USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. – Three 300s, one 800 series and plenty of movement in the top 10 for the Regular Division defined an exciting Thursday and Friday at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
The 800 series and one of the 300s belonged to Brunswick’s Eric Bator, who was bowling as part of Adam Barta’s Grandkids, which moved into second place in Regular Team at the National Bowling Stadium.
The right-hander rolled games of 246, 300 and 257 for an 803 series to become the first competitor at the 2026 event to reach 800 in team. Bator is the fifth overall to secure an 800 in 2026.
After a 1,096 start, Bator’s 300 in Game 2 helped the team to 1,114 and put the leading total within the group’s reach. Bowlers Headquarters 6 of Neenah, Wis., leads Regular Team with 3,393.
Stepping up in the final frame, Bator needed a double for the chance at 800 and to also keep the team’s hopes intact for the top spot from the second position in the lineup. He delivered two strikes and knocked over eight pins on his fill ball to close his series.
“Game 2 as a team we struggled a little bit. It wasn’t a bad game, but we left some out there and we wanted to get it back for Game 3,” Bator told www.bowl.com following the performance. “As for me, I was trying to get my legs back under me. That 10th frame made me a a little nervous.
“I’m still trying to gather my thoughts and figure out what it does mean. It’s been surreal at this point and I’m still trying to absorb it all. The list of names that are on that list is unbelievable and the fact that I get to join them is awesome.”
The team closed with 1,163 to post 3,373. Bator was joined in the effort by Dennis (D.J.) Assaff (703 series), Matthew Zitnik (634), Kyle Bacher (625) and Jason Bowles (608). It is only Bator’s second year with the group at nationals.
The group will return to the NBS on Saturday in hopes of chasing the top score in Team All-Events during the 3:15 p.m. Pacific squad. The members of Armstrong Printing 1 of Naperville, Illinois, lead the 45-game marathon with 10,169.
“We mesh really well and communicate really well … it’s just special,” Bator said. “We try to have as much fun as possible and keep it light-hearted. We stay focused of course, but we try not to be too down on ourselves or get to excited when we bowl well. Just stay level-headed … it’s the process we’ve used the whole time.”
And about a run for a USBC Eagle on Saturday?
“It just gives me chills to even think about it,” Bator said.
STARTING IT OFF
Jared Shaner of Ford City, Pa., got things going Thursday at the National Bowling Stadium, firing a 300 game during singles and earning three spots in the top 10 in the Regular Division.
The talented two-hander started his big day with games of 238, 252 and 246 for a 736 set in doubles, and he paired with Josh Marks of Greensburg, Pa., to take over sixth in Regular Doubles with a 1,449 total. Marks added games of 221, 258 and 234 for a 713 series.
Moving into singles, Shaner started with 236 before going 12 for 12 in Game 2.
After posting 729 in team Wednesday, Shaner needed 256 in his final game to take the outright lead in Regular All-Events and nearly got there, finishing the set with seven strikes to get to 248 for a 784 series and 2,249 all-events tally.
Shaner now is second in Regular All-Events and tied for fourth in Regular Singles.
Josie Barnes of Hermitage, Tenn., leads Regular All-Events in 2026 with a 2,256 total, and Robert Oakleaf Jr. of Louisville, Ky., holds the top spot in Regular Singles with 816. Two-time Eagle winners Dean Distin of Phoenix, N.Y., and Michael Tryniski of Fulton, N.Y., lead Regular Doubles with a record score of 1,567.
Shaner’s breakthrough performance at the USBC Open Championships occurred during his sixth appearance at the event, and he recorded 89 clean frames along the way.
MORE FROM THURSDAY
Later on Thursday, Nicholas Villela of Austin, Texas, became the next competitor to throw the big strikes on bowling’s biggest stage.
The right-hander started his team set with games of 184 and 205 before settling in during the finale, tossing a perfect game to finish with a 689 series. He closed the set with 16 strikes in a row.
Villela admitted to feeling some nerves down the stretch as the strikes started to add up, but his final three shots to secure the honor score left little doubt off his hand.
Villela added sets of 680 in singles and 597 in doubles Friday to finish his seventh tournament appearance with an all-events score of 1,966.
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