Shannon Pluhowsky


Shannon Pluhowsky is an American left-handed ten-pin bowler who competes in the Professional Women's Bowling Association and internationally. Pluhowsky is a 24-time member of Team USA, and a former four-time member of Junior Team USA. Pluhowsky has won ten professional championships, including major wins at the 2006 USBC Queens, the 2014 BPAA Women's All-Star, and the 2021 and 2025 PWBA Tour Championship events.

Early life and college career

Pluhowsky was born on August 8, 1982, in Phoenix, Arizona. Before her successful professional career she had a successful amateur and college career. When she was younger she was a three-time Junior Gold Champion and a USOC World Bowler of the Year in 2004. She bowled at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln under coach Bill Straub who is credited for Pluhowsky's impeccable left-handed form. She sports a big push-away and a straight and loose arm swing with a textbook finishing position. She will still consult Straub to this day if she is struggling with her form.
At Nebraska, Pluhowsky was a first-team All-American in three of her four seasons, and second-team All-American in the other season. She was NCBCA Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in the 2001–02 season, and was awarded Player of the Year again in the 2004–05 season. Shannon won the Intercollegiate Singles Championship in 2004, and her Nebraska team won two NCAA Bowling Championships.

Career accomplishments and accolades under Team USA

Professional career

Pluhowsky has won six PWBA titles, three of them majors, and ten professional titles overall.
She won the 2006 USBC Queens, which occurred during the PWBA Tour's hiatus, but was retroactively credited as a PWBA title. She won the BPAA Women's All-Star in 2014. While regarded as a major title, the PWBA does not recognize it as a title on its own Tour.
Following her best finish at a major in several years, Shannon won the season-ending PWBA Tour Championship on October 31, 2021, for her second PWBA Tour title and second major. The tournament, which awarded a $50,000 first prize, was contested at the site of Pluhowsky's first major championship: the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada.
Looking to repeat as champion in the 2022 PWBA Tour Championship, Pluhowsky qualified as the #1 seed but was defeated in the championship match by #3 seed Stephanie Zavala.
On May 4, 2024, Pluhowsky won the PWBA GoBowling! Twin Cities Open in Eagan, Minnesota. Having qualified as the #1 seed, she beat #5 seed Verity Crawley in the final match to earn her third PWBA Tour title. On June 4, Pluhowsky won her fourth PWBA Tour title, and second of the 2024 season, at the PWBA Music City Classic in Smyrna, Tennessee. Pluhowsky finished the 2024 PWBA Tour season second in average, third in points and third in earnings.
On August 9, 2025, Pluhowsky won the PWBA Pepsi Open in Gates, New York, defeating Hall of Famer Liz Johnson in the final match. Gaining her fifth PWBA Tour title with two of them majors, Pluhowsky is now title-eligible for the PWBA Hall of Fame. Three days later, she won the PWBA Tour Championship for the second time, defeating Verity Crawley in the final match. This is her sixth PWBA title and third major.
Pluhowsky's other three professional titles came in the PBA Women's Series, which ran from 2007 to 2010.

List of professional titles

Major championships are in bold text.
  1. 2006 USBC Queens *
  2. 2007 Etonic Championship
  3. 2009 Chameleon Championship
  4. 2009 Scorpion Championship
  5. 2014 BPAA Women's All-Star
  6. 2021 PWBA Tour Championship *
  7. 2024 PWBA GoBowling! Twin Cities Open *
  8. 2024 PWBA Music City Classic *
  9. 2025 PWBA Pepsi Open *
  10. 2025 PWBA Tour Championship *
  • *Counted as an official PWBA Tour title.

Other Career Accomplishments

Pluhowsky earned the United States Bowling Congress National High Average and High Series Awards for the 2017–2018 season as she set the record for the highest average for a season by a woman. She posted a 250.7 average over 71 games during the Inland Owls league at Capri Lanes in Kettering, Ohio. Pluhowsky was also:
  • Inducted into the World Bowling Writers Hall of Fame in 2012
  • 2011 World Bowling Writers Bowler of the Year
  • 2011 and 2015 Team USA Trials champion
  • Three-time USBC Women's Championships titlist
  • 2000-01 and 2004-05 Collegiate Player of the Year
  • 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2004–05 Collegiate All-America first team
  • U.S. Amateur champion in 2001, 2003 and 2004
  • 2002 and 2004 World Bowling Writers Female Player of the Year
  • 1999, 2000 and 2001 USBC Junior Gold Championships winner

Personal

Pluhowsky is married to massage therapist Carrie Pluhowsky as of July 2021. Shannon and Carrie each have children from previous relationships. The couple now resides in Dayton, Ohio.