Romeo leads after first round at Senior Queens

GREEN BAY, Wis. - 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.