January 19, 2024 Nolan Hughes

A new U15 Mixed division and expanded regional qualifier season highlight the 2024 PBA Jr. schedule

With Gianna Brandolino, Kayla Starr, Dmitri Richardson and Ernesto Reynoso advancing to the PBA Jr. National Championship Finals, airing Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on FS1, attention turns towards the 2024 season.

During the upcoming 2024 PBA Jr. season, there will be additional PBA Jr. regional qualifiers, more qualifying finalists and a new U15 Mixed division.

In 2024, all roads now lead to the PBA Jr. finals. Each 2024 PBA Jr. tournament will be a regional qualifier for the 2024 PBA Jr. National Championship.

Two regional qualifiers will be held in the East, Midwest/Central and Southwest regions, and three will be held in the South and West regions.

The U18 Boys, U18 Girls and U15 Mixed division champions of each regional qualifier will advance to the 2024 PBA Jr. National Championship, which will be held in early 2025.

The first event of the 2024 season will be held March 8-10 in Sacramento, Calif.

PBA Jr. players can compete in as many regional qualifiers as they choose. If a player earns a spot in the PBA Jr. finals, they can still compete for titles and SMART money in subsequent 2024 regional qualifiers.

PBA Jr. tournaments are scratch and open to all bowlers under the age of 18 (as of Dec. 31, 2023), though members receive a $50 discount on entry fees.

The U18 Boys and U18 Girls championship matches will be televised with the winner receiving $10,000 in SMART funds. The U15 Mixed champion will receive $5,000 in SMART funds, though the match will not be televised.

Each 2024 PBA Jr. regional qualifier will feature the same tournament format. 

All players will bowl three five-game qualifying rounds on the O’Neill, McEwan and Tackett oil patterns, respectively. The top 12 players will advance to a single-game elimination bracket, with the top four players receiving a one-round bye.

The champion of each division will qualify for the 2024 PBA Jr. National Championship, which will be held in early 2025.

In each regional qualifier, $2,000 in SMART funds will be added to the prize fund. All PBA Jr. regional qualifiers will now award Tier 1 points for the 2024 PBA Jr. Jim Welch Memorial Scholarship.

More information on the 2024 PBA Jr. program is available here.

For questions related to the PBA Jr. program, please reach out to [email protected].

2024 PBA Jr. Regional Qualifier Schedule

PBA Jr. West Regional Qualifier
Bowlero North Sacramento | Sacramento, Calif.
March 8-10

PBA Jr. South Regional Qualifier
Bowlero Altamonte | Altamonte Springs, Fla.
April 12-14

PBA Jr. South Regional Qualifier
Bowl America Southwest | Midlothian, Va.
May 3-5

PBA Jr. East Regional Qualifier
Bowlero North Brunswick | North Brunswick, N.J.
May 24-26

PBA Jr. Midwest/Central Regional Qualifier
Sun Valley Lanes and Games | Lincoln, Neb.
June 12-14

PBA Jr. Southwest Regional Qualifier
Bowlero Thousand Oaks | San Antonio, Texas
June 28-30

PBA Jr. South Regional Qualifier
Myrtle Beach Bowl | Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Sept. 6-8

PBA Jr. Midwest/Central Regional Qualifier
Bowlero Vernon Hills | Vernon Hills, Ill.
Sept. 20-22

PBA Jr. Southwest Regional Qualifier
Bowlero Northrock | Wichita, Kan.
Oct. 4-6

PBA Jr. West Regional Qualifier
Bowlero Gilbert | Gilbert, Ariz.
Oct. 18-20

PBA Jr. West Regional Qualifier
Bowling center TBD
Nov. 15-17

PBA Jr. East Regional Qualifier
East Providence Lanes | Rumford, R.I.
Dec. 6-8