Teams from Arizona lead two divisions at 2022 USBC Open Championships
LAS VEGAS - It has been a really good week for Arizona.
On Sunday, the University of Arizona Wildcats got a top seed in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
On Monday afternoon, two teams from the Grand Canyon State made it to the top of the Standard Division and Classified Division standings at the 2022 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, while four other teams battled for the lead in the Regular Division.
Luke All Stars of Phoenix (above) raised the bar in Standard Team with games of 893, 1010 and 995 for a 2,898 total, using a clean final frame to sneak into the top spot. Lightning of Cheyenne, Wyoming, previously held the lead with 2,890.
Martin Purnell led the way for Luke All Stars with a 637 series, and he was followed by Brian Richardson (616), Tracy Dumas (613), Richard Seals (522) and Randy O'Brien (510).
Two lanes away, Witt's Classified Family Affair, also from Phoenix, posted games of 824, 934 and 923 for a 2,681 total, which is 21 pins shy of the score that won Classified Team at the South Point Bowling Plaza in 2021.
Team captain Gregory Witt not only was responsible for bringing his own team to the USBC Open Championships, he also brought Luke All Stars.
"Two division leaders is a pretty good day," said a smiling Witt, who made his 31st tournament appearance.
Witt blazed the way for his team on the lanes, too, providing a 671 series. He was joined by Brian Gilliland (553), Keith Duty (518), Cheryl Jubran (481) and Sal Jubran (458).
Pahrump Nugget Bowl 3 of Pahrump, Nevada, entered the day in the lead in Classified Team with 2,557.
All members of Witt's leading teams, except Gilliland, are from the Greater Phoenix area.
As Luke All Stars flirted with the second 3,000 in the short history of the Standard Division, three teams in the Regular Division surpassed the milestone.
The four-team battle for control of the leaderboard was won by Highland Lanes 1 of Toledo, Ohio, with a 3,078 total. 
American Family 2 of Lincoln, Nebraska, settled into second place with 3,074, and American Family 1 was close behind with 3,048. Crossway Menifee of Menifee, California, just missed the mark and moved into fifth place with 2,992.
Las Vegas' What's Left of Texas Station previously held the lead with 2,997.
The lead changes Monday were not relegated to team competition, however, as Standard All-Events and Classified Doubles also got new leaders.
Naveen Nair, a 16-time Open Championships participant from Southern Pines, North Carolina, posted a career-best 1,836 total that included sets of 667 in singles, 622 in doubles and 547 in team. Ronald Reyes Sr. of Mesa, Arizona, was the player to beat in Standard All-Events with 1,788, while Daryl Stephens of Gilbert, Arizona, is the Standard Singles leader with 705.
The Standard Division, introduced in 2017, includes bowlers with entering tournament averages of 156-175.
Nicole and Larry Flannigan of Kaneohe, Hawaii, improved over each game to grab the lead in Classified Doubles with a 1,093 total. Larry Flannigan led the way with a 569 series, and Nicole Flannigan added 524.
The performance bested New York's Joseph and John LaSpina, who were leading with 1,060.
The Classified Division includes individual bowlers with entering tournament averages of 155 and below and doubles teams with combined entering averages of 310 and below.
The 2022 Open Championships kicked off Saturday and will run for 129 consecutive days, concluding July 18.
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