanced to the semifinals with a pin count of 4,790, including 1,198 from Earnest, with a high game of 244.

Earnest, who will be a senior at Vanderbilt University next school year, then competed in Masters match play at the World Youth Championships after qualifying by finishing 10th overall in the all-events standings, with an 18-game total of 3,638 pins.

On Monday, she fell just 14 pins short of advancing to those finals, placing ninth, with 4,860 pins.

•Thailand won’t be the last overseas stop for Earnest this summer, either, as she will soon travel with the Vanderbilt bowling team to Europe.

The Commodores will leave on July 21 for a 10-day trip that will include stops in Paris, Rome and Florence, as well as a bowling competition against the Italian national team.

•In other Team USA news, Vandalia native Josie Earnest has been named a Team USA representative for the PABCON Adults Championships in Henderson, Nev., from Aug. 18-26.

She will bowling with Liz Johnson, Stefanie Nation, Diandra Asbathy, Shannon Pluhowsky and Leanna Hulsenberg.