USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. – It was a big week at the National Bowling Stadium this week, with new leaders emerging in several categories during competition.
Here is a rundown of the changes.
CALIFORNIA TEAM TOPS STANDARD
Rolando’s OC Guys of Santee, Calif., rewrote the leaderboard in Standard Team after taking the lead Friday evening at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
The group shot games of 952, 1,057 and 950 to close with 2,959, 16 pins better than the previous team, Prairie Wolf Construction of Helena, Mont., that bowled just one day prior.
Rolando’s OC Guys were led by Jason Dias’ 655 series, followed by Harrison Neuharth (617), Joshua Alvarez (607), Duke Matties (546) and Christian Amendola (534). Neuharth clinched the lead for the team with a strike to open the final frame, but was quick to point out the massive team effort it took.
“It came down to the very end, and I really have to give it to my team,” Neuharth said. “They grinded through the whole event. I couldn’t be more thankful for the guys I bowled with.”
He noted how important it was for the team to have an open dialogue while they bowled to stay ahead of the game.
“It was just constant communication between all of us. Christian and I both started bowling at the same time in college at Cal Poly State in early 2022, so our communication is always there. We’re constantly talking back and forth, kind of ping-ponging off each other, trying to figure out what’s working.
“The rest of the team was always chatting, too — pointing out what’s working, what’s not — just making sure we’re sharing what we see. I think that’s really the key to success.”
Neuharth also said that the team had only met a few weeks ago and were able to keep conversations away from the scores they were putting up.
“I think we managed to just stay level. In the back, we kept things pretty light, just outside conversation, really. We weren’t talking about scores at all. We still talked about bowling and ball motion, but not about exactly what the scoreboard looked like.”
Still, it was hard to ignore what they were doing heading into the final game.
“I think it crossed everyone’s mind right away because the pace we were on was incredible,” he said. “You can’t not notice. You see your scores, then you look at the big scrolling leaderboard and think, ‘Okay, if we keep this up, we’re way up there.’
“We slowed down a little toward the end, but I couldn’t be happier with the adjustments we made and how we handled it.”
Of the five on the team, only Dias had bowled the Open Championships prior to this year and the rest were all making their first trip to the event, making it surreal to be at the top early in their careers.
“I can’t even describe it,” said Neuharth. “I’ve only been bowling for three years, and honestly, I didn’t even know I was going to bowl this event until about two and a half weeks ago when someone dropped out.
“I never thought I’d be here bowling with such great guys and sitting at the top of the leaderboard, especially this early in a lot of our bowling careers.”
With the leaderboard ever-changing through the first three weeks of the tournament, Neuharth and the rest of the team know anything can happen to push them down the leaderboard. For now, though, they’ll enjoy seeing themselves at the top.
“I think we all know the lead could slip, but we’re just happy with how we bowled. You can’t sit there thinking about a spare you missed and what it might’ve cost you. We’re happy with how we performed, and we know we bowled really well. We gave it our best, and as a bowler, you really can’t ask for more.”
Standard Team includes five-player groups with combined entering averages of 801-905.
NEW REGULAR DOUBLES LEADERS
A late string of strikes Thursday helped Timothy Simonis of Queen Creek, Ariz., and Josh Blanchard of Mesa, Arizo., to the top spot in Regular Doubles.
Blanchard – a three-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion – also etched his name into the tournament’s record book with his performance during the set, posting games of 269, 279 and 264 for an 812 series. Simonis bounced back from a 158 start to close with 214 and 252 for a 624 series, helping the pair to 1,436.
After the fourth frame of Game 3, Blanchard and Simonis had almost no room for error to get around the 1,433 rolled by Brandon Bates and Christopher Davidson of Fair Oaks, Calif., on March 29.
With an open from Blanchard and a spare by Simonis, both players needed to strike to their fill ball for the opportunity to sneak into the top spot. Each rallied with the final eight strikes to close the game and take the lead by three pins.
Blanchard recorded the second 800 of the 2026 event and rolled strikes on 31 of his 35 deliveries during the set.
Blanchard finished his 18th appearance at the USBC Open Championships with 672 in singles and 640 in team to also move into second in Regular All-Events with a 2,124 total. Jonathan Cherpeski of Fairborn, Ohio, leads with 2,149.
Simonis – making his 17th tournament appearance – added 680 in singles and 513 in team to finish the year with 1,817.
Prior to his run Thursday, Blanchard posted 775 in Open Singles at the Bowlers Journal Championships, which features the same oil pattern being used in doubles and singles competition at the Open Championships. He currently sits in third place – 2012 Regular Team champion Nick Heilman of La Crosse, Wis., leads with 813.
ANOTHER 300
Nicholas Solar of Grand Forks, N.D. closed his second appearance with a perfect performance at the National Bowling Stadium.
The 22-year-old right-hander started his singles set with games of 189 and 220 before rolling the final 12 strikes for the fourth 300 game of the 2026 event and a 709 series.
Solar is leaving Reno sitting in the top 10 of two events in the Regular Division, too. He helped MN Misfits 2 to a 3,075 team total at the NBS, which featured a 1,232 showing in Game 2. The group currently sits in ninth place.
He also paired with Brandon Kreyer of Mounds View, Minn., to post 1,397 in Regular Doubles, which currently is sixth.
Solar added sets of 670 in doubles and 564 in team to finish with an all-events tally of 1,943.
Solar and Kreyer also made a move at the Bowlers Journal Championships, briefly taking the lead in Open Doubles with 1,483. The father-and-son duo of James Campbell of Loudon, Tenn., and Jeffrey Campbell of Sioux Falls, S.D., took over the top spot Thursday with 1,542.
Kreyer competed on the team crossing with Solar’s crew, and the 21-year-old left-hander also put together a strong showing during his time at the Open Championships.
He rolled sets of 732 in singles, 727 in doubles and 627 in team for an all-events score of 2,086 (currently in fourth place). His team – MN Misfits 1 – also is in the top 10 of Regular Team (fifth at 3,196) and Team All-Events (third at 9,735).
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.