USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. – The members of ProduceU 4 of Buffalo, New York, became the first team to surpass 3,400 at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, posting 3,429 on Friday to take the lead in Regular Team.
The group produced games of 1,085, 1,233 and 1,111 at the National Bowling Stadium to move past the 3,393 rolled by Bowlers Headquarters 6 of Neenah, Wis., on May 7.
Dennis Surmaczewicz Jr. led the way with a 772 series and was joined by Curtis Foss (724), Charles Buttery Jr. (651), Dylan Greenauer (642) and Joshua Dingman (640).
The big performance in Game 2 was highlighted by 289 from Surmaczewicz and 269 from Buttery, while Foss carried the team down the stretch in Game 3, finishing with the final 10 strikes for 278.
The team returned to the National Bowling Stadium for doubles and singles Saturday night during the 11:30 p.m. Pacific squad. The number they were chasing for Team All-Events was 10,169, posted by Armstrong Printing 1 of Naperville, Ill.
They came up just two pins short as ProduceU 4 finished with 10,167. Surmaczewicz led the team with 2,124, Dingman added 2,042, Buttery 2,041, Greenauer 2,000, and Foss 1,960. Suremaczewicz highlighted the squad with a 300 game.
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.
CALIFORNIA WOMAN TAKES RUBY LEAD
A late string of strikes helped Lisa Ross of Pacoima, Calif., claim the lead in Ruby All-Events at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships with a 1,777 total.
After posting a 559 series in team Friday at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas, Ross returned Saturday to roll scores of 617 in doubles and 601 in singles. Rebecca Greenwood of Citrus Heights, Calif., took the lead Friday with 1,770.
Ross needed 195 in her final game to take the outright lead and started with a couple of early opens. After a spare in the sixth frame, she was able to deliver the final six strikes to get to 201 and the top of the leaderboard.
She was bowling alongside her daughter, Katheren Sterling, and spent a couple of frames focusing on helping her after a spill impacted her bowling shoes. Once Ross knew she was good, she went back to work and started striking down the stretch.
“My daughter was bowling with us and had a spill,” Ross said. “She had to borrow some stuff from me and change her slide sole, so for a couple frames my brain was in a different place. When I was able to focus and move forward, that’s where it came through.
“It was amazing – I had no clue I had a chance for that lead. I thought I had lost it considering my second game. All of my second games kind of went down compared to my first game. I thought maybe I had a chance to be near the top but not as the leader.”
She has picked up some extra leagues at home to help build her endurance for tournaments like this and focused on a few key items to make sure she was at her best at the USBC Women’s Championships.
“Making sure I stayed with my form and stayed behind the ball,” said Ross, who made her third appearance at the tournament. “That was my problem a little bit yesterday. I didn’t do bad but I kind of got away from my form and my concentration was a little off. Today, I focused on trying to stay with what I know.”
Her support system also is second to none. In addition to bowling with her daughter, Ross’ husband, Gary, also was in attendance along with several others.
“To be able to be around friends and family with that kind of support helps a lot when you’re going through these kinds of tournaments,” Ross said. “You couldn’t buy that kind of support. Their support kind of helps me elevate my own game – it gives me confidence to be able to move forward. I don’t know if I could do that without that support.”
Ross may take a couple of days to take in her performance, but she is proud of her showing at the Women’s Championships. Now, she’ll wait and see if it’s enough to claim her first gemstone trophy at the event.
“I actually haven’t had that sink in yet … it’s probably going to take me a couple days before I actually start thinking about it,” Ross said. “Being at the top after three years is astounding. I didn’t realize I’d have a chance of doing that. It’s kind of amazing.”
Ruby All-Events includes bowlers 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.