Jason Belmonte Wins Back-to-Back Best Bowler ESPY Awards
8/4/2016LOS ANGELES - Jason Belmonte of Australia earned his second consecutive and third overall Best Bowler ESPY Award during the 2016 ESPY Awards ceremonies at the Microsoft Theater.
Belmonte, who won his first ESPY Award in 2011, was among winners in a variety of sports and special moment categories that were determined by fan voting. The winners were announced during ABC-TV's live ESPY Awards telecast.
In 2015, Belmonte became the first international player to win three consecutive Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year awards. The two-handed star also became the first player to win the USBC Masters in three consecutive years and he won h is second consecutive Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions title, becoming the first player to win both the Masters and TOC in back-to-back seasons.
"I m absolutely thrilled to win the ESPY again this year," Belmonte said. "This award means so much to me because it s voted by the people who I believe matter most in bowling, the fans. My fans are a huge motivation in my game. I want to always give them my absolute best because it s what they deserve. I'd like to thank everyone who voted, but more importantly, thanks to all the fans for loving the sport of bowling."
Also nominated in the Best Bowler category were PBA Player of the Year contender Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y.; Swedish two- handed star Jesper Svensson and Texan Anthony Simonsen, also a two-handed player. Ciminelli won three titles in 2015 including the U.S. Open and finished third in the PBA World Championship. Early in 2016 he won the bowlingball.com Maine Shootout for his
sixth career PBA Tour title.
Svensson won two titles in 2015 on his way to earning PBA Rookie of the Year honors and in 2016 won the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions to become the tournament's youngest champion at age 21.
Simonsen became the youngest player ever to win a major when he won the 2016 USBC Masters at age 19. He won his first title with partner Connor Pickford in the Mark Roth/ M a rs h a ll Holman PBA Doubles Championship.
HISTORY OF ESPY BEST BOWLER AWARD WINNERS
2016 - Jason Belmonte
2015 - Jason Belmonte
2014 - Pete Weber
2013 - Pete Weber
2012 - Sean Rash
2011 - Jason Belmonte
2010 - Walter Ray Williams Jr
2009 - Norm Duke
2008 - Norm Duke
2007 - Norm Duke
2006 - Walter Ray Williams Jr
2005 - Walter Ray Williams Jr
2004 - Pete Weber
2003 - Walter Ray Williams Jr
2002 - Pete Weber
2001 - Walter Ray Williams Jr
2000 - Parker Bohn
1999 - Walter Ray Williams Jr
1998 - Walter Ray Williams Jr
1997 - Bob Learn Jr
1996 - Mike Aulby
1995 - Norm Duke
Article was posted with permission from Stars & Strikes, America's Bowling Newsmagazine. www.starsandstrikesbowling.com
