HoF Silver Lanes 1 of New Hartford, Connecticut, became the first team to reach the 3,200-pinfall mark in team competition at the 2017 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and a group of bowlers from the East Coast took over the top two spots in Regular Doubles.

Led by Jon Wilbur‘s 746 series, HoF Silver Lanes 1 rolled games of 1,001, 1,131 and 1,107 for a 3,239 total March 30 at the South Point Bowling Plaza.

Wilbur was joined by Todd Lathrop (676), Tony Reynaud (622), Jon Matunas (610) and Scott Widmer (585). Kruse’s Pro Shop of Fargo, North Dakota, previously held the lead with 3,198.

On April 2, Steve Arehart of Chesapeake, Virginia, and Charles Richey (pictured left, r-l) of Concord, North Carolina, raised the bar in Regular Doubles with a 1,385 total.

Minutes after finishing their set, they watched their teammates, Chris Hans of Battleboro, North Carolina, and Kyle Troup (right, l-r) of Taylorsville, North Carolina, move into second place with 1,365.

Arehart and Richey got off to a quick start, averaging better than 253 as a pair through the first two games, but Richey ran into trouble the final game, recording four open frames. Arehart led the effort with games of 244, 238 and 224 for a 706 series, and Richey added 279, 252 and 148 for 679.

Hans rolled games of 259, 226 and 237 for a 722 series, and Troup, a Professional Bowlers Association Tour titlist, added 216, 201 and 226 for 643.

Two honor scores rolled this week at South Point Bowling Plaza

Steve De Kerf Jr. of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, and Todd Lathrop of Colchester, Connecticut, each recorded honor scores during their singles sets March 31 to make their respective runs at the top of the standings.

De Kerf (left), 32, rolled the second 800 of the 2017 USBC Open Championships and moved into a tie for the lead in Regular Singles with 802. Matt Gasn of Clarksville, Tennessee, posted his 802 on March 25.

De Kerf started his first game of singles with 10 consecutive strikes, before leaving a 10 pin on his 11th shot. He followed the 289 start with 234 and put himself in position for a dramatic finish by opening the finale with four strikes.

After converting a single pin in the fifth frame, De Kerf had no room for error if he was going to reach Gasn’s total. He delivered seven consecutive strikes to finish his set with 279.

Lathrop (right), 53, carried the momentum of an exciting team event into doubles and singles.

He started singles with 12 consecutive strikes for the first 300 game of the 2017 event at the South Point Bowling Plaza and added 257 and 213 for a 770 series, moving him into third place in Regular Singles.

Lathrop, a 2015 Open Doubles champion at the Bowlers Journal Championships presented by USBC, added 676 in team and 659 in doubles to take over second place in Regular All-Events with 2,105. Jacob Boresch of Kenosha, Wisconsin, leads with 2,122.

Lathrop’s effort in team competition helped HoF Silver Lanes 1 of New Hartford, Connecticut, take the lead in Regular Team on March 30 with 3,239.

First-timers take lead in Standard, Classified Divisions

Three first-time USBC Open Championships participants made waves in their debuts this week, taking the lead in Classified Doubles and Standard All-Events at the South Point Bowling Plaza.

Mark Nelson of Clitherall, Minnesota, and Lynn Good (left, l-r) of Battle Lake, Minnesota, found their stride in doubles March 30 on the way to a 1,102 total. Nelson, 43, led the effort with games of 174, 194 and 198 for a 566 series, while Good, 62, added 211, 206 and 119 for 536.

Charles Lindeman of Belt, Montana, and John Lindeman of Fort Benton, Montana, previously held the lead in Classified Doubles with 1,058.

On March 31, Stephanie Sanders (right) of Bakersfield, California, finished with a clean 219 game to take the Standard All-Events lead with 1,826, surpassing the 1,801 posted by Mike Thielen of Eagle Grove, Iowa.

Sanders, 38, started strong with a 659 series in team and added 590 in doubles and 577 in singles.

Standard Doubles also got new leaders this week, as Ramon Pagan (644) and Raymond Haran (547) (left, l-r) of Chicago combined for a 1,191 total April 4.

A look ahead

Defending Regular All-Events champion Brandon Novak (left) of Chillicothe, Ohio, will put his title on the line starting April 5 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

The 28-year-old right-hander captured the 2016 title at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, with sets of 742 in singles, 703 in doubles and 688 in team for a 2,133 total, outdistancing more than 40,000 bowlers.

John Lamm of North Mankato, Minnesota, is scheduled to become the next member of the tournament’s 50-Year Club on April 6 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. He is one of 23 bowlers slated to reach the milestone during the 2017 event at the South Point Bowling Plaza.

Lamm made his Open Championships debut at the 1965 tournament in St. Paul, Minnesota, and has knocked down 83,121 pins in 49 appearances for a career average of 188.

For more information on the Open Championships, click here.

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2017 USBC Open Championships – Regular Division

Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfall

Team
(Combined averages of 1,046 and above)
1, HoF Silver Lanes 1 (Tony Reynaud, Scott Widmer, Jon Matunas, Jon Wilbur, Todd Lathrop), New Hartford, Conn., 3,239. 2, Kruse’s Pro Shop, Fargo, N.D., 3,198. 3, Supreme Deck, Grand Haven, Mich., 3,174. 4, Classic Lanes Raisins, Milwaukee, 3,158. 5, SIR 1, Tafton, Pa., 3,148. 6, HoF Silver Lanes 2, New Hartford, Conn., 3,103. 7, Ballard’s Bowling Academy 2, Fort Worth, Texas, 3,059. 8(tie), Vick Vick Boom 1, Mount Joy, S.C., and Vanilla Salsa, Roseville, Calif., 3,042. 10, Every Kiss Begins with Kruml, O’Fallon, Mo., 3,040.

Doubles
(Combined averages of 419 and above)
1, Charles Richey, Concord, N.C./Steve Arehart, Chesapeake, Va., 1,385. 2, Chris Hans, Battleboro, N.C./Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 1,365. 3, Darin Craine, Flint, Mich./Robert Leser, Fenton, Mich., 1,342. 4, Nick Pate, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Casey Maxted, Gillette, Wyo., 1,336. 5, Clint Dacy, Fort Worth, Texas/Chris Hibbitts II, Keller, Texas, 1,320. 6, Jackie Carbonetto, Blauvelt, N.Y./Matt Gasn, Clarksville, Tenn., 1,312. 7, Jim Schroeder, Waukesha, Wis./Ryne Greenwood, Kenosha, Wis., 1,309. 8, Matthew Zitnik, Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Jason Bowles, Euclid, Ohio, 1,308. 9, Myles Shykes, Princeton, Minn./Tyler Bystedt, Duluth, Minn., 1,301. 10, Kyle Sherman, O’Fallon, Mo./Nick Kruml, Downers Grove, Ill., 1,298.

Singles
(Averages of 210 and above)
1(tie), Matt Gasn, Clarksville, Tenn., and Steve De Kerf Jr., Sheboygan Falls, Wis., 802. 3, Todd Lathrop, Colchester, Conn., 770. 4, Tony Buck, Rockford, Mich., 768. 5, Rick Knickerbocker, Sacramento, Calif., 758. 6, Gary Daroszewski, Milwaukee, 736. 7, Neal Miskell, Indian Head, Md., 732. 8, Ryne Greenwood, Kenosha, Wis., 730. 9, Geoffrey Young, Keller, Texas, 726. 10(tie), Bobby Bures Jr., Painesville, Ohio, and Matt Freiberg, Las Vegas, 720.

All-Events
(Averages of 210 and above)
1, Jacob Boresch, Kenosha, Wis., 2,122. 2, Todd Lathrop, Colchester, Conn., 2,105. 3, Shawn Naumann, Orlando, Fla., 2,053. 4, Ryne Greenwood, Kenosha, Wis., 2,045. 5, Geoffrey Young, Keller, Texas, 2,028. 6, Matt Gasn, Clarksville, Tenn., 2,025. 7, Daniel Vick, Pittsford, N.Y., 2,012. 8, Steve De Kerf Jr., Sheboygan Falls, Wis., 2,003. 9(tie), Gary Daroszewski, Milwaukee, and Nick Pate, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., 1,992.

Team All-Events
(Combined all-events totals of all five team members)
1, Vanilla Salsa (Shawn Naumann, David O’Sullivan, Matt Gasn, Sean Riccardi, PJ Haggerty), Roseville, Calif., 9,743. 2, Every Kiss Begins With Kruml, O’Fallon, Mo., 9,588. 3, SIR 1, Tafton, Pa., 9,447. 4, Before the 1st Frame, Battleboro, N.C., 9,376. 5, Classic Lanes Raisins, Milwaukee, 9,360. 6, HoF Silver Lanes 1, New Hartford, Conn., 9,356. 7, Classic Lanes Kids, Milwaukee, 9,295. 8, Ballard’s Bowling Academy 2, Fort Worth, Texas, 9,207. 9, Who Led The Masters, O’Fallon, Mo., 9,148. 10, 5 ICT Bowlers, Johnston, Iowa, 9,115.

2017 USBC Open Championships – Standard Division

Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfall

Team
(Combined averages of 901-1,045)
1, Minnesota Select Sires I (Arvid Strande, Carl Krause, Paul Buendiger, Scott Molnar, Andrew Kasten), Fergus, Minn., 2,922. 2, Rimmy’s Pro Shop 2, Oak Lawn, Ill., 2,709. 3, Wildcat Lanes 1, Wayne, Neb., 2,688. 4, Solid 1, Milpitas, Calif., 2,677. 5, TX-MA Connection 1, Fort Worth, Texas, 2,675. 6, Oak Forest Bowl, Midlothian, Ill., 2,672. 7, New Berlin Ale, New Berlin, Wis., 2,666. 8, Oakridge Farms No. 1, Frazee, Minn., 2,665. 9, Berry Trucking, Canon City, Colo., 2,664. 10, Sportsman Bowling Club No. 3, Moreno Valley, Calif., 2,661.

Doubles
(Combined averages of 361-418)
1, Ramon Pagan/Raymond Haran, Chicago, 1,191. 2, Cody Maier/James Medina, Spring Creek, Nev., 1,180. 3(tie), Jeffrey Schwebke, McHenry, Ill./Robert Dinger, Volo, Ill., and Jeff Kusnerick/Duane Kruger, Streator, Ill., 1,174. 5, Mele Sally Chow/Randy Chow, Pearl City, Hawaii, 1,167. 6, Annette Hirsch/Tyson Hirsch, Burley, Idaho, 1,164. 7, Gary Holtz, Litchfield, Minn./Robert Kinnard, Las Vegas, 1,163. 8, Jordan Longnecker/Jon Zaruba, Streator, Ill., 1,161. 9, Ryan Mahoney/William O’Sullivan, Jacksonville, Fla., 1,156. 10(tie), Dan Johnson, Gwinner, N.D./Jim Kutter, Lidgerwood, N.D., and Darrell Pedersen/Mike Thielen, Eagle Grove, Iowa, 1,151.

Singles
(Averages of 181-209)
1, John Dowell, Portland, Ore., 651. 2, Larry Riggs, Sidney, Mont., 648. 3, Bob Helton, Wood River, Neb., 647. 4, George Sampior, South San Francisco, Calif., 645. 5(tie), Gary Weiss, Farmington, Minn., and Matt Schmitt, Rockford, Ill., 644. 7, Greg Jones, Jackson, Ohio, 635. 8(tie), Stephanie Van Ness, Hercules, Calif., and Michael Holt, Somerset, N.J., 634. 10, Mark Klostermeier, Toledo, Ohio, 631.

All-Events
(Averages of 181-209)
1, Stephanie Sanders, Bakersfield, Calif., 1,826. 2, Mike Thielen, Eagle Grove, Iowa, 1,801. 3, Tyler Bryant, Canon City, Colo., 1,778. 4, Tommy Purvy, San Diego, 1,769. 5, Shane Brown, Bloomington, Ill., 1,767. 6, Elizabeth Meade, West Monroe, La., 1,759. 7, Scott Gray, East Meadow, N.Y., 1,756. 8, Ruben Flores, Salinas, Calif., 1,754. 9, Gary Weiss, Prior Lake, 1,752. 10, Mark Kemper, Frazee, Mich., 1,750.

2017 USBC Open Championships – Classified Division

Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfall

Team
(Combined averages of 900 and below)
1, Dusty’s Floor Covering (Douglas Fugleberg, Corey Hanson, Ricky Crane, Jody Bueng, Lynn Christianson), Twin Valley, Minn., 2,487. 2, Decorah Auto Center, Calmar, Iowa, 2,437. 3, Crooked Creek No. 1 Bar & Grill, Bowman, N.D., 2,413. 4, Pat’s Dairy Whip, Princeville, Ill., 2,405. 5, Parnell 2, Belding, Mich., 2,375. 6, Kerman Bowl, Kerman, Calif., 2,371. 7, Tucking, Santa Barbara, Calif., 2,365. 8, Karl Trucking, Hutchinson, Minn., 2,330. 9, National EWP, Spring Creek, Wis., 2,326. 10, County Line Storage, Osceola, Wis., 2,325.

Doubles
(Combined averages of 360 and below)
1, Mark Nelson, Clitherall, Minn./Lynn Good, Battle Lake, Minn., 1,102. 2, Charles Lindeman, Belt, Mont./John Lindeman, Fort Benton, Mont., 1,058. 3, Sarah Eastland, Lawrence, Kan./Justin Milburn, De Soto, Kan., 1,055. 4, Beau Stenke/Bailey Krueger, Brillion, Wis., 1,048. 5(tie), Rae Letterman, Ray Town, Mo./Lendon Garrison, Kansas City, Mo., and Scott Tharp, Boise, Idaho/John Phelps, Meridian, Idaho 1,038. 7, Dawn Holmes/Dennis Holmes, Las Vegas, 1,037. 8(tie), Josh Stickland, Sisseton, S.D./Noah Nissen, Lidgerwood, N.D., and Clement Gaskin, San Diego/Troy Taylor, Ramona, Calif., 1,035. 10, Mike Ignacio, Seaside, Calif./Anthony Souza, Watsonville, Calif., 1,034.

Singles
(Averages of 180 and below)
1, Michael Tengan, Hilo, Hawaii, 607. 2, Efrain Rodriguez, New York, N.Y., 590. 3, James Lee, North Platte, Neb., 589. 4, Gregory Lancaster, Port Orchard, Wash., 587. 5, Cody Maier, Spring Creek, Nev., 584. 6, Jonathan Eickhoff, Lowell, Mich., 583. 7, Robert Gibson, Hopewell, Va., 582. 8, Nicole Kleutgen, Wild Rose, Wis., 578. 9, Taylor Lewis, Cambridge, Neb., 577. 10(tie), Jacqueline Herndon, Montrose, Minn., Mike Belden, Altoona, Wis., and John Jungeblut, Higginsville, Mo., 574.

All-Events
(Averages of 180 and below)
1, Cody Maier, Spring Creek, Nev., 1,686. 2, Efrain Rodriguez, New York, N.Y., 1,636. 3, Nicole Kleutgen, Plainfield, Wis., 1,632. 4, Bim Marston, Hardin, Mont., 1,623. 5, Jason Gerlat, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, 1,611. 6, Bryant Frisby, Kewanee, Ill., 1,604. 7, Ronald Ellis, Porter, Texas, 1,603. 8, Steve Miller, Weston, Wis., 1,596. 9, Michael Cole, Green Bay, Wis., 1,592. 10, Melissa Cassidy, Jacksonville, Fla., 1,591.