DaytonDailyNews.com

All Amy Daniels wanted was to earn a spot on the All-City first team.

For the past five years, the Dayton bowler tallied enough honors scores, high averages and top tournament finishes to make the Greater Dayton United States Bowling Congress Women's Bowling Association second team. But she always fell a few points short of the elite first team.

Daniels, 41, didn't just make the first team this year, she made it to the top of the heap as the bowler of the year.

"I knew I was in the running because I bowled well in all of the tournaments," Daniels said. "But I didn't know for sure."

Daniels' tournament success included a first-place finish in the city mixed tournament, actual and handicap, with Candace Shepard, George Gohagan III and men's bowler of the year Fero Williams. The team of Daniels, Jennifer Owens, Trisha Reid and Kari Watson captured the women's city team title.

Daniels also had a solid season at singles with the high series actual in the officers' tournament, a fourth-place finish at the Ohio WBA Queens and a fifth-place finish in the Angie Kreitzer Memorial Queens Tournament.

"I love the pressure of tournaments," she said. "And I love to win."

Daniels started bowling as a child, but started bowling competitively about 12 years ago. While she spends her days at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as a civil engineer, she spends as many as four nights a week on the lanes.

"I love the competitiveness of the sport," Daniels said. Among the other women earning All-City honors were last year's co-bowlers of the year, Jane Bloom and Jennifer Owens, and perennial honorees and hall-of-famers Linda Kelly and Mandy Wilson.

"If I can compete in Dayton against these bowlers, that gives me the confidence to go on the road and compete against anyone," Daniels said.

If her tournament success wasn't enough, Daniels also posted a pair of perfect games and a career-high 823 series.

"Next, I'd like to have back-to-back 300s," she said. "And, of course, repeat as bowler of the year."

Greater Dayton USBC WBA

All-City first team

Amy Daniels, Bowler of the Year

Linda Kelly

Jane Bloom

Jennifer Owens

Candace Shepard

Second team

Trisha Reid

Megan Kelly

Mandy Wilson

Angela Bernstein

Lisa Graham