LAS VEGAS – Fairleigh Dickinson women's bowling alumnus Danielle McEwan added another medal to her growing trophy case, capturing the Singles Gold Medal at the 2019 World Bowling Women's Championships on Thursday.
 
The three-time National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) All-America and three-time NEC Bowler of Year honoree defeated fellow Team USA teammate Shannon O'Keefe 259-193 in the championship match for her first gold medal at the singles event. The match was broadcast live on CBS Sports Network, and the win also provided McEwan with a gift a few days shy of her 28th birthday.
 
"This is an absolutely amazing feeling," said McEwan after winning the title. "Coming into today, our initial goal was for both of us to win our first matches, so we would see each other in the final, guarantee one of us would be at the top of the podium and guarantee that we'd hear our national anthem. After we both won in the semifinals, we looked at each other and said 'we did it.' It was win-win after that."
 
In two matches Thursday on the 39-foot World Bowling Seoul oil pattern being used this week, McEwan struck 18 times. She started her semifinal match against top-seeded Lee Nayoung with seven consecutive strikes, before a 9-pin ended her run at perfection, and set up her meeting with O'Keefe with a 256-173 victory.
 
The 2019 World Women's Championships started with 176 competitors from 34 countries, who competed for medals in singles, doubles, trios, team, all-events and Masters competition. The tournament was held at South Point Bowling Plaza, where McEwan had already won a trios and all-events gold medal at the World Championships back in 2017.
 
Earlier this year, McEwan was inducted into the NEC Hall of Fame, becoming the league's first women's bowler inducted.
 
McEwan has been competing for Team USA since 2012 and is currently third in the PWBA standings for points this season. She last September also won the PBA International-World Bowling Tour Thailand event and was the WBT Finals champion in both 2016 and 2017.
 
While competing for the Knights, McEwan helped lead the Knights to the 2010 NCAA National Championship as a freshman and was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. She was also named the NEC Rookie of the Year in 2010 before going on to earn three consecutive NEC Player of the Year Awards from 2011-13. In those years, she was also a three-time First Team All-America and Academic All-America honoree, and was named the NCAA Player of the Year in both 2012 and 2013.
 
For more information on McEwan and the U.S. Open title, visit bowl.com.
 
Information in this article from Bowl.com -- Matt Cannizzaro