PBA Jr. National Championship Regional Qualifiers Results
20 youth bowlers, top two boys and two girls from five regional qualifiers to advance to PBA Jr. National Championship
New York, NY – The top youth bowlers from around the country hit the lanes Labor Day weekend to compete in the PBA’s prestigious youth competition – the PBA Jr. National Championship Regional Qualifiers, the first-part of the PBA Jr. National Championship.
The Regional Qualifiers took place at four Bowlero locations in the United States on Sep. 4-6. Each regional featured the same format for the boys’ and girls’ divisions – two squads of six-game qualifying rounds, followed by four qualifying games for the top 50 percent of players. After 10 games, the top 12 players in each division advanced to match play for six final games. The top finishers were determined by total pinfall.
The long-running Parker Bohn III Scholarship Tournament (PB3) served as an additional qualifier for the East Region. The top two boys and girls in the PB3 event automatically secured a spot in the PBA Jr. National Championship.
The youth bowlers brought their A-game, but several athletes stood out in each region including 17-year-old, Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio. Martin, the first-ever PBA Jr. Girls National Champion began her title defense winning the Girls Division in the Central Region for the second year in a row.
Annalise O’Bryant of Ball Ground, Ga. who won the Girls Division in the South Region last year made it back-to-back wins capturing the top spot in the Girls Division once again. O’Bryant didn’t advance to the National Championship televised Finals in 2021 but will make a run in 2022.
The East Region Qualifier also saw repeat champions in both divisions. Victoria Varano of Stony Point, N.Y. who finished runner-up in the National Championship secured the top spot in the Girls Division and Randal Dunbar of Milford, Mass., won the top spot for the Boys Division.
Dawson Peterson of Stewartville, Minn. and Ty Carra of Lake Hiawatha, N.J. each rolled a perfect game. Petersen finished in 10th place overall in the Boys Division in the Central Region and Carra finished runner-up in the Boys Division in the East Region.
The top two boys’ and girls’ finishers per region are as follows.
Central Region – Bowlero, Wauwatosa, Wis.
Boys Regional Champion: Landin Jordan, Sycamore, Ill. – 3,609
Boys Runner-up: Alexander Horton, Doulgassville, Pa. – 3,522
Girls Regional Champion: Jillian Martin, Stow, Ohio – 3,447
Girls Runner-up: Gianna Brandolino, Channahon, Ill. – 3,288
South Region – Bowlero, Marietta, Ga.
Boys Regional Champion: Rylan Breese, Wilmington, N.C – 3,436
Boys Runner-up: Connor Breaman, Greer, S.C. – 3,393
Girls Regional Champion: Annalise O’Bryant, Ball Ground, Ga. – 3,535
Girls Runner-up: Brianna Rogers, Florence, S.C. – 3,508
Southwest Region – Bowlero, Euless, Tex.
Boys Regional Champion: Zachary Smullen, Frisco, Texas – 3,601
Boys Runner-up: Eric Jones, Edmond, Okla. – 3,525
Girls Regional Champion: Paige Wagner, Great Bend, Kan. – 3,196
Girls Runner-up: Avery Domaquin, San Diego, Calif. – 3,177
West Region – Bowlero, Mesa, Ariz.
Boys Regional Champion: Kyler Orosco, Agoura Hills, Calif. – 3,539
Boys Runner-up: Noah Akiona, Waimanalo, Hawaii – 3,486
Girls Regional Champion: Katelyn Abigania, San Diego, Calif. – 3,187
Girls Runner-up: Samantha Kanehailua, Pearl City, Hawaii – 3,161
East Region (PB3) – Howell Lanes, Howell, N.J
Girls Regional Champion: Victoria Varano, Stony Point, N.Y.
Girls Runner-up: Kayla Starr, Crofton, Md.
Boys Regional Champion: Randal Dunbar, Milford, Mass.
Boys Runner-up: Ty Carra, Lake Hiawatha, N.J.
300 games: Dawson Peterson, Stewartville, Minn.; Ty Carra, Lake Hiawatha, N.J.
Scores from each Regional Qualifier are available at www.pba.com/junior/tournament-schedule#qualifier.
Each regional tournament guaranteed a first-place $2,000 SMART Scholarship. SMART scholarships were also awarded to one out of every six (1:6) entries in each division.
The top two boy and girl finishers from each Regional Qualifier will move on to the National Championship to compete for a $16,000 SMART Scholarship, which is the largest single SMART scholarship to ever be awarded. The National Championship date will be held in conjunction with a PBA National Tour stop, to be named at a later date.
The PBA is committed to advancing the sport of bowling at every level and the PBA Jr. National Championship is one of many opportunities for PBA Jr. youth bowlers to compete with the best and earn scholarships for their future education.
The PBA Jr. Club is exclusively for ages 17 and under. For additional information and to learn more, please visit pba.com/junior.
About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the world’s preeminent organization dedicated to the sport of bowling and its professional competition, with thousands of members and millions of fans throughout the world. The PBA plays host to bowling’s biggest tournaments from the PBA Tour, PBA Regional Tour, and PBA50 Tour. In 2020, the PBA launched PBA Jr., a club for elite youth bowlers under the age of 17 and the PBA Pinsiders, a membership for fans of the sport. For more information, please visit PBA.com.