RENO, Nev. - When Taylor Coggins of Burleson, Texas, planned his first trip to the USBC Open Championships, he knew what to expect from the challenging tournament lanes and set his goals accordingly.

The 19-year-old left-hander's main goal was an all-events score of at least 1,800, which he surpassed by quite a bit, while nearly taking the Regular Singles lead at the same time.

Coggins closed out his tournament debut with games of 248, 290 and 255 for a 793 series, which moved him into second place in Regular Singles. Edward Rede of El Paso, Texas, leads with 814.

"When I came out, I was really hoping to just go even," said Coggins, who bowls collegiately at West Texas A&M University. "All I wanted to do was shoot 600 every set. Those were my expectations coming in, and this definitely exceeded them."

Heading into the last game, Coggins knew he had a chance at shooting the first 800 of his bowling career as well as a chance at taking the lead, before a stubborn 7 pin ended both dreams.

"I thought I had it, especially on the 10th ball," said Coggins, who added 638 in doubles and 582 in team for a 2,013 all-events total. "But that 7 pin just wouldn't fall. Going into the last game, I knew I needed a big game. I left a 6 pin in the third frame, and after that, I knew I couldn't miss. I was pretty nervous going into the 10th frame. It would have been great if I would have taken the lead during my first time at Nationals."

Although this was Coggins' first Open Championships, it wasn't his first time bowling at the National Bowling Stadium. Last summer, he competed in a competitive youth event at the Stadium, and that experience helped him adjust to the arena setting.

"I bowled here last summer," said Coggins, who bowls league at Western Bowl. "So, I was a little used to it. This is a giant bowling center, and there is definitely nothing like it for sure. Before the team event, I also bowled some side tournaments to get used to being out here. After the first two sets, I was comfortable and settled into a groove."

Coggins had an issue with carry during his first five games this week, but the pins began to fall in the last game of doubles Monday.

"When we started doubles, I knew I had a good look," Coggins said. "Unfortunately, just like my team event, I couldn't carry. I wasn't leaving 7 pins, but I was leaving a ton of 8 pins. During the last game of doubles, I started carrying and shot 257. When I switched pairs for singles, I didn't move at all, and I was able to carry, which was the big difference."

Now that his initial campaign is over, Coggins always will remember his first time and is looking forward to returning to the Open Championships every year.

"I am definitely going to remember being here and bowling with a lot of people from Amarillo, especially since I am going to school at West Texas this year," Coggins said. "It felt good having them there to provide support. It was great. I definitely will be back. It was so much fun."

Click here to watch video highlights from the 2011 Open Championships.
Presenting sponsors for the 2011 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Humana, official registration sponsor, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.