Kulick and O'Neill Named Bowler(s) of the Year

Kelly Kulick of Union, NJ, and Bill O'Neill of Southampton, PA, capped off impressive years by being named 2010 female and male Bowlers of the Year by the Bowling Writers Association of America (BWAA).

Kulick was a near-unanimous selection with 46 of 48 first-place votes from BWAA members. With each vote worth five points and no second- or third-place votes (two and one point, respectively), Kulick totaled 230 points. Wendy Macpherson of Henderson, NV, received the other two top votes but finished third in the voting with 25 points behind Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, NY, with 43. Shannon Pluhowsky of Kettering, Ohio, was fourth with 16 points and Brenda (Edwards) Padilla of Mansfield, Texas, fifth with 14.  

O'Neill led the men's voting with 25 of 48 first-place votes and 152 total points. Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, had 11 first-place votes and 100 points while Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, FL, had 12 first-place votes and 95 points. Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, with four points and Mike Fagan of Patchogue, NY, with three were the other finalists.

Kulick had one of the greatest years of any bowler in 2010. In January, she became the first woman to win a Professional Bowlers Association national title in the PBA Tournament of Champions. In April, she captured her second United States Bowling Congress Queens title. And just two weeks later, she won the U.S. Women's Open.

Those feats alone likely would have netted Kulick the top 2010 honor but she wasn't finished. Later in the year, she captured gold medals in doubles and team, silver in all-events and bronze in singles and trios in the Pan American Confederation Women's Championships (PABCON). She also won a PBA regional in Lakewood, WA, and the Malaysian Open.

For the year, she averaged 219.32 and earned $46,440 in the PBA Women's Series.

O'Neill nearly matched Kulick. He captured the Men's U.S. Open and the PBA Pepsi Viper Championship, was runner-up in the PBA World Championships and fifth in the USBC Masters. He also earned gold medals in the singles, all-events and team events in the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships.

O'Neill averaged 222.32 and earned $140,565 during PBA competitions held in 2010.

Kulick and O'Neill will receive their awards in June during the BWAA Annual Meetings and International Bowl Expo in Grapevine, Texas.