Wisconsin pair ties for Standard lead at 2026 USBC Open Championships
April 28, 2026
Pictured above (from left): Bryan Polinski and Robert Nowaczyk
RENO, Nev. – The duo of Bryan Polinski of St. Francis, Wisconsin, and Robert Nowaczyk of West Allis, Wisconsin, worked their way to a tie at the top of the standings in Standard Doubles at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Monday morning.
The pair matched the 1,282 posted by Tommy Tran of Port Arthur, Texas, and Houston’s Duc Tran on April 12 at the National Bowling Stadium.
Nowaczyk led the charge Monday with games of 223, 244 and 207 for a 674 series. Polinski added 243, 174 and 191 for 608.
Although the team had the chance at the lead heading into the final frame, they were able to secure just enough pins to share the top spot.
“I figured we both needed a double to lock it up pretty easy,” said Polinski, who made his seventh appearance at the USBC Open Championships. “But, we both left kind of difficult spares.”
Both players started the 10th with a strike. It marked two in a row for Polinski and four straight strikes for Nowaczyk. Polinski got eight on his second delivery and converted the spare. Nowaczyk left a five-count split on his second shot (3-4-6-7-10) and was able to knock over four on the spare attempt.
“I know I needed the first one and good count, and I left a pretty bad five count on my second,” said Nowaczyk, making his 16th tournament appearance. “I knew I needed to go for it and got four. Five would have been that one extra pin we needed.”
The pair have known each other for nearly 20 years through bowling, but they previously bowled with different groups at the Open Championships.
The change in 2026 allowed for a strong showing in team for their group, and the momentum carried over into doubles.
Polinski and Nowaczyk helped The Slow Buffalo of Franklin, Wisconsin, to a 3,170 total in Regular Team, which currently places the group in the top 25.
“He’s new to the group this year,” Nowaczyk said. “We changed it up a little bit this year, and it was kind of nice to bowl with him. Everybody worked together. We started off well yesterday with 3,170. It was a nice start to the week.”
Nowaczyk had 673 during the team event, which put him in position to make a run at Tommy Tran's leading score in Standard All-Events (1,963). He slowed down a little during singles, though, finishing with 542 to move into the top 15 with 1,889.
The score serves as his top overall performance at the Open Championships.
Polinski also put together a personal best at the tournament. He added 576 in team and 575 in singles for a 1,759 total.
Standard Doubles features pairs with combined entering averages of 321-362. The Standard Division includes bowlers with entering averages of 161-181.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.
RENO, Nev. – The duo of Bryan Polinski of St. Francis, Wisconsin, and Robert Nowaczyk of West Allis, Wisconsin, worked their way to a tie at the top of the standings in Standard Doubles at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Monday morning.
The pair matched the 1,282 posted by Tommy Tran of Port Arthur, Texas, and Houston’s Duc Tran on April 12 at the National Bowling Stadium.
Nowaczyk led the charge Monday with games of 223, 244 and 207 for a 674 series. Polinski added 243, 174 and 191 for 608.
Although the team had the chance at the lead heading into the final frame, they were able to secure just enough pins to share the top spot.
“I figured we both needed a double to lock it up pretty easy,” said Polinski, who made his seventh appearance at the USBC Open Championships. “But, we both left kind of difficult spares.”
Both players started the 10th with a strike. It marked two in a row for Polinski and four straight strikes for Nowaczyk. Polinski got eight on his second delivery and converted the spare. Nowaczyk left a five-count split on his second shot (3-4-6-7-10) and was able to knock over four on the spare attempt.
“I know I needed the first one and good count, and I left a pretty bad five count on my second,” said Nowaczyk, making his 16th tournament appearance. “I knew I needed to go for it and got four. Five would have been that one extra pin we needed.”
The pair have known each other for nearly 20 years through bowling, but they previously bowled with different groups at the Open Championships.
The change in 2026 allowed for a strong showing in team for their group, and the momentum carried over into doubles.
Polinski and Nowaczyk helped The Slow Buffalo of Franklin, Wisconsin, to a 3,170 total in Regular Team, which currently places the group in the top 25.
“He’s new to the group this year,” Nowaczyk said. “We changed it up a little bit this year, and it was kind of nice to bowl with him. Everybody worked together. We started off well yesterday with 3,170. It was a nice start to the week.”
Nowaczyk had 673 during the team event, which put him in position to make a run at Tommy Tran's leading score in Standard All-Events (1,963). He slowed down a little during singles, though, finishing with 542 to move into the top 15 with 1,889.
The score serves as his top overall performance at the Open Championships.
Polinski also put together a personal best at the tournament. He added 576 in team and 575 in singles for a 1,759 total.
Standard Doubles features pairs with combined entering averages of 321-362. The Standard Division includes bowlers with entering averages of 161-181.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.