Charly Boelter of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Samantha Kelly of Waukesha, Wisconsin, made their way to the top of the Diamond Doubles standings July 3 at the 2017 United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships.

Boelter (above right) led the effort at the Raising Cane’s River Center with games of 258, 245 and 203 for a 706 series, while Kelly added 257, 217 and 224 for a 698 set, pushing them to a 1,404 total. Mary Wells of Johnstown, Ohio, and Katelyn Simpson of Emmett, Idaho, previously held the lead with 1,378.

Although the 2017 event marks just the second time Boelter and Kelly have bowled together at the USBC Women’s Championships, being on the leaderboard isn’t new to them. They moved into second place at the 2016 tournament in Las Vegas, bowling on the same squad as eventual champions Shannon O’Keefe of O’Fallon, Illinois, and Kendra Gaines of Orlando, Florida, before eventually settling for a fourth-place finish.

With the strong start to their doubles set, Boelter admitted she thought about the chance at another run at the top of the standings.

“I did the math in my head and thought we were throwing it well enough to make a run,” said Boelter, who made her 13th tournament appearance. “Having the experience of being in this position last year also helped.”

Kelly, a former Junior Team USA member and Intercollegiate Team Championships winner with Robert Morris-Illinois in 2014, reiterated how last year’s experience at the South Point Bowling Plaza helped them create the right attitude and goals heading to the River Center in 2017.

“When we came out, we said we wanted to win this year,” said Kelly, who made her fifth Women’s Championships appearance. “We knew we left a lot out there, and that could have been the difference in winning in Las Vegas. We communicated much better this year.”

Diamond Doubles features bowlers with combined entering averages of 380 and above.

New leaders emerge in Ruby All-Events, Emerald Singles in Baton Rouge

Melissa Hertenberger of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and Alandra McDougald of Gwynn Oak, Maryland, each edged their way to the top of the standings this week at the 2017 USBC Women’s Championships.

Hertenberger (left), a 49-year-old left-hander, used the momentum of a strong singles set at the Raising Cane’s River Center on July 6 to post a 1,792 Ruby All-Events total, surpassing the 1,785 posted by Stephanie Gill of Baltimore.

Hertenberger rolled sets of 634 in singles, 601 in team and 557 in doubles to not only take the all-events lead, but also move into the top five in two additional events.

Her singles effort pushed her into third place in Ruby Singles, and her performance in the team event helped It’s Us of Fords, New Jersey, into fifth place in Emerald Team with a 1,919 total.

Tashia Blue of Hamilton, Ohio, leads Ruby Singles with 653, and Triangle Rollers of Durham, North Carolina, pace Emerald Team with a 1,992 total.

Ruby All-Events and Singles includes bowlers with entering averages of 175-189, and Emerald Team consists of four-player teams with combined entering averages of 575-649.

McDougald (right), a 23-year-old right-hander, rolled games of 212, 170 and 243 for a 625 series July 1 to sneak past Janet Clark of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who previously held the lead in Emerald Singles with 623.

McDougald recently had come back to the sport after an injury from a grease fire on Mother’s Day in 2016, which resulted in second- and third-degree burns, including on her right hand.

Emerald Singles features bowlers with entering averages of 160-174.

New Jersey bowler reaches 50 years at 2017 USBC Women’s Championships

Lillie Mae Holman (left) of Bloomfield, New Jersey, became the ninth and final competitor to celebrate her 50th tournament appearance during the 2017 USBC Women’s Championships.

Holman, 83, made her milestone appearance at the River Center on July 6.

She began her tournament career at the 1967 Women’s Championships in Rochester, New York, and has made her annual trek to the event each year since 1969.

The list of bowlers joining Holman in the 50-Year Club at the 2017 is Marilyn Davidson of Sunset Beach, North Carolina; Jo Anne Elischer of Portage, Indiana; Greta Kozar of Chamblee, Georgia; Lorie Perry of Tucson, Arizona; Christina Polinski of Carter Lake, Iowa; Elaine Rebatzke of Milwaukee; Marion Saunders of Waynesville, Missouri; and Hope Williams of Tucson, Arizona.

A look ahead

The 2017 USBC Women’s Championships will conclude July 10, ending its 79-day run at the Raising Cane’s River Center.

The 2017 event kicked off April 23 and will feature nearly 4,500 four-player teams. It is the 98th edition of the tournament.

For more information on the Women’s Championships, click here.

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2016 USBC Women’s Championships Team Results

Top 5 Division leaders with hometown and pinfall

Division 1 – Diamond
(For bowlers with combined averages of 725 and above)
1, The Big Ticket 1 (Kayla Bandy, Michelle Smith, Daphne Smith, Jennifer King), Columbia, S.C., 2,650. 2, Strike Out Diabetes, O’Fallon, Ill., 2,618. 3, Four Fun, Saugerties, N.Y., 2,497. 4, Storm Nation, Brigham City, Utah, 2,463. 5, Bowlieve, O’Fallon, Ill., 2,459.

Division 2 – Ruby
(For bowlers with combined averages of 650-724)
1, Sport Bowl II (Tonya Van Veldhuizen, Julie Jarman, Jessica Morford, Allison Coy), Sioux Falls, S.D., 2,158. 2, Chevrolet of Helena, Helena, Mont., 2,105. 3, Cashmere Bowling Queens 1, Charlotte, N.C., 2,077. 4, Pin Pals, Assumption, Ill., 2,068. 5(tie), Garden Center Lanes 1, Alexandria, Minn., and Country Girls 1, Gifford, Ill., 2,052.

Division 3 – Emerald
(For bowlers with combined averages of 575-649)
1, Triangle Rollers (Tina Rambo, Teresa Johnson, Cynthia McMillan, Cynthia Brown), Durham, N.C., 1,992. 2, The Rose Buds, Danville, Ky., 1,961. 3, Lane Lizards IV, Highland Village, Texas, 1,941. 4, TOMA, Chicago, 1,940. 5, It’s Us, Fords, N.J., 1,919.

Division 4 – Sapphire
(For bowlers with combined averages of 574 and below)
1, Mixed Up Nuts (Sabrina Ravndal, Shelley Nolan, Christine Ravndal, Laura Baker), Helena, Mont., 1,854. 2, Coolin With The Curtis’s, Grantsville, Utah, 1,841. 3, Sharon’s Rollin’ Kitchen, Peabody, Kan., 1,807. 4, Jadene’s Team, North Adams, Mass., 1,785. 5, Texas Ladies, Killeen, Texas, 1,782.

2016 USBC Women’s Championships Doubles Results

Top 5 Division leaders with hometown and pinfall

Division 1 – Diamond
(For bowlers with combined averages of 380 and above)
1, Samantha Kelly, Waukesha, Wis./Charly Boelter, Oshkosh, Wis., 1,404. 2, Mary Wells, Johnstown, Ohio/Katelyn Simpson, Emmett, Idaho, 1,378. 3, Heidi Sanders, Xenia, Ohio/Melissa Van Dyke, Parma, Ohio, 1,332. 4, Stephanie Brownie, Louisville, Ky./Crystal Gentry, North Chesterfield, Va., 1,326. 5, Hayley Veitch, Kenner, La./Aumi Guerra, Dominican Republic, 1,319.

Division 2 – Ruby
(For bowlers with combined averages of 350-379)
1, Kelsie Bryant/Tawnia Bryant, Twin Falls, Idaho, 1,185. 2, Dixie Faulkner, Beech Island, S.C./Shannen Cadle, Graniteville, S.C., 1,184. 3, Shawn Murphy, Lynwood, Ill./Jacquenette Banks, Naperville, Ill., 1,145. 4, Kimberly Crabtree, Gardnerville, Nev./Shannon Spivack, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 1,140. 5, Amanda Livingston, Eureka, Calif./Darah Nolan, McKinleyville, Calif., 1,134.

Division 3 – Emerald
(For bowlers with combined averages of 320-349
1(tie), Teresa Bazley/Holly Davis, Jacksonville, Fla., and Betty Jean Davis, Herbert Ill./Wendy Mann, South Elgin Ill., 1,098. 3, Patricia Lind/Vickie Hawkins, Aberdeen, Md., 1,081. 4, Anita Spencer, Sparks, Nev./Deona Werth, Reno, Nev., 1,080. 5, Annette Fox, Bremen, Ind./Jennifer Howard, Plymouth, Ind., 1,078.

Division 4 – Sapphire
(For bowlers with combined averages of 290-319)
1, Dianna Kryzer/Heidi Husbyn, Faribault, Minn., 1,035. 2, Jane Walter, Conception Junction, Mo./Nancy Vaught, Maryville, Mo., 1,011. 3, Geraldine Peterson, Maple Grove, Minn./Jen Abel, Champlin, Minn., 1,009. 4, Cheryl Thomas, Villa Rica, Ga./Voncile Chapel, El Paso, Texas, 1,008. 5, Josie Atcitty, Albuquerque, N.M./Deirde Sterling, Grayson, Ga., 1,005.

Division 5 – Amethyst
(For bowlers with combined averages of 260-289)
1, Mary Quintana, Price, Utah, and Lorraine Berryhill, Helper, Utah, 1,009. 2, Lois Davis/Florence Baker, Glendale, Ariz., 971. 3, Carol Schimke, Wind Lake, Wis./LaVerne Lewis, Burlington, Wis., 962. 4(tie), Bonnie Rung, Franklin, N.C./Sheri Cook, Farmington, N.M., and Denise Guthrie, Kinsey, Ala./Jaymie Coggins, Slocomb, Ala., 941.

Division 6 – Topaz
(For bowlers with combined averages of 259 and below)
1, Janice York, Clarendon, Ark./Terri McIntosh, Humphrey, Ark., 907. 2, Jaclyn Meyer/Victoria Krukowski, Ottawa, Ohio, 872. 3, Debbie Allen/Yvonne Quintanilla, Portland, Texas, 866. 4, Debra Headrick, Franklin, Neb./Cheryl Vap, Red Cloud, Neb., 859. 5, Sandy Acevedo, Greeley, Colo./Saffini Wilson, Fort Collins, Colo., 854.

2016 USBC Women’s Championships Singles Results

Top 5 Division leaders with hometown and pinfall

Division 1 – Diamond
(For bowlers with averages of 190 and above)
1, Taylor Bulthuis, Coral Springs, Fla., 746. 2, Erica Perez, Carteret, N.J., 723. 3, Julie Oczepek, Grand Rapids, Mich., 713. 4, Karen Morris, Nelsonville, Ohio, 705. 5, Lynda Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 704.

Division 2 – Ruby
(For bowlers with averages from 175-189)
1, Tashia Blue, Hamilton, Ohio, 653. 2, Joyce Seyb, Keokuk, Iowa, 638. 3, Melissa Hertenberger, Langhorne, Pa., 634. 4, Ashley Bennett, Omaha, Neb., 620. 5, Janelle Dowling, Loveland, Colo., 619.

Division 3 – Emerald
(For bowlers with averages from 160-174)
1, Alandra McDougald, Gwynn Oak, Md., 625. 2, Janet Clark, Albuquerque, N.M., 623. 3, Sue Powell, Austin, Texas, 609. 4, Melanie Prough, Newman Ga., 608. 5, Katherine Moore, Montgomery, Ala., 607.

Division 4 – Sapphire
(For bowlers with averages from 145-159)
1, Memorial Pritchett, LaGrange, Ga., 644. 2, Kate Dyer, Decatur, Ind., 582. 3, Alice Burris, Pana, Ill., 580. 4, Pam Neil, Virginia Beach, Va., 572. 5, Roberta Swinson, Rhodes, Mich., 567.

Division 5 – Amethyst
(For bowlers with averages from 130-144)
1, Ashley Guzman, Waukegan, Ill., 530. 2, Jacqulyn Schnapp, Arlington, Ohio, 521. 3. Jillian Schneider, Beavercreek, Ohio, 519. 4, Sandra Whitehead, Lansing, Mich., 514. 5, Chelsie Fox, Enoch, Utah, 512.

Division 6 – Topaz
(For bowlers with averages of 129 and below)
1, Alissa Ebneter, Belle Plaine, Minn., 518. 2, Denise Guthrie, Kinsey, Ala., 499. 3, Anna Calvillo, Austin, Texas, 485. 4, Mary Carnes, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 475. 5, Heather Smith, Fort Worth, Texas, 474.

2016 USBC Women’s Championships All-Events Results

Top 5 Division leaders with hometown and pinfall

Division 1 – Diamond
(For bowlers with averages of 190 and above)
1, Jennifer King, Irmo, S.C., 2,046. 2, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 2,027. 3, Katelyn Simpson, Emmett, Idaho, 2,026. 4, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 2,013. 5, Lynda Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2,009.

Division 2 – Ruby
(For bowlers with averages from 175-189)
1, Melissa Hertenberger, Langhorne, Pa., 1,792. 2, Stephanie Gill, Baltimore, 1,785. 3, Lauren Krywy, Sterling Heights, Mich., 1,776. 4, Stephanie David, Chaska, Minn., 1,763. 5, Savitri Taylor, Baker, La., 1,732.

Division 3 – Emerald
(For bowlers with averages from 160-174)
1, Rhonda Acitelli, Villa Park, Ill., 1,737. 2, Mari Gallegos, Chicago, 1,689. 3, Elaine Fielding, Katy, Texas, 1,683. 4, Lisa Perreault, Grand Forks, N.D., 1,667. 5, Melinda Keeney, Pueblo, Colo., 1,660.

Division 4 – Sapphire
(For bowlers with averages from 145-159)
1, Alice Burris, Pana, Ill., 1,618. 2, Tara Long, Kenton, Ohio, 1,616. 3, Pam Neil, Virginia Beach, Va., 1,574. 4, Tracey Avery, Dameron, Md., 1,550. 5, Donna Penty, Canada, 1,545.

Division 5 – Amethyst
(For bowlers with averages from 130-144)
1, Michele Menges, New Oxford, Pa., 1,482. 2, Robin Miles, Alberta, Minn., 1,481. 3(tie), Karen Schmehl, Shiremans Town, Wash., and Randi Buseman, Wellsburg, Iowa, 1,458. 5, Vickie Hensley, Mineral Wells, Texas, 1,454.

Division 6 – Topaz
(For bowlers with averages of 129 and below)
1, Denise Guthrie, Kinsey, Alabama, 1,367. 2, Erma Weston, Chicago, 1,332. 3, Sandra Orchard, Kaysville, Utah, 1,312. 4, Tracey Reed, Sherman, Texas, 1,302. 5, Bonnie Ryan, Price, Utah, 1,301.