Call it a birthday celebration for the ages. 

Subjecting oneself to a uniquely grueling test of skill may not strike the ordinary person as a satisfying means of celebrating one’s birthday. But Elizabeth Teuber of Holly, Michigan, is no ordinary person. 

The talented Michigander headed to the Team USA Trials last month just days from her 20th birthday and headed home with a lifetime of memories to cherish, as she became the first woman to win Team USA Trials and the U.S. Amateur title in the same year under the tournament’s current points system. She also posted the lowest point total (47) by a female amateur since 2016. 

Identifying herself as an “adrenaline junkie,” the Maryville State University sophomore observed that, “To be put in the positions that I was in is part of the reason why I love the sport so much. I get those opportunities a lot in college, to step up and make the shot for the win, and it has paid off.

“In practice, I work on it a lot. My family and my cousins are extremely competitive, so when we practice, we bowl head-to-head on the hardest pattern we can find. I like to put myself in that position to give me the best outcomes when it means the most.” 

It certainly meant the most at Gold Coast Bowling Center in Las Vegas, which hosted the event Jan. 2-7. Needing a mark in the 10th frame of Game 30, she struck on her first shot to win the women’s Team Trials title.
 
In the women’s U.S. Amateur title match, she relied on her preparation and her support system. That included parents Sara and Jim, who own two bowling centers in Michigan, and other family members including boyfriend Connor Rogus, who made Junior Team USA, and longtime family friend and Team USA member Andrew Anderson. She exercised a lot of patience against Jacksonville State freshman Kaitlyn Stull, winning 215-210. For the past three and a half years, Teuber has been working closely with fellow Michigan native Anderson.
 
“The match she bowled against Kaitlyn was arguably her most patient game of the tournament. Through six frames, she had one strike. The whole point of throwing the ball we did was it was going to give us a clean game that gave her the best ball reaction,” Anderson said. “Patience in that exact moment really paid off. When she won not only Team USA Trials but also the U.S. Amateur as a 19-year-old, it was hard not to get emotional. Behind the scenes, I am aware of all the work she put in. It makes me so proud.”

Teuber added, “I never imagined I would win trials as a whole. It was my goal to come in and bowl for the amateur title. I envisioned myself being able to do that and knowing what my ability was. But to win both in the same tournament was crazy. This was probably the calmest I have ever been bowling a tournament as mentally challenging as this is, and that’s because of the support I had behind me.”

When Teuber returned to campus on her birthday, her teammates, as well as coaches Lauren and Matt Russo, surprised her with balloons and lots of attention.

“She made Junior Team USA before, but I feel making the adult team and junior team at the same time is incredible. And she just frickin’ won Team Trials. We went over the top,” said Lauren, the team’s head coach. “She doesn’t like the attention, but we are going to give her the attention and make her uncomfortable in a good way; continue that through the whole season. She is riding the wave right now and we need to keep her as high as possible on the wave throughout the rest of the season.”

The Russos, who have been in Teuber’s position before at this event, nervously watched their already accomplished collegiate bowler from home. Lauren was on Team USA six times and one time on Junior Team USA. Matt is an eight-time member of Team USA, having won the U.S. Amateur Championships in 2017 and finished as runner-up in 2018. They have seen Teuber step up in big moments to win matches and titles for Maryville, always confident in her ability. 

“I’m super proud of her. She knows she has the ability to do great things, and it was only a matter of time before the abilities showed,” Lauren said. “In the team environment, it can be hard to show that ability, but this week really proved to her no matter what anybody says, she is an incredible player. She always talks about how competitive she is, and it really showed.”

Teuber admits she used to be a bit of a hothead on the lanes, but since being at Maryville, the Russos have significantly improved her mental game. 

“The biggest thing I take away from them is trust the process and that pressure is a privilege,” Teuber said. “I think I embodied those both.”
 
When Lauren heard about the positive impact they are having on their team’s anchor bowler, she got emotional. 

“It is cool to see she is catching on to this critical stuff that has helped not only myself but Matt, as well — things I have learned from being on the team with some of the other women like Stefanie Johnson, Shannon Pluhowsky and Shannon O’Keefe that I am able to pass along to the younger generation,” Lauren said. “She is grasping what it takes to get there and to execute a good shot. She did it in her freshman year, when she we won all of the Division II and conference awards, winning conference championships.”

Lauren quickly learned during tournaments that Teuber’s “head moves probably 100 miles per hour faster than her body.” That earned her the title of the five-frame girl. “The first five frames every tournament, I’m telling her to take a deep breath and calm down. She gets so excited to bowl,” Lauren said. “She is a sponge. She takes everything that she learns and uses it for her own good. She is always striving to be better than she was two shots before.”  

Teuber was on Junior Team USA in 2024, followed by a 51st-place finish last year. Anderson believes that result was a learning moment that she used as added motivation to improve. Leading up to this grueling challenge of six games each day on a different oil pattern to earn the privilege of representing Team USA, Teuber made some big changes. Nine out of the 10 balls in her arsenal were new. Anderson noted that the urethane ball she used the majority of the tournament was drilled about 24 hours before she got on the plane. He attributes her success to her determination, her willingness to trust others, and her ability to make changes whenever needed. 

“She really dove deep. I could not be prouder of watching somebody put in the work and watch it pay off. For her to do that in a couple of weeks, I have never seen it before. As the week went on from a personal level of knowing her and knowing her before the younger version of herself, she grew up right in front of our eyes during the week,” Anderson said. “She started the tournament nervous. By Day 3, she knew she had a chance to win the tournament. By Day 5, she lived in the moment. Her ceiling is much higher than she might have imagined.” 

Having also been an impressive softball player in high school, Teuber’s athletic ability and determination has always been noticeable. She can handle endurance, she regularly lifts weights, and she is surrounded by support. 

“She is a product of the environment she is in. Enjoy what you do and love what you do because, when you do, greatness happens,” Lauren said. “With her being so great, she is bringing out other people’s greatness that they may not have noticed that they have.” 

Matt added, “She is always asking questions about how to play the lanes and how she can get better. She is a really good spare shooter because she practices a lot. She is not always satisfied with what is happening. She finds a way to do more to get better. Her knowledge of the game is improving and that is allowing her to excel.”

The Russos know the six freshmen on their team and two other returning players look up to Teuber and they also know their girls are going to be even more motivated to achieve success side-by-side with Teuber in the second half of their season. Anderson sees Teuber as the latest Michigan bowler to make a name for themselves on Team USA, and he is excited to be a veteran on the team getting to share this experience with her and Rogus. 

“Knowing I am a part of a small group of people that gets to represent those three letters is the greatest feeling you can have,” Teuber said.

Man on a Mission
On the men’s side of Team Trials, two-handed lefty Bryce Oliver made history as well. The 24-year-old posted the lowest male amateur point total (57) recorded since 2016, in a field of 175 bowlers. And he was one shot away from matching Teuber’s historic achievement of winning both titles. In the men’s U.S. Amateur title match, Oliver opened in the 10th frame against University of Wisconsin-Whitewater sophomore Dawson Peterson to lose, 221-210. Regardless, Oliver had a lot to celebrate making Team USA. 

“My parents are absolutely over the moon with this win. The goal was to make the team, but then for her to watch me win the whole tournament on the last day was truly special, and to see me get jacketed was the ribbon on top,” he said. “It is definitely the most special win of my career up until this point. I won a lot of tournaments away from home without mom and dad there, but to have them both there watching Game 1 through 30, every single shot was the most special moment that I have ever had.”

Oliver, who is an only child, made Junior Team USA last year but his mom, Stephanie, wasn’t able to get the time off work to be there. Also cheering him on was University of Pikeville Head Women’s Bowling Coach Amber Lemke and Assistant Women’s Coach Breanna Clemmer. Oliver rose to success on the UPike men’s bowling team and he is graduating with his master’s degree in May. 

Clemmer, who was named to adult Team USA for the eighth time, actually won Team Trials in 2023 on the very same pair of lanes he did it as well. She got to know Oliver a few years back when she was a graduate assistant at UPike. Their families became close friends and Clemmer jokes they are like siblings. 

“It makes me emotional and makes my heart swell. I was there in the moments when he didn’t believe he could do it and didn’t think he was good enough,” Clemmer said. 

Oliver was struggling at Team Trials in Reno last year. Clemmer gave him a bracelet with the saying “I’m worthy” on it. She wanted it to serve as a constant reminder that he was worthy of being on the team, and that he deserved it and earned the opportunity. She wears the same one as well as one that says “Relentless.” They both wore them during this year’s tournament. “Being able to watch him accomplish his goals and his dreams, I let him know how thankful I am to have a small part in his journey,” she said.

She was not the only person to notice Oliver’s newfound confidence as he showed up to compete. So too did PBA Hall of Famer Tom Hess, who was calling the men’s action on BowlTV. Hess described Oliver as a man on a mission who exuded a lot of confidence. Bowling his way onto the team last year gave Oliver an exhilarated boost of confidence, and he got to work after that event. 

“I was more prepared than I ever have been for an event. When I landed in Vegas, I was supposed to be here and I had five days to showcase all the hard work, dedication, blood, sweat and tears I had put in over the past year to make sure I succeeded at this event,” Oliver said. “One of the biggest things in our sport is all about confidence. If you don’t have confidence, then mentally you are going to talk yourself out of moves, adjustments and hard situations. I think that was one thing that led to a very successful week.”

Clemmer added, “Him realizing ‘I belong there now’ completely changed everything for him. That is also what changed for me. These kids are so good at such a young age, but at times, they are missing that confidence piece. When you start to believe it, your life will change. I’ve always said that because it did for me.”

Looking back, Oliver describes himself as a pretty decent baseball player when he was younger. He played rec ball and travel ball dreaming that he would one day play college baseball. But he also gravitated toward bowling, so his mom told him to make a decision. He remembers watching his favorite players like Tommy Jones and Chris Barnes represent Team USA at the World Championships. He is beyond thrilled to join the small percentage of individuals who have been fortunate to be on Team USA. 

“To be sitting where I am today after making that decision at 12, as a 24-year-old to now being able to represent my country for the second year in a row — honestly, little me playing baseball would have never thought that would even be attainable ever,” Oliver said. “I dreamed about it ever since I started bowling competitively. It is just a complete honor, and I am ready to hold that responsibility at the highest level and represent my country in the best way that I can.”

He added, “I bowled on TV at 16. I won an eagle with some of my great friends. I won Teen Masters. That turned into college bowling and now post college bowling. It started to become a reality, and it has been nothing but a dream.”

Andrew Anderson, Breanna Clemmer, Lauren and Matt Russo, and everyone else who has represented Team USA know it is an honor, a privilege and responsibility to be part of this team. Their unique connections and friendships never end. They continue on and can carry forward to the next generation of impressive individuals and athletes who get to proudly wear the red, white and blue in competition. 

“Sometimes we lean on each other, and sometimes you have a whole community behind you. That is what is so special about the community we have with Team USA. They are always willing to give you a helping hand when you need it,” Clemmer said. “That is what some people don’t understand about Team USA. We reach out to each other, talk to each other and we are there for each other no matter what. That speaks volumes about the environment that has been created.”   

Team USA 2026
The following players earned spots on Team USA through performance at Team USA Trials… 

Men’s Team
Bryce Oliver, Ryan Barnes, Julian Salinas, Cameron Crowe, Dawson Peterson, TJ Rock, Ryan Powers. 

Women’s Team
Elizabeth Teuber, Kaitlyn Stull, Bryanna Coté, Avery Domaguin, Gianna Brandolino, Annalise OBryant, Maggie Thoma. 

Team USA Selections
The National Selection Committee also selected six men and six women to join Team USA 2026 based on submitted résumés. They include… 

Men’s Team
Andrew Anderson, AJ Johnson, Packy Hanrahan, Jake Peters, Kristopher Prather, Chris Via.

Women’s Team
Julia Bond, Breanna Clemmer, Crystal Elliott, Jillian Martin, Shannon Pluhowsky, Jordan Snodgrass.

The National Selection Committee also opted to add Katelyn Abigania to the women’s roster of Team USA 2026.

Junior Team USA 2026:
Based on performance at the Team USA Trials, the following players have clinched spots on Junior Team USA for 2026… 

Boys’ Team
Landin Jordan, Dawson Peterson, Connor Rogus, Daniel Springer-Chalmers, Keegan Alexander, Jacob Bockstie, Derrick Lewandowski, Luke Switalski.

Additional Members
Joining the above names are the 10 boys who qualified for Junior Team USA through the U18 division at the 2025 Junior Gold Championships and from competition at the 2025 U22 Masters, including…  

U18
Chance McLane, Riley Speer, Kai Strothers, Nicolas Trentler, Jos Weems, Kaeden White. 

U22
Andru Blaney, Josh Hammons, Nate Trentler, Micah Voorhis.

Girls’ Team
Avery Domaguin, Saphyre Nofuente, Kaityln Stull, Elizabeth Teuber, Savannah Burgin, Dannielle Henderson, Larielle Tharps and Victorya White. 

Joining the above names are the 10 girls who qualified for Junior Team USA through U18 competition at the 2025 Junior Gold Championships and the 2025 U22 Queens: 

U18
Katelyn Abigania, Gianna Brandolino, Tori Franklin, Abigail Starkey, Haley Swindle, Ashlin Teves.

U22
Sydney Bohn, Erin Klemencic, Keira Magsam, Melia Mitskavich.