Columbia 300 Awards 07-08 John Jowdy Scholarship
June 09, 2008
HOPKINSVILLE, Kent. - Columbia 300 has announced Natalie Cortese, a Hoffman Estates, Ill. resident, as the winner of the 2007-2008 John Jowdy Scholarship. Cortese will receive a $500 annual scholarship for the maximum timeframe of four years of postsecondary education (a total award of up to $2,000) at the university of her choice.
“Columbia 300 is honored to offer this scholarship to Natalie. She is the embodiment of everything we look for in an applicant both athletically and academically,” said Jennifer Murphy, John Jowdy Scholarship Awards coordinator. “Her bowling credentials speak highly of her dedication to the sport and Columbia 300 is excited to support her postsecondary education with this award.”
Cortese has been bowling for 11 years. She has been a member of the Hoffman Estates High School Girl’s Varsity Bowling Team for four years, including the 05-06 team that was Illinois State Champions, and served as team captain her senior year. She has an 802 high series to her credit and finished her senior year with a 224 average. This March, she was selected to represent the state of Illinois for the Denny’s High School All-American Tournament in Brunswick, NJ. In the fall, Cortese will attend the University of Central Missouri as a member of the university’s bowling team where she will also receive a partial scholarship. With a grade point average of 3.7, Cortese finished in the top 8 percent of her graduating class and is a member of the National Honor Society.
“I believe that bowling has been the most accomplishing part of my life,” Cortese said. “If I did not have this passion for bowling, I cannot imagine what my life would be like now.”
Natalie Cortese
In its 17th year, the John Jowdy Scholarship Fund was created not only to honor John Jowdy, a bowling legend, but also to reward and support bowling youth. Previous winners include Michael Mullin and Scott Norton who all went on to compete with Team USA.
Finalists for this year’s scholarship will receive a Columbia 300 jacket and a new Momentum Swing ball. They are:
Amanda Cortese - Hoffman Estates, IL - Hoffman Estates High School - University of Central Missouri
Brittni Hamilton - Webster, NY - Webster Thomas High School - Vanderbilt University
Stephen Melnyk - The Woodlands, TX - The Woodlands High School - Texas A&M College Station
Mary Bellus - Morris, IL - Morris Community High School - McKendree University
Kevin Tatrow - Bel Aire, KS - Wichita Heights High School - Wichita State University
Based in Hopkinsville, Kent., Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that currently services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets both domestically and internationally. The company’s consumer product brands include Ebonite, Hammer, Robby’s, Columbia 300 and Track. Its commercial product brands are Ebonite VanTech Capital Equipment, Vantage Genuine Parts, Ebonite Bowling Center Direct and Powerhouse’.
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