RENO, Nev. - Last year, Nicholas Dean of New Bedford, Mass., struggled during his first appearance at the Storm Bowlers Journal Championships presented by USBC.

This time around, the 26-year-old right-hander put the past behind him and found his way into the Open Singles lead with games of 191, 278, 236 and 258 for a 963 total. Ben Giesecke of Collins, Ohio, previously held the lead with 901.

Dean's first game mimicked last year's performance, but a ball change at the end of the opener helped him average 257.3 for his final three games.

"I struggled a little bit the first game," said Dean, who bowls league at Wonder Bowl. "The ball I used was rolling pretty well, but I wasn't throwing very good shots. I switched to a different ball in the 10th frame and liked what I saw. It rolled good, and after the switch, I couldn't miss. If I made a good shot, I was hitting the pocket. If I made a bad shot, I got a good break. I didn't leave anything out there, and I don't think I could have done anything else."

After a subpar outing last year, Dean came into this year's event with no special goals in mind.

"I didn't have any goals at all," Dean said. "I just wanted to stay focused, throw good shots and keep my swing relaxed. It's amazing to put up a number like that and be in the lead. I don't think it has set in yet. It let's me know that I can compete with other great bowlers. I gave myself an opportunity to win, and that's all you can ask for."

The Bowlers Journal Championships is contested on a USBC Sport-certified lane condition, and Dean believes the tougher condition will provide him with a better scoring opportunity at the USBC Open Championships.

"It's a little tune-up," Dean said. "Last year, I didn't throw it very well. This year, I thought the condition was a little more demanding, and I knew I had to keep things nice and tight. I really wanted to make sure my swing was close to my body and not let any shots get away from me."

As the new leader, Dean will be watching the leaderboard until July.

"I hope the score lasts," Dean said. "It still hasn't set in that I am the leader, but I hope to get the call in July."

The Bowlers Journal Championships is being held alongside the Open Championships for the 65th year. It is being contested at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, and competition runs daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

In his sophomore campaign at the Open Championships this year, Dean shot 627 in singles, 615 in doubles and 549 in team for a 1,791 all-events total.

Giesecke, who set the bar earlier in the week, has made six appearances Open Championships appearance, but had never competed at the Bowlers Journal Championships.

The 27-year-old right-hander provided a jolt to the scoring pace by rolling games of 230, 215, 244 and 212 for a 901 total. His total was good enough to take the early lead in both the Open Singles and Dual Entry standings.

"I really had a good ball reaction," said Giesecke, who bowls league at Columbus Square Bowling Palace. "I was able to play a part of the lane where nobody else was and got my ball to set up in the right spots. I thought the shot was fair, and when you made good shots, you were rewarded."

As a first-time participant, Giesecke was pleased with his performance on the challenging condition but felt he may have left a few pins out on the lanes.

"Overall, I thought the tournament was very good," Giesecke said. "You really had to make quality shots, and even when you did throw good shots, it was still hard to carry. If you weren't in the right part of the lane with the right ball, you had no chance of scoring. It feels good to lead. I look back and I see spots where I could have put up another 40 or 50 pins. I feel like if I could've done that, I might have had a good shot at winning. "

Giesecke ended his sixth trip to the Open Championships with 627 in singles, 624 in doubles and 606 in team for 1,857.