USBC Communications
LAS VEGAS – It’s been a busy week at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships as new leaders have emerged across three divisions and four events.
A pair of teams ascended to the top spot in the Emerald and Sapphire Divisions on Wednesday in Las Vegas, while new leaders in Sapphire All-Events and Ruby All-Events made their move Thursday and Friday, respectively.
In Emerald Team, the members of Classic Bowling Center 1 of Pacifica, Calif., used games of 613, 754 and 651 to take the lead with a 2,018 total. Alette’s Angels 8 of Aiea, Hawaii, previously held the lead with 2,013.
Rowena De Mesa led the team with a 614 series and delivered in a must-strike situation in the final frame of Game 3 to secure the leading score. She was joined by Cleofe Aragon (509 series), Veronica Bartolome (451) and Lina Cooper (444).
“We’re feeling ecstatic – we didn’t expect it,” Aragon said. “We’re always excited to come over here every year. Our anchor did a great job helping us this year, and it was a team effort.”
Emerald Team includes four-player groups with combined entering averages of 541-620.
The members of Kiser Custom Welding of Jerome, Idaho, improved each game on the way to the top spot in Sapphire Team, posting scores of 502, 612 and 640 for a 1,754 total.
Bomb City Babes of Amarillo, Texas, had held the lead with 1,730.
Lorie Lancaster led the team with a 522 series and was joined at the Bowling Plaza by Lynette Kiser (498), Rachelle Lancaster (447) and Alexis Lancaster (287).
“We are very excited that we’ve taken the lead so far,” Lorie Lancaster said. “Our team being here has just been awesome. We’re a family team, and my granddaughter, it’s her first year. This is just great for us.
“We just have fun. We loved the team we were bowling with, too. It’s a great atmosphere.”
While the team planned to enjoy some Las Vegas staples after their doubles and singles squad Thursday, one of the teammates had a little more to celebrate.
Lynette Kiser of Twin Falls, Idaho, finished her appearance at the USBC Women’s Championships strong and scored herself another top spot with the lead in Sapphire All-Events.
The foundation of taking the team lead was a great setup for her performance in doubles and singles to secure the all-events lead.
In addition to the 498 series in team, she added 505 in doubles and closed out singles with 424 for an all-events total of 1,427. Sandra Nelson of Des Moines, Wash., previously held the lead with 1,412.
Finishing up singles, Kiser felt a little defeated after not shooting as high in singles as she did in doubles. Little did she know that she hit her mark and did better than she expected to secure the lead in her division.
“I was very shocked and surprised,” said Kiser, who made her fourth appearance at the Women’s Championships. “I’ve actually come a long way this season. So, it’s been great coming back and doing it since we didn’t do nationals last year. What a great surprise.”
Coming to nationals with a team you love to bowl with makes the experience more fun, but scoring high is the cherry on top for every bowler when they receive the news. This is exactly how Kiser felt after hearing that she did so well with her team and individually.
“They’re truly an amazing group,” Kiser said. “We all cheer for each other, root for each other. You know, even if we’re having bad days, we just encourage each other to do better.”
Kiser came to nationals with family, making it a wonderful moment for them over both days at the tournament.
“It’s wonderful,” Kiser said. “It’s nice coming with family because we get to do things, explore and make new memories.”
Wrapping up the end of the tournament experience for Kiser and her family, she hopes to have her score stay toward the top of the standings and secure a gemstone trophy.
“It would truly just be so amazing,” Kiser said. “Everything has been amazing. The team we bowled next to were really fun and rooting us on as well. It was a great experience with everybody around us.”
Sapphire Team features groups with combined entering averages of 540 and below. Sapphire All-Events includes bowlers with entering averages of 135 and below.
In Ruby All-Events, Rebecca Greenwood of Citrus Heights, Calif., put together steady sets of 629 in singles, 578 in doubles and 563 in team to roll to the lead with a 1,770 total.
Briana Booker of Rosharon, Texas, previously led with 1,715.
She also leaves Las Vegas in second for Ruby Singles, third in Emerald Team (1,985 total) and seventh in Emerald Doubles with Kenda Freeman of Sacramento, Calif. (1,018).
Greenwood made just her second appearance at the Women’s Championships, but she’s quickly proven to be a strong competitor at the event. In 2025, her team – Savage Sisters – finished second in Emerald Team, and she placed fifth with Freeman in Emerald Doubles. She also finished in the top 15 in Ruby All-Events.
“This is my second year for the Women’s Championships, and last year, we were able to place second and got our cool bracelets this year, so we were pretty excited about that,” Greenwood said. “We’re going to keep coming back, too.”
Greenwood put an exclamation point on her overall performance during her final game of singles, firing 242.
“Today, I feel like it was about staying where I could be comfortable and just making sure I was hitting my mark, keeping it consistent and making sure I was leaving makeable spares,” Greenwood said. “I was just feeling really good. The ball was coming off my hand really well and I was trying to stay consistent and be smooth. I felt really good going into the back half of that game.”
The tournament experience has been a fun one for Greenwood through her first two years, and getting the chance to claim a victory alongside some great people would mean a lot to her.
“I’m hoping I can stay pretty close to the top 10 – it would be pretty sweet,” Greenwood said. “I’m excited to even have a chance at the lead.
“It would mean so much for me (if the score held). I’m happy to have my family here today and all my friends around to support me. It would be really exciting and mean everything.”
Ruby All-Events features competitors with entering averages of 156-175.
The Women’s Championships is celebrating its 106th edition in 2026 and making its sixth trip to Las Vegas. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 16,000 bowlers and 4,200 four-player teams competing across 65 consecutive days at the South Point Bowling Plaza.