COLUMBUS, Ohio – Kara Mangiola of Kenmore, New York, was nearly perfect in winning her first career Professional Women’s Bowling Association regional title at HPL Bowling Center on Sunday.
Mangiola, who was seeded second for the stepladder finals, defeated No. 1 seed Lindsey Furnas of Dayton, Ohio, 279-215, in the final match to earn the title and the first-place check for $2,200. The win capped an impressive day for the 29-year-old right-hander that began with her shooting a career-best 826 series (279-269-278) to start qualifying.
“This win means a lot,” Mangiola said. “I’ve made the show twice before in regional events, including the very first one I bowled a few years ago, but didn’t win. Then I bowled really bad in my national tour stops this year leading up to the Rochester event last week, which was in my home center, so I decided to make some changes for that event, and they paid off today. You know, I’ve always been a person who felt like I can compete out here, so it feels great to get this win.”
Furnas, 40, who was one of three left-handers in the four-person stepladder finals, grabbed the top seed away from Mangiola by shooting 254 in the last game of the eight-game qualifying block that determined the finalists.
As the No. 1 seed, Furnas was on the sidelines during what turned out to be the match of day – Mangiola’s semifinal battle against hometown favorite Trisha Reid of Columbus, Ohio.
Mangiola started quickly in the semifinal with six consecutive strikes. Reid threw four in a row to start the match, then converted a single-pin spare in the fifth and the 6-10 combination in the sixth.
Mangiola followed her six bagger with single-pin spare conversions in Frames 7 and 8 and a strike in the ninth frame. Reid, who finished the match first, responded by striking out from the seventh frame through the end of the match to post 267. That left Mangiola needing all three strikes in the 10th for a one-pin victory, which she accomplished to secure the 268-267 win and a spot in the title match.
“For whatever reason, I wasn’t real nervous out there today,” Mangiola said. “I was probably more nervous during the eighth game (of qualifying) then I was for those two matches in the finals. In that match, she (Reid) threw it great, and I threw it great, so nobody could be mad about losing. That was my thought going into the 10th when I needed to strike out; that I’ve already bowled a great match, so just try to finish it out.”
Mangiola continued her run of strikes to start the title match, striking on her first five shots before converting a single-pin spare in Frame 6. Furnas started with a strike, but suffered an open frame in the second when she failed to convert the 7 pin on a single-pin spare attempt. She followed that up with a strike in the third, a single-pin spare in the fourth, and then strung together three consecutive strikes in the fifth through seventh frames.
Unfortunately for Furnas, Mangiola would never let up. She finished the match with six consecutive strikes, rolling to a decisive 279-215 victory, and leaving Furnas with the second-place check worth $1,100. Mangiola talked about being the only right-hander in the stepladder finals.
“I definitely felt like it ended up being an advantage for me,” she said. “I knew I would be the only one on my side for the stepladder and, during practice before the show, I tried to build myself a little room and just tried to create a good shot for myself. Plus, there weren’t other righties for me to watch, which probably helped because sometimes when I watch others and try to do what they do, I put too much pressure on myself.”
Mangiola, who works at ABC Gates Bowl in Rochester, New York – host of the PWBA’s recently concluded Tour Championship Week, credited some recent changes in her game that helped her reel in her first PWBA regional title.
“First of all, I put my wrist brace back on,” she said. “I’ve had it off for about the last two years or so and, to be honest, I’m not even sure exactly why I took it off in the first place. Also, I changed shoes from bowling shoes to just tennis shoes. I don’t slide, I just plant, and that just seems to put too much pressure and stress on bowling shoes. I was having trouble with my balance, falling off shots, and then I actually blew out my shoes at the U.S. Open. So, making those two changes really helped me today.”
Mangiola, who is engaged to be married next year, was happy to have her mom Loreen on hand to watch her win for the first time on the regional circuit.
“I think she cried more than anyone,” said Mangiola. “I could hear her in the back, and she usually never cheers like that. My dad is usually the one back there going nuts. I can’t imagine what it was like at home; I’m sure my dad was just screaming.”
The win earned Mangiola a match-play berth at the season-ending PWBA Regional Showdown, which will be held at Airport Lanes in Sanford, Florida, from Dec. 4-6.
Mangiola and this season’s other PWBA Regional winners will automatically be seeded into the match-play field at the event.
The winner of the 2025 Regional Showdown will not only receive a cash prize, but she will also have her entry fees covered for all 2026 PWBA National Tour singles events as well.
“I’ve bowled the Showdown the last couple years and just missed the main field by a mark or two both times,” Mangiola said. “So, it feels good to know that I won’t have to go in and squeeze to try to get into the main field. It’s a guaranteed check, plus it’s in Florida in December, so I can escape the Buffalo winter for a little while.”
The opening match of the stepladder final saw Reid, the No. 4 seed, defeated No. 3 seed Brianna Andrew of Grand Rapids, Michigan, 234-210. Reid earned $900 for finishing third; Andrew collected $700 for fourth.
The next PWBA Regional event is the PWBA Peoria Regional, which takes place on Sunday, Aug. 24, at Landmark Lanes in Peoria, Illinois.
The entire PWBA Greater Columbus Regional was streamed live on BowlTV.
To learn more about the PWBA Tour, visit PWBA.com. For more information on PWBA Regional competition, click here.
