Simmons started Tuesday's mixed doubles competition with 22 strikes in his first 24 shots for games of 296 and 299, never looking back as he teamed up with Amanda Burgoyne of Newport, Minn., to take the mixed doubles crown with a record-breaking 2,768 six-game total. The pair topped the previous mark of 2,731 posted by Team USA's Lynda Barnes and Gordon Vadakin in 1989.

"It was a real honor breaking the record because Lynda and Gordon are both amazing bowlers," Burgoyne said. "It really gives me goose bumps to think about it. Going into the last game we were just focused on making sure we got the gold. We had no idea we were even close to the record. "

After his first bid for perfection fell short with the 3-6-7-9 still standing, Simmons opened the second game with 11 more strikes before a 6-pin came between him and the first 300 game of the 2005 event. Simmons finished the first half of the six-game set with a 227 for an 822 effort, just 11 pins shy of the tournament record, 833, posted by Team USA's Rhino Page at the 2004 event at Cloverleaf Lanes in Miami.

"I was relaxed going in, but I knew we had to bowl our best because the competition is so tough," Simmons said. "I got a little fast on the last shot the first game, but I knew I had to keep making good shots and couldn't let up. I think not shooting 300 really helped because it allowed us to keep going without relaxing too much."

The 22-year-old senior at Wichita's Newman University ended the day with games of 220, 260 and 223 for a 1,525 total, while Burgoyne added 1,243. Alejandro Cruz and Adriana Perez of Mexico finished second with 2,589, while Canada's Lorry Ho and Isabelle Rioux were third with 2,579. Team USA's Stefanie Nation of Miami and Dan Patterson of Phoenix finished seventh with 2,330.

"It always feels great to have a day like this," Simmons said. "We both bowled well today and the pins just fell our way. Overall, we are having a great time. Competing for our country is something we've all dreamed of doing, and to win the gold medal just tops it off."

In the junior division, Ronnie Sparks Jr. of Wayne, Mich., and Kayla Bandy of Danville, Va., also captured the gold medal, teaming up to shoot 2,564. William Navas and Mariana Ayala of Puerto Rico were second with 2,410 and Mexico's Humberto Bazquez and Daniela Alvarado were third with 2,383. Junior Team USA's Mark French of Ventura, Calif., and Josie Earnest of Vandalia, Ill., finished ninth with 2,289. Also during the mixed doubles competition, Navas bowled the first perfect game of this year's event.

On the senior side, John Weltzien of Wellington, Fla., and Betty Maull of Viera Fla., finished fourth for the United States with 2,248, while Bob Hart of Suwanee, Ga., and Sharon Colon of Miami were eighth with 2,176. Alfonso Rodriguez and Fransuesa Sacre of Mexico won the event with 2,386.

The four-person mixed team competition begins Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. Bowlers will roll six games Wednesday and return Thursday morning for the final six games of team competition.

For more information and coverage from the Tournament of the Americas, visit www.bowl.com.