Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey, averaged more than 251 Thursday as she took the opening-round lead at the 2015 United States Bowling Congress Queens, a Professional Women's Bowling Association event.

Kulick, a two-time Queens champion, had a five-game total of 1,258 (251.6 average) to top the field of 205 of the best women bowlers in the world at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wis.

"The Queens is really two tournaments in one - qualifying and match play," Kulick said. "My goal is to make match play for now and then it turns more strategic once you get to match play."

Kulick fired games of 257, 245, 269, 248 and 239 on the opening squad of the day to earn the top spot. Verity Crawley of Babson Park, Fla., nearly caught Kulick on the second squad of the day but ended up second with 1,241, including a 300 game.

USBC Hall of Famer Kim Kearney of Grand Prairie, Texas, sits in third place with 1,178, and Samantha Kelly of Streamwood, Ill., is fourth with 1,145.

Brittany Smith of Des Moines, Iowa, who fired a 300 game, is tied with Laura Beuthner of Germany in fifth place with 1,140. USBC Hall of Famer Leanne Hulsenberg of North Ogden, Utah, also had a 300 game and is 12th overall with 1,120.

Qualifying continues Friday with the second round and the event concludes with the live ESPN2 finals Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern. All qualifying and match play rounds will be broadcast live on Xtra Frame.

All players will bowl 15 games of qualifying over three days to determine the 63 bowlers who will join defending champion Maria Jose Rodriguez of Colombia in match play. The player who survives the bracket to win the event will take home $20,000 of the estimated $125,000 prize fund.

For more information on the event, visit BOWL.com/Queens or PWBA.com. To watch qualifying and match play, visit XtraFrame.TV.

ROMEO TOPS SENIOR QUEENS FIELD IN ROUND 1

Defending champion Robin Romeo of Newhall, California, took the early lead as qualifying kicked off Thursday at the 2015 United States Bowling Congress Senior Queens.

Romeo, a USBC Hall of Famer, fired a five-game total of 1,080 (216 average) to top the field at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley.

"During practice yesterday it was a little tricky trying to keep the ball around the pocket," Romeo said. "I just found a ball I could keep in play and not be overly aggressive."

Romeo put together games of 191, 225, 194, 246 and 224 in her opening-round effort. The only other bowler to average better than 200 in the first round was Lisa Wasson of Murphy, Texas, who fired 1,011.

Char Hammel of Las Vegas sits in third place with 984, while USBC Hall of Famer Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is fourth with 981. Beth Owen Cipielewski of Bradenton, Florida, rounds out the top five with 978.

All Senior Queens participants will bowl 15 games of qualifying, and the field then will be cut to the top 31, plus Romeo, for the double-elimination match-play bracket starting Sunday at 10 a.m. Eastern.

BowlTV will broadcast the stepladder finals of the Senior Queens on Tuesday at 11 a.m. Eastern.

The player who survives the bracket to win the event will take home $3,000 of the $20,600 prize fund.

The Senior Queens, open to all female USBC members age 50 and older, marks the second stop of the Senior Women's Triple Crown Series presented by The Orleans. The Triple Crown Series is a special competition for bowlers who compete in the Senior Queens, National Golden Ladies Classic and the U.S. Women's Open.

The top 10 players in the Triple Crown standings, which combines qualifying totals from all three events, will take part in the Triple Crown Shoot-Out presented by The Orleans.

The Triple Crown Shoot-Out will be held after the U.S. Women's Open qualifying rounds Sept. 4 at Brunswick Zone Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick, New Jersey.

For more information on the Senior Queens, visit BOWL.com/SeniorQueens.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body for the sport. USBC is a membership organization that provides standardized rules, regulations and benefits to make bowling fair and fun for everyone.

The interactive home of USBC is BOWL.com. Go to twitter.com/USBC for the fastest USBC headlines.

2015 USBC QUEENS
At The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley, Green Bay. Wis.
Thursday's results

ROUND 1
(Five games)

1, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,258. 2, Verity Crawley, Babson Park, Fla., 1,241. 3, Kim Kearney, Grand Prairie, Texas, 1,178. 4, Samantha Kelly, Streamwood, Ill., 1,145. 5, (TIE) Brittany Smith, Des Moines, Iowa, and Laura Beuthner, Germany, 1,140.
7, Kristina Wendell, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., 1,137. 8, Marcia Kloempken, Pleasant View, Utah, 1,136. 9, Catherine Maher, Altoona, Pa., 1,133. 10, Katherine Sutphin, Mount Dora, Fla., 1,131. 11, Shannon O'Keefe, O'Fallon, Ill., 1,129. 12, Leanne Hulsenberg, North Ogden, Utah, 1,120.
13, Jacqui Reese, McAdoo, Pa., 1,119. 14, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 1,118. 15, Shannon Labinski, Wauwatosa, Wis., 1,117. 16, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 1,114. 17, Kristin Quah, Singapore, 1,113. 18, Josie Earnest, Nashville, Tenn., 1,108.
19, (TIE) Cassandra Leuthold, Black Hawk, S.D., and Iliana Lomeli, Mexico, 1,104. 21, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 1,101. 22, Daria Kovalova, Wichita, Kan., 1,096. 23, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, Ill., 1,092. 24, Samantha How, Oregon City, Ore., 1,088.
25, Amanda Greene, Romney, W. Va., 1,086. 26, Summer Jasmin, Beckley, W. Va., 1,085. 27, (TIE) Anita Arnett, Richmond, Texas, and Samantha Schaden, Baltimore, Md., and Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., and Lindsay Boomershine, Perry, Utah, 1,084.
31, Terysa Wojnar, New Lenox, Ill., 1,081. 32, (TIE) Anne Marie Duggan, Edmond, Okla., and Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,080. 34, Karen Boyd, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 1,078. 35, Karen Marcano, Venezuela, 1,076. 36, Stefanie Johnson, Grand Prairie, Texas, 1,075.
37, (TIE) Sandra Gongora, Mexico, and Debbie Ayers, La Mesa, Calif., 1,073. 39, Sandi Charles, Nolanville, Texas, 1,072. 40, Maria Jose Rodriguez, Austin, Texas, 1,071. 41, Clara Guerrero, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,067. 42, (TIE) Kristin Warzinski, Lincoln, Calif., and
Megan Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, and Neishka Cardona, Puerto, PR, and Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 1,065. 46, Tabitha Bieri, Grandview, Iowa, 1,064. 47, Erin McCarthy, Omaha, Neb., 1,062. 48, Liz Kuhlkin, Schenectady, N.Y., 1,058.
49, Stephanie Schwartz, Racine, Wis., 1,055. 50, (TIE) Sarah Germano, Rochester, N.Y., and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas, 1,054. 52, (TIE) Kimi Davidson, Irving, Texas, and Brittni Hamilton, Wood Ridge, N.J., 1,053. 54, Michelle Abner, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1,052.
55, Leigh Anne Price, O'Fallon, Mo., 1,051. 56, Cieara Watts, Sugar Land, Texas, 1,048. 57, Jennifer Higgins, Westerville, Ohio, 1,047. 58, Sarah Lokker, New Baltimore, Mich., 1,046. 59, Correen Lieber, Issaquah, Wash., 1,044. 60, Elysia Current, Ephrata, Pa., 1,043.
61, Diana Zavjalova, Beavercreek, Ohio, 1,040. 62, Jessica Abel, Wichita, Kan., 1,039. 63, Aseret Zetter, Guadalajara, 1,036. 64, Lauren Pate, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., 1,032. 65, Natalie Cortese, Hoffman Estates, Ill., 1,027. 66, Kayla Stram, Minnetonka, Minn., 1,021.
67, Giselle Poss, Montgomery, Ill., 1,020. 68, Sarah Muench, Kewaskum, Wis., 1,018. 69, (TIE) Desiree Negron, Puerto Rico, and Ashly Galante, Palm Harbor, Fla., and Katie Anne Sopp, White Bear Lake, Minn., 1,017. 72, (TIE) Jacqueline Carbonetto, Blauvelt, N.Y., and Kristy Coles, Kearns, Utah, 1,014.
74, Lindsay Rusch, Appleton, Wis., 1,012. 75, Lili Robles, San Ysidro, Calif., 1,010. 76, Pamela Alvarez, San Diego, Calif., 1,008. 77, Olivia Sandham, Saint Joseph, Mo., 1,007. 78, Julie Oczepek, Reese, Mich., 1,006.
79, April Murphy, Wichita, Kan., 1,005. 80, Michelle Bowden-Calhoun, Flossmoor, Ill., 1,001. 81, Blair Blumenscheid, Columbus, Ohio, 999. 82, Kerry Smith, Lititz, Pa., 997. 83, Mariana Ayala, Euless, Texas, 996. 84, Paula Brown, Milwaukee, Wis., 994.
85, Jordan Newham, Aurora, Ill., 991. 86, Paola Gomez, Colombia, 988. 87, Kimberly Roe, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., 987. 88, (TIE) Stephanie Martins, Brazil, and Trisha Reid, Columbus, Ohio, 985. 90, Jennifer Evans, Peru, Ind., 984.
91, (TIE) Nikki Stiteler, Medina, Ohio, and Bryanna Caldwell, Red Rock, Ariz., 982. 93, Sabrina Duncan-Rose, Bellaire, Texas, 980. 94, (TIE) Brandi Branka, Momence, Ill., and Marissa Allison, Temperance, Mich., and Kolien Owens, Mason, Mich., and Emily Eckhoff, Denver, Colo., and Heather D'Errico, Rochester, N.Y., 979.
99, (TIE) Alyssa Harper, Deland, Fla., and Brooke Bower, Camp Hill, Pa., 976. 101, Brenda Padilla, Mansfield, Texas, 975. 102, Sydney Brummett, Fort Wayne, Ind., 973.
103, (TIE) Briana Cubito, Green Bay, Wis., and Margrette Suchoski, East Moline, Ill., and Emily Peterson, West Fargo, N.D., 971. 106, Katie Bishop, Westland, Mich., 969. 107, Elise Bolton, Merritt Island, Fla., 968. 108, Jennifer Helferstay, O'Fallon, Mo., 967.
109, Katelyn Zwiefelhofer, Racine, Wis., 966. 110, Jamie Martin, Omaha, Neb., 965. 111, (TIE) Catie Jensen, Fort Worth, Texas, and Brandy Silva, Fort Worth, Texas, 963. 113, (TIE) Christina Hardee, Mount Dora, Fla., and Danielle Knittle, State College, Pa., 962.
115, (TIE) Chenoa Rhoades, Lafayette, Ind., and Kerri Ellenbecker, Germantown, Wis., 961. 117, Kristin Nieter, Homewood, Ill., 960. 118, Ashley Crowder, Tamarac, Fla., 959. 119, Genie Franklin, Frisco, Texas, 958. 120, Crystal Brooks, Schofield, Wis., 957.
121, Megan Jirsa, La Crosse, Wis., 956. 122, Cassie Hauner, Sussex, Wis., 955. 123, Kalynn Carl, Albany, N.Y., 954. 124, Brittany Himmelreich, Cressona, Pa., 952. 125, Mindie Meyer-Mohr, Alexandria, Minn., 951. 126, (TIE) Ashley Rucker, Bartlesville, Okla., and Tnia Falbo, Greensburg, Pa., 948.
128, Trista Kimmes, Eagan, Minn., 947. 129, (TIE) Rebecca Sharp-Keegan, Carleton, Mich., and Diana Walter, Bellport, N.Y., and Rebecca Mencheski, Green Bay, Wis., 945. 132, Lori Eskew, Hillsboro, Ore., 944.
133, Ellen Moller, Rock Island, Ill., 941. 134, Melissa Sobolik, Marion, Iowa, 940. 135, (TIE) Aumi Guerra, Dominican Republic, and Brittney Harper, Rainsville, Ala., 939. 137, (TIE) Holly Harris, Wichita, Kan., and Patricia De Faria, Venezuela, 937.
139, Jennifer Dovers, Sierra Vista, Ariz., 935. 140, Gina Hurst, Greenfield, Wis., 931. 141, Janis Birschbach, Fond du Lac, Wis., 930. 142, Heather Williams, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 929. 143, Valerie Verheyen, Green Bay, Wis., 928. 144, Jacqueline Malone, Scotia, N.Y., 926.
145, Birgit Poeppler, Germany, 924. 146, (TIE) Lauren Sammel, Madison, Wis., and Angelica Greene, Superior, Colo., 922. 148, (TIE) Ryan Oswood, Champlin, Minn., and Kayla Bandy, Salisbury, Md., and Gabriella Mayfield, Lake Isabella, Calif., 921.
151, Lisa Doss, Grand Rapids, Mich., 920. 152, Megan McGinley, Cinnaminson, N.J., 917. 153, (TIE) Kerrie Watson, Canada, and Crystal Boutotte, Montgomery, Texas, 916. 155, Sharon Powers, Lakewood, Colo., 914. 156, Heather White Guillen, Odenton, Md., 909.
157, Ranae Janssen, Sioux Falls, S.D., 908. 158, (TIE) Morgan O'Brien, Fond du Lac, Wis., and Chelsea Farrell, Elkart, Ind., 905. 160, Susan Olson, Wausaukee, Wis., 904. 161, (TIE) Brandy Sanderson, Bossier City, La., and Michelle Secours, Huntsville, Texas, 903.
163, (TIE) Marina Guseva, Russia, and Rochelle Roventini, Franklin, Wis., and Kelly Blank, Oshkosh, Wis., 900. 166, Morgan Stary, Green Bay, Wis., 897. 167, Lori Munson, Cottage Grove, Minn., 895. 168, Katie Mae Pritchard, Coon Rapids, Minn., 894.
169, (TIE) Tracie Ball, Tucson, Ariz., and Mary Wells, Columbus, Ohio, 892. 171, Nicole Reese, Duluth, Minn., 888. 172, (TIE) Amber Ottilige, Lake Wales, Fla., and Ashley Cole, Florissant, Mo., 886. 174, Cassondra Mize, Toledo, Ohio, 882.
175, (TIE) Amber Loberger, Fond du Lac, Wis., and Michelle Sterner, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 880. 177, (TIE) Kim Hoffman, Pulaski, Wis., and Jewel Skelton, Niles, Ohio, 879. 179, Beverly Blanchard, Virginia Beach, Va., 864. 180, Shawna Strause, Tucson, Ariz., 863.
181, Kayla Kolisch, Lakewood, Colo., 862. 182, Dori Fox, Statesville, N.C., 855. 183, Stephanie Mours, Franklin, Wis., 853. 184, Krystal Mannering, Hammonton, N.J., 847. 185, Jessica Nanneman, Waterford, Wis., 844. 186, (TIE) Melissa Frisque, Green Bay, Wis., and Charly Boelter, Oshkosh, Wis., 841.
188, Beth Polomis, Green Bay, Wis., 839. 189, Catherine Rawsthorne, Federal Way, Wash., 836. 190, Alice Driber, East Stroudsburg, Pa., 831. 191, Mary Burton, Peru, Ind., 828. 192, Diana Witter, Waussau, Wis., 821.
193, (TIE) Ashely Bryant, Huber Heights, Ohio, and Carrie Jaeger, De Pere, Wis., 814. 195, (TIE) Theresa Holmes, Windsor, Wis., and Amber Kwiecien, Brown Deer, Wis., 808. 197, Krista Giese, Norfolk, Neb., 800. 198, Beth Tesch, Neenah, Wis., 798.
199, Shari Kirsch, Green Bay, Wis., 796. 200, Brittany Morris, Waymart, Pa., 791. 201, Martina Campbell, Hampton, Va., 779. 202, Cristine Plum, Willow Street, Pa., 771. 203, Ekaterina Voronina, Russia, 768. 204, Taylor Hartwig, Wausau, Wis., 764.
205, Brianna Erdmann, Menasha, Wis., 729. 206, Rebecca Barribeau, Green Bay, Wis., 720.

2015 USBC SENIOR QUEENS
At The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley, Green Bay. Wis.
Thursday's results

ROUND 1
(Five games)

1, Robin Romeo, Newhall, Calif., 1,080. 2, Lisa Wasson, Murphy, Texas, 1,011. 3, Char Hammel, Las Vegas, Nev., 984. 4, Tish Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo., 981. 5, Beth Owen Cipielewski, Bradenton, Fla., 978. 6, Lucy Sandelin, Tampa, Fla., 966.
7, (TIE) Christine Weber, Waukesha, Wis., and Terri Ward, Loveland, Colo., 965. 9, Pam Sprow, Lakeland, Fla., 961. 10, Kristy Whitcher, Belfair, Wash., 950. 11, LoriJo Turner, Sheridan, Wyo., 937. 12, Margarita Ramos, Mexico, 917.
13, Paula Vidad, Sun City, Calif., 915. 14, (TIE) Mandy Wilson, Dayton, Ohio, and Linda Cunningham, Davenport, Iowa, 912. 16, Shelley Nell, Silverdale, Wash., 911. 17, Linda Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, 909. 18, Linda Andrews, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 901.
19, Corinne Hoffman, Rhinelander, Wis., 899. 20, Karla Alsgood, Rio Linda, Calif., 898. 21, Camille Kohner, Bloominton, Minn., 893. 22, Jennifer Nelson, Menlo Park, Calif., 884. 23, Debbie Colby, Frisco, Texas, 874. 24, Tonda Lee, Fredericksburg, Va., 872.
25, Melanie McAllister, Colorado Springs, Colo., 870. 26, Laurie Lanfier, Muscatine, Iowa, 868. 27, Lynn Minning, Austin, Texas, 856. 28, Pam Buckner, Reno, Nev., 855. 29, Lisa Vint, East Troy, Wis., 851. 30, Carole Jones, Englewood, Colo., 841.
31, Tayna Fulmer, McKinney, Texas, 832. 32, Suzanne Soderberg, Conover, Wis., 805. 33, Loree Hippe, Bremerton, Wash., 787. 34, Joanne Herman, Natick, Mass., 771. 35, Karen Tenor, Depere, Wis., 767. 36, Pam Harms, Apple Valley, Minn., 758.
37, Linda Buffa, Manchester, N.J., 693.