"Since we've been so busy out here, it really hasn't sunk in yet, and I don't think it will until I see the trophies," said Futrell, who worked in the Brunswick booth during the Open Championships. "The wait didn't get tough until the last few days, and it seemed like there was always someone bowling well. This is just a great accomplishment, and the fact that five of us got to share it together is even better. This is something we've been trying to do for a while, since we didn't all bowl in college at the same time."

Futrell and his teammates top the list of 22 champions at the 2008 USBC Open Championships, which concluded Sunday after 142 consecutive days of competition. In all, 12,615 teams and more than 63,000 bowlers turned out for the tournament's second trip to the Duke City. Of the 22 latest champions, 20 were first-time winners on the championship lanes.

John Socha of Oak Creek, Wis., was one of the bowlers who added to his impressive resume as he earned his third Open Championships title. This time, the 36-year-old right-hander teamed up with Dennis Rakauskas of Apopka, Fla., to take home the Regular Doubles crown with a 1,467 total. Socha, the only bowler in tournament history with two 800 series on the tournament lanes, also won Regular Singles in 1997 and was a member of the Regular Team champion in 1998.

"It feels like we've been waiting for about four years," Socha said. "This feels great, but we couldn't have done it without the rest of our team there with us. They deserve this just as much as we do. This is Dennis' first title, and I know he's tickled to death. This is the reason you go to the Open Championships. There are so many bowlers who go for their whole lives and never win, and I've been fortunate to be here three times."

Gregg Zicha of Schaumburg, Ill., a 2001 Regular Doubles champion, led Fox Bowl 2 of Wheaton, Ill., to the Team All-Events title with a 10,025 total, making the group the 15th team in tournament history to crack the 10,000 mark.

Zicha posted a 2,124 all-events total and was followed by Pete Spreadbury, who finished 16th at the 2007 USBC Masters (2,101), Anthony Jordan (2,010), Walter Schaub (1,901) and Open Championships career average leader Michael Nape (1,889).

"I was really emotional when we were bowling because I wasn't bowling well, and I am so grateful to my team for carrying me through it," said Nape, who entered the year as the tournament's average leader with a 216.59 average for 20 years. "I didn't want to be the guy who bowled well for so many years but never won the championship, so to win this is an incredible feeling. I'm just really, really happy right now."

On the way to the win in Regular Singles, Bryan Young of Everett, Wash., posted games of 278, 286 and 268 for an 832 series, one of the year's two 800s. The other belonged to singles runner-up, Jason Price of Grand Island, Neb., who shot 817.

"I checked the leaderboards everyday and was constantly watching anyone who bowled well in team to see how they did in doubles and singles," said Young, who also finished second in Regular All-Events with a 2,165 total. "I never thought this day would come, and it's a day I will cherish."

2008 USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Albuquerque Convention Center, Albuquerque, N.M.
(Top 10 final regular division leaders with hometown and pinfalls)

Team
1, Team Tilt (Thomas Ault Jr., Russ Wilson, Chris Greene, Joe Keltner, Jay Futrell), Lawrence, Kan., 3,374. 2, Turbo Grips 1, Chesterfield, Mich., 3,308. 3, Fox Bowl 2, Wheaton, Ill., 3,303. 4, Rhino for President, Pleasant View, Utah, 3,298. 5, Bowlingfordumdums.com, Pritchett, Colo., 3,284. 6, Bluemound Bowl, Milwaukee, Wis., 3,268. 7, Ballard's Bowling Solution 1, North Richland Hills, Texas, 3,258. 8, Play 2 Win, Lakewood, Ohio, 3,254. 9, Bowlers Universe 1, Rockford, Ill., 3,249. 10, Junior Team USA Support, Orlando, Fla., 3,248.

Doubles
1, John Socha, Oak Creek, Wis./Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 1,467. 2, Skip Wolfe, Dixon, Ill./Tom Carter, Rockford, Ill., 1,462. 3, Robert Slayton, Apple Valley, Minn./Jason Lutgen, Brooklyn Park, Minn., 1,445. 4, Todd Koehler, Appleton, Minn./Doug Blood, Montevideo, Minn., 1,444. 5, Erik Mattingly, Puyallup, Wash./Robert Hanson, Tacoma, Wash., 1,441. 6, Ted Baer/Josh Edenburn, Omaha, Neb., 1,439. 7, Rick Oelkers III, Valdosta, Ga./David Tolson, Summerville, S.C., 1,434. 8, Steven Levering, Landisville, Pa./Jim Rutherford, Coatesville, Pa., 1,428. 9, Ron Case, Oakley, Calif./Sam Carter, Ben Lomond, Calif., 1,422. 10, Anthony Burrell, Riverside, Calif./Larry Stephens, Corona, Calif., 1,420.

Singles
1, Bryan Young, Everett, Wash., 832. 2, Jason Price, Grand Island, Neb., 817. 3, Wilbert Moorer, Dover, Del., 784. 4, Warren Crawford, McKinleyville, Calif., 779. 5, Eric Lukins, Fort Myers, Fla., 778. 6, William Uthoff, O'Fallon, Mo., 775. 7 (tie), Larry Aldridge, Aurora, Colo., and Alexander Shand, Myrtle Beach, S.C., 774. 9, Alan Pecora, Drums, Pa., 773. 10, Ryan Shepherd, Collinsville, Va., 769.

All-Events
1, Jay Futrell, Derby, Kan., 2,183. 2, Bryan Young, Everett, Wash., 2,165. 3, Mike Rose Jr., Rochester, N.Y., 2,161. 4, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 2,160. 5, Warren Crawford, McKinleyville, Calif., 2,159. 6, Brian Kjergaard, Fulton, Ill., 2,147. 7, Edward Gallagher, Clarksville, Tenn., 2,141. 8, Todd Fenske, Weston, Wis., 2,132. 9, Gregg Zicha, Schaumburg, Ill., 2,124. 10, Chris Gibbons, Madison, Wis., 2,122.

Team All-Events
1, Fox Bowl 2 (Anthony Jordan, Pete Spreadbury, Walter Schaub, Gregg Zicha, Mike Nape), Wheaton, Ill., 10,025. 2, Team Tilt, Lawrence, Kan., 9,986. 3, Team Pabst, Madison, Wis., 9,977. 4, MoRich Enterprises, West Bend, Wis., 9,901. 5, Jr. Team USA Support, Orlando, Fla., 9,821. 6, Rhino for President, Pleasant View, Utah, 9,801. 7, Bowlingfordumdums.com, Pritchett, Colo., 9,794. 8 (tie), S & B Pro Shop 2, Sterling Heights, Mich., and Pam's Boys 1, Salem, Ore., 9,736. 10, Sack Toe, Sacramento, Calif., 9,717.