Switalski, Sommer sit atop Day 3 standings at 2026 Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur
January 05, 2026
Luke Switalski of Oak Forest, Illinois (left), and Kayla Sommer of Rockford, Illinois, rolled the best scores in their respective divisions during Day 3 action at the 2026 USBC Team USA Trials and U.S. National Amateur Bowling Championships, which are being held at Gold Coast Bowling Center in Las Vegas.
FULL RESULTS
LAS VEGAS – The United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials and United States National Amateur Bowling Championships draw elite bowlers from all across the country, yet two athletes from the same state stole the show on Monday.
That’s because Luke Switalski of Oak Forest, Illinois, authored a six-game total of 1,413 (a 235.5 average) to lead the men’s division, and Kayla Sommer of Rockford, Illinois, posted 1,442 (a 240.33 average) to place first among the women during Round 3 action at Gold Coast Bowling Center in Las Vegas.
Switalski made his mark first as men’s competition kicked off the Day 3 schedule on Monday morning.
The 18-year-old two-handed righty got off to a modest start on the 44-foot Round 3 oil pattern, beginning his set with games of 208 and 202.
That was just the beginning, however, as Switalski closed with scores of 247, 250, 258 and 248 to finish with the day’s top score in the 175-player men’s field.
Logan Beasley of Florence, South Carolina, who was the last bowler added to the tournament proper from the waitlist less than 24 hours before the start of competition and who had to catch a cross-country flight just to arrive in Las Vegas in time for the start of Round 1, finished second on Monday with a six-game mark of 1,401, which included a 278 in Game 2.
The remaining spots in the men’s Day 3 top five went to opening-round leader Cameron Crowe of Orland Park, Illinois (1,391), David Cole of Deerfield, Illinois (1,356), and Julian Salinas of Long Branch, New Jersey (1,355).
Once the men had finished, it was time for the women to take a crack at taming a 44-foot lane pattern of their own, and Sommer quickly showed that she was more than up to the task.
The 24-year-old left-hander started strong and finished stronger, recording scores of 232, 239, 225, 201, 247 and 298 to come in 44 pins ahead of her closest pursuer in the 132-player women’s division.
Keira Magsam of Gretna, Nebraska, got closest to Sommer’s mark, using a 280 during Game 4 to place second during Round 3 with a six-game total of 1,398.
Bryanna Coté of Marana, Arizona, was strong yet again, following up a fourth-place finish during Round 2 with a third-place effort on Monday, which she earned thanks to a score of 1,392.
Elizabeth Teuber of Holly, Michigan, and Elizabeth Drescher of Fort Worth, Texas, also bowled well on Day 3, grabbing the final two spots in the women’s top five with marks of 1,382 and 1,341, respectively.
Despite finishing outside the top five, Macy Jones of Shobonier, Illinois, put on quite a show, shooting 300 during Game 4 and finishing in 10th place for the round with 1,303.
Jones rolled her perfect game just hours after Collin Howe of Riverton, Illinois, recorded a 300 of his own, which came during Game 6 and propelled Howe to a block total of 1,233.
Keegan Alexander of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, narrowly missed perfection, shooting 299 during Game 2 en route to a score of 1,299.
Sommer knows what it’s like to just miss out on perfection as, shockingly, the Professional Women’s Bowling Association competitor and former collegiate standout is still in pursuit of her first 300.
Nevertheless, despite falling short of perfection during Game 6, Sommer was more than satisfied with her performance on Monday.
“Today was fun,” Sommer said. “I never really looked at the actual scoreboard, but I knew I was on the higher end as the day went along. It would’ve been cool to get the 300, but even without that, it was a great day.”
Sommer would certainly like to keep the good times rolling during Rounds 4 and 5; however, she knows that every day at Team USA Trials brings its own set of challenges.
“Each individual day here is pretty much its own tournament, so, in all reality, everything starts over again tomorrow,” Sommer said. “I didn’t really have the best start on Day 1, so I have to stick to my process and keep bowling well to give myself a chance.”
With two days of competition remaining, Sommer sits in 46th place in the women’s Team USA Trials standings with 155 ranking points.
Competitors earn ranking points based on their finishing positions during each of the five qualifying rounds – the top bowler of the round will earn one ranking point, second place will earn two points, etc. – with the lowest total of ranking points after five rounds determining the men’s and women’s Team USA Trials champions.
Teuber currently holds the women’s overall lead with 19 points. She is joined in the top five by Magsam (32), Kaitlyn Stull of Raleigh, North Carolina (32), Breanna Clemmer of Pikeville, Kentucky (33), and Maranda Pattison of Redwood Valley, California (42).
Meanwhile, Salinas is the man to beat in the men’s Team USA Trials overall standings with two days to go. The 2024 U.S. Amateur champion currently has 29 points.
Crowe (37) is second while Bryce Oliver of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (43), Dawson Peterson of Stewartville, Minnesota (50) and defending champion Ryan Barnes of Denton Texas (50) occupy spots three through five.
At the conclusion of Round 5 on Wednesday, the top four age-eligible men and top four age-eligible women in the Team USA Trials standings, based on ranking points, will earn automatic spots on Team USA 2026.
Thanks to his stellar Day 3 performance, Switalski sits just outside the men’s top 10, holding 12th place with 90 points.
Like Beasley, Switalski was a late addition to the men’s field via the waitlist, which meant he didn’t get the benefit of attending the entirety of the tournament’s practice session.
But regardless of what it took to get here, Switalski is happy to be competing, and his confidence received a serious shot in the arm after Monday’s outstanding effort.
“A day like today feels really good, like I’m proving something to myself and that I belong to be here,” Switalski said. “Now, I just need to stay steady. I can’t expect to do this again. I need to bowl my game, keep shots on line and do what I do best – no expectations.”
Switalski was stellar at keeping his shots on line during Round 3, especially after successfully avoiding some early pitfalls.
“I knew the first two games were going to be tough because there was going to be a lot of transition happening,” Switalski said. “I pretty much had to make two ball changes each game during the first two, but the lanes opened up from there. There was some hold to the left and shape to the right, and I took advantage of that, kept putting shots on line and the pins fell every time.”
The pins also have been falling regularly for the current U.S. Amateur leaders.
On the men’s side, Salinas, Oliver and Peterson hold the top three positions and are joined in the top five by Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois (57), and Jacob Bockstie of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (77).
In women’s U.S. Amateur action, Teuber, Stull and Magsam hold spots one through three with Avery Domaguin of San Diego (43) and Maggie Thoma of New Braunfels, Texas (65), on their heels in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
At the conclusion of Round 5, the top three amateur men and top three amateur women will advance to a stepladder final to determine this year’s U.S. Amateur champions.
Those champions will automatically make Team USA 2026 provided they are age eligible. If the champions have already earned spots, invitations will be extended to the next-highest qualifier in each division based on ranking points.
The National Selection Committee will name two additional men and two additional women to Team USA from the pool of players competing at the 2026 Team USA Trials.
In order to be eligible for a spot on Team USA 2026, a bowler must be at least 18 years old as of the end of this year’s tournament.
Round 4 will begin Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. Eastern with the men. The women will follow later in the day, starting their six-game block at 6 p.m. Eastern. All rounds of competition will be streamed live exclusively on BowlTV.
CLICK HERE for more information on Team USA.
FULL RESULTS
LAS VEGAS – The United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials and United States National Amateur Bowling Championships draw elite bowlers from all across the country, yet two athletes from the same state stole the show on Monday.
That’s because Luke Switalski of Oak Forest, Illinois, authored a six-game total of 1,413 (a 235.5 average) to lead the men’s division, and Kayla Sommer of Rockford, Illinois, posted 1,442 (a 240.33 average) to place first among the women during Round 3 action at Gold Coast Bowling Center in Las Vegas.
Switalski made his mark first as men’s competition kicked off the Day 3 schedule on Monday morning.
The 18-year-old two-handed righty got off to a modest start on the 44-foot Round 3 oil pattern, beginning his set with games of 208 and 202.
That was just the beginning, however, as Switalski closed with scores of 247, 250, 258 and 248 to finish with the day’s top score in the 175-player men’s field.
Logan Beasley of Florence, South Carolina, who was the last bowler added to the tournament proper from the waitlist less than 24 hours before the start of competition and who had to catch a cross-country flight just to arrive in Las Vegas in time for the start of Round 1, finished second on Monday with a six-game mark of 1,401, which included a 278 in Game 2.
The remaining spots in the men’s Day 3 top five went to opening-round leader Cameron Crowe of Orland Park, Illinois (1,391), David Cole of Deerfield, Illinois (1,356), and Julian Salinas of Long Branch, New Jersey (1,355).
Once the men had finished, it was time for the women to take a crack at taming a 44-foot lane pattern of their own, and Sommer quickly showed that she was more than up to the task.
The 24-year-old left-hander started strong and finished stronger, recording scores of 232, 239, 225, 201, 247 and 298 to come in 44 pins ahead of her closest pursuer in the 132-player women’s division.
Keira Magsam of Gretna, Nebraska, got closest to Sommer’s mark, using a 280 during Game 4 to place second during Round 3 with a six-game total of 1,398.
Bryanna Coté of Marana, Arizona, was strong yet again, following up a fourth-place finish during Round 2 with a third-place effort on Monday, which she earned thanks to a score of 1,392.
Elizabeth Teuber of Holly, Michigan, and Elizabeth Drescher of Fort Worth, Texas, also bowled well on Day 3, grabbing the final two spots in the women’s top five with marks of 1,382 and 1,341, respectively.
Despite finishing outside the top five, Macy Jones of Shobonier, Illinois, put on quite a show, shooting 300 during Game 4 and finishing in 10th place for the round with 1,303.
Jones rolled her perfect game just hours after Collin Howe of Riverton, Illinois, recorded a 300 of his own, which came during Game 6 and propelled Howe to a block total of 1,233.
Keegan Alexander of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, narrowly missed perfection, shooting 299 during Game 2 en route to a score of 1,299.
Sommer knows what it’s like to just miss out on perfection as, shockingly, the Professional Women’s Bowling Association competitor and former collegiate standout is still in pursuit of her first 300.
Nevertheless, despite falling short of perfection during Game 6, Sommer was more than satisfied with her performance on Monday.
“Today was fun,” Sommer said. “I never really looked at the actual scoreboard, but I knew I was on the higher end as the day went along. It would’ve been cool to get the 300, but even without that, it was a great day.”
Sommer would certainly like to keep the good times rolling during Rounds 4 and 5; however, she knows that every day at Team USA Trials brings its own set of challenges.
“Each individual day here is pretty much its own tournament, so, in all reality, everything starts over again tomorrow,” Sommer said. “I didn’t really have the best start on Day 1, so I have to stick to my process and keep bowling well to give myself a chance.”
With two days of competition remaining, Sommer sits in 46th place in the women’s Team USA Trials standings with 155 ranking points.
Competitors earn ranking points based on their finishing positions during each of the five qualifying rounds – the top bowler of the round will earn one ranking point, second place will earn two points, etc. – with the lowest total of ranking points after five rounds determining the men’s and women’s Team USA Trials champions.
Teuber currently holds the women’s overall lead with 19 points. She is joined in the top five by Magsam (32), Kaitlyn Stull of Raleigh, North Carolina (32), Breanna Clemmer of Pikeville, Kentucky (33), and Maranda Pattison of Redwood Valley, California (42).
Meanwhile, Salinas is the man to beat in the men’s Team USA Trials overall standings with two days to go. The 2024 U.S. Amateur champion currently has 29 points.
Crowe (37) is second while Bryce Oliver of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (43), Dawson Peterson of Stewartville, Minnesota (50) and defending champion Ryan Barnes of Denton Texas (50) occupy spots three through five.
At the conclusion of Round 5 on Wednesday, the top four age-eligible men and top four age-eligible women in the Team USA Trials standings, based on ranking points, will earn automatic spots on Team USA 2026.
Thanks to his stellar Day 3 performance, Switalski sits just outside the men’s top 10, holding 12th place with 90 points.
Like Beasley, Switalski was a late addition to the men’s field via the waitlist, which meant he didn’t get the benefit of attending the entirety of the tournament’s practice session.
But regardless of what it took to get here, Switalski is happy to be competing, and his confidence received a serious shot in the arm after Monday’s outstanding effort.
“A day like today feels really good, like I’m proving something to myself and that I belong to be here,” Switalski said. “Now, I just need to stay steady. I can’t expect to do this again. I need to bowl my game, keep shots on line and do what I do best – no expectations.”
Switalski was stellar at keeping his shots on line during Round 3, especially after successfully avoiding some early pitfalls.
“I knew the first two games were going to be tough because there was going to be a lot of transition happening,” Switalski said. “I pretty much had to make two ball changes each game during the first two, but the lanes opened up from there. There was some hold to the left and shape to the right, and I took advantage of that, kept putting shots on line and the pins fell every time.”
The pins also have been falling regularly for the current U.S. Amateur leaders.
On the men’s side, Salinas, Oliver and Peterson hold the top three positions and are joined in the top five by Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois (57), and Jacob Bockstie of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (77).
In women’s U.S. Amateur action, Teuber, Stull and Magsam hold spots one through three with Avery Domaguin of San Diego (43) and Maggie Thoma of New Braunfels, Texas (65), on their heels in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
At the conclusion of Round 5, the top three amateur men and top three amateur women will advance to a stepladder final to determine this year’s U.S. Amateur champions.
Those champions will automatically make Team USA 2026 provided they are age eligible. If the champions have already earned spots, invitations will be extended to the next-highest qualifier in each division based on ranking points.
The National Selection Committee will name two additional men and two additional women to Team USA from the pool of players competing at the 2026 Team USA Trials.
In order to be eligible for a spot on Team USA 2026, a bowler must be at least 18 years old as of the end of this year’s tournament.
Round 4 will begin Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. Eastern with the men. The women will follow later in the day, starting their six-game block at 6 p.m. Eastern. All rounds of competition will be streamed live exclusively on BowlTV.
CLICK HERE for more information on Team USA.