KULICK IS A FINALIST FOR

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

Kelly Kulick, the first woman to capture a title in the 51-year history of the Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour, has been selected as one of 10 finalists for The Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year.

“To be in the pool of athletes nominated for this award goes to show what a great year I had,” Kulick said. “It is an honor to be nominated.”The award will be presented Oct. 12 at the 31st Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards at New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The Women’s Sports Foundation will celebrate the accomplishments of the top women athletes at the annual fundraising gala.Twenty athletes from 20 sports have been nominated for Sportswoman of the Year – 10 each for individual and team competition.

The finalists were nominated based on athletic achievements from Aug. 1, 2009 through July 31, 2010.Finalists will be voted on by The Women’s Sports Foundation membership and through online voting. Fans can cast their votes until Aug. 31, 2010 at midnight (Eastern) by clicking here.Kulick, of Union, N.J., is a six-time Team USA member who was a finalist in the team-sport category last year. She said the nomination helps bring recognition to the sport of bowling and she “hopes when they see the resume, they will appreciate the year I’ve had.”Kulick’s resume is quite impressive. In September 2009 she won the PBA Women’s World Championship, and in November she won the PBA Women’s Series Shark Championship. In January, she became the first woman bowler to win a PBA Tour title when she beat Chris Barnes in the title match at the Tournament of Champions, a major on the tour.In March, Kulick won the Canon Malaysian International Open and then captured two major women’s tournaments – the United States Bowling Congress Queens in April and the U.S. Women’s Open in May. Both were her second career championships in each event, and she became the first person to capture both in the same year.Kulick, 33, was selected to Team USA and will represent the United States at the Pan American Bowling Confederation Women’s Championships in September. She currently is ranked as the No.1 female bowler by the PBA.Women’s Sports Foundation founder Billie Jean King, a tennis great who beat Bobby Riggs in a “Battle of the Sexes” match, congratulated Kulick after her victory over Barnes by saying it was “not only historic, it serves as a motivational and inspirational event for girls and women competing at all levels all around the world.”And come October, Kulick said she would “love to be on that stage” with King.Joining Kulick as a finalist in the individual-sport category are:

* Torah Bright, snowboarding* Rebecca Bross, gymnastics* Yu-Na Kim, figure skating* Ai Miyazato, golf* Alana Nichols, paralympic skiing* Sanya Richards, track and field* Anna Tunnicliffe, sailing* Lindsey Vonn, skiing* Serena Williams, tennis
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