NOTE: The PWBA provided portions of this release.

(LEBANON, Ill., Sept. 19)—The past 10 days have been extremely special for McKendree women's bowling coach Shannon O'Keefe.
 
Last week, O'Keefe captured her second straight Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) Bowler of the Year award as she captured five tournament titles during the 2019. The fifth and final of those crowns came Wednesday night, when she rolled to victory at the PWBA Tour Championship in Richmond, Va.
 
"This is beyond any of my wildest dreams," said O'Keefe after her championship effort on Wednesday. "To have a season like this -- to win five titles, come back to Richmond Raceway, where I won my first major, and be able to win again, to be player of the year – it's mind-boggling to me, and I'm so humbled and grateful."
 
O'Keefe left little doubt in the title match of the PWBA Tour Championship against Dasha Kovalova, rolling eight consecutive strikes on her way to a 268-179 victory. She earned an automatic spot in the semifinal round of the event thanks to her ranking on the PWBA Tour's season-long points list, which determined seeding for the knockout-style bracket.
 
In the semifinal round on Wednesday, O'Keefe faced a must-strike situation against Stefanie Johnson and came through to post a 234-223 win to reach the championship match. After recording a spare in the first frame against Kovalova, O'Keefe rattled off eight straight strikes to build a lead she would not relinquish.
 
Wednesday's PWBA Tour Championship marked O'Keefe's seventh championship-round appearance of the 2019 season. She went 11-2 in those matches on her way to the five titles.
 
O'Keefe managed to put up some historic numbers during the 2019 PWBA season. Entering Wednesday's PWBA Tour Championship, she had four victories on the year, which was the most for any player on tour since 2001. Her 13 PWBA wins since the tour relaunched in 2015 are the most by any competitor.
 
"Winning my second PWBA Player of the Year award is mind-boggling and humbling all at the same time," said O'Keefe. "This one most certainly means more because I was able to do it, competing from beginning to end, by sticking to my mental process and season goals."
 
In addition to her strong run on the PWBA Tour in 2019, O'Keefe also enjoyed more success as a member of Team USA. She won a gold medal at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru while adding a silver medal and two bronze medals at the World Bowling Women's Championships in Las Vegas.
 
O'Keefe will now turn her attention back to preparing the McKendree women's bowling team for its upcoming 2019-20 season. The Bearcats have qualified for each of the last four NCAA Women's Bowling Championship field, winning the national championship in 2017. O'Keefe has won National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Division II/III Coach of the Year honors for four consecutive years.