Kuhl Takes Home Munson Cup
With Sean Kuhl’s birthday on July 2nd, it seemed a perfect time to finally release this post-Championship article. It took almost 4 months to recover from the excitement of that day and get it officially on paper. But now, you too can relive every play-by-play from the event - feast your surprised eyes on this recap!
STATEN ISLAND, NY
Palpable excitement was in the air on Staten Island as members gathered from as far as the North Shore and South Shore of Staten Island to finalize the 2025-26 MBA season at Rab’s Country Lanes (Mid Shore) last March.
As the crowd gathered, word spread of a few missing contenders at this year’s playoffs. Most notably, Jon Marotte who shocked the league by taking the top spot of the final leaderboard, even after narrowly missing out on multiple event wins this season. Joe Piergiovanni, slot three, was MIA as well, so Tom Ryan and Dan Derwin slid into the playoffs in their stead.
HONORABLE MUNSON WILDCARD
Unlike previous years, the lanes jumped right into the action kicking off The Honorable Munson Wildcard to determine who would take the final spot in The Roy L. Munson Chapter Championship bracket. With only one game to seal the deal, the top scorer would join the upper echelon, who stood by patiently awaiting their final competitor. While Dava Jordet, accomplished rookie, came in with a solid 151, it was playoff veteran Leigh Janicki who secured the win with a final score of 154.
With the natural break to award Janicki the second Honorable Munson trophy of her MBA career, it was a good time to announce the year’s regular season award winners teased in that morning’s primer email.
1st Overall
Jon Marotte (158.8 AVG)
Helen Dillon Memorial Award (Most Strikes)
Kevin Rogers (43)
Fred Glasier Memorial Trophy (Most Spares)
Jon Marotte (50)
Rookie of the Year
Christopher Coppa (135.1 AVG)
Most Mediocre Bowling Pin
Keith Parascandola (128.5 AVG)
Winner closest to the season's median average (above or below) wins the MMP
Marotte’s trophies were left where he could easily find them #DSNYStrong
MUNSON CUP - ROUND ONE
Sean Kuhl, the season’s most decorated member, was famously eliminated by the Wildcard slot in 2016, so stakes were high. But when he started game one with a turkey, he showed everyone he meant business. With competitive spares, Janicki finished with a 154, only 13 points behind Kuhl’s winning 167.
With consistent spares and even a few strikes, Dan Derwin took the win over Paul Drozek, 159 to 134.
Tony Chiappi faced off against Tom Ryan but with Ryan’s consistent strikes and spares, he handily beat Chiappi 143 to 116.
Kevin Rogers dominated the first round with a 208, beating Keri Sheheen’s final score of 104 by 104 points.
MUNSON CUP - ROUND TWO
Round two kicked off with Dan Derwin facing off against Sean Kuhl. With a hambone late in the game, Kuhl clinched the round with a final score of 191 versus Derwin’s 125.
Meanwhile, Tom Ryan and Kevin Rogers faced off. Rogers was struck with “the jitters” and even though he threw a handful of strikes and spares, he only secured a 146 against Ryan’s 190.
(MEANWHILE…IN THE MEDIOCRE CUP FINALS)
While the Munson Chapter Championship kicked off, the remainder of the league competed for a highest-average win of the crystal beauty, The Mediocre Cup.
After the first game, things were looking good for Dava Jordet and Hillary Scott, who both finished with a 166. But in game two, though Jordet stayed solid with a 162, Nancy Izzo’s surprise 179 gave her a final average of 165.5 - securing the win.
And a Turkey Club induction to boot!
MUNSON CUP - ROUND THREE
Finally, the main event commenced. The entire league gathered to watch Sean Kuhl and Tom Ryan bowl their final game. Kuhl started off strong with two strikes, and Ryan answered back with his signature spares. In the end, with extremely mediocre final scores all around, Kuhl took the victory. After beating Ryan’s 133 with a final score of 157 and winning the majority of the season’s regular events, Sean Kuhl fulfilled his destiny - taking home the ultimate MBA hardware, The Munson Cup.
Other notables for the evening included:
A big unveiling! This season’s gift, MBA playing cards designed by yours truly! Those who didn’t attend received them by pigeon post in the weeks after the event. Have a friend who used to be in the league and if bummed they didn’t snag? Hit us up. We’ll be selling them in the Etsy shop soon!
