Corrine Ham of Cocoa, Fla., has waited over 15 years for a Women's Championship crown and it finally happened. Ham moved into the lead in Classic Singles on April 25 with a 736 series (278, 236, 222) to beat Jennifer Murphy of Clarksville, Tenn., by one pin.

"I have goose bumps right now. This is one of the highest honors I have ever received and by far the most exciting," said Ham. "I can't say I practiced physically more this year than in the past, but I can say I practiced more mentally. My mind was in it the whole time. It feels great to finally say all of the hard work has paid off."

Wisconsin bowlers Gina Daroszewski and Jill Albrecht earned the Classic Doubles crown with their 1,445 total. Daroszewski, of Franklin, fired a 748 series (233, 267, 248), while Albrecht, of Wind Lake, shot 697 (192, 259, 246). Their combined second game of 526 placed them third overall for highest doubles team game in the history of the USBC Women's Championships.

Team High Hopes from La Mesa, Calif., won Division I Team with 2,696. The team was led by Sunae Moree (662), followed by Maria Bacos (562), Jeanie Schmidt (516), Amy Gottlieb (501) and Wendy Brown (455).

Illinois natives, Betty Tucker of Chicago and Lila Newman-Davis of Dolton won Division 1 Doubles with their 1,227 total. Newman-Davis led the pair with a 615 series while Tucker contributed 612.

Michelle Stahl's 657 in Division 1 Singles landed the Hillsborough, N.J., resident top honors, with a 191, 198, and 268 series. Kannapolis, N.C.'s Janet Smith secured a strong all-events finish with her 1,820 total (585, 596, 639).

A field of 7,330 five-player teams (more than 36,500 bowlers), which came from all 50 states and a record nine foreign countries competed in the event. Countries in addition to the U.S. represented in the Women's Championships were: Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Two notable records were set or matched by seniors. Mini Tvaska, 90, of St. Petersburg, Fla., broke the participation record by attending her 62nd consecutive Women's Championship. Emma Hendrickson, 99, of Morris County, N.J., tied the record for oldest participant in tournament history. She matched Ethel Brunnick of Santa Monica, Calif., who competed at 99 in 1987.

The high individual game of the tournament was a 297 shot by Jen Richter of Sheboygan, Wis., which was rolled on May 23.

The USBC Women's Championships returns to Reno, Nev., in 2009.

2008 USBC WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Super Bowl Lanes, Canton, MI
(Top 5 final classic division leaders with hometown and pinfalls, all results unofficial)

Team (946 average and over)
1, Bohn Zone Chicks (Leslie Bohn, Chrissie Kent, Kristin Nieter, Laura Starbuck, Kari Watson), Kettering, Ohio, 3,171. 2, Kaizen By Diandra, Orlando, Fla., 3,110. 3, Del Rosa Lanes, Chatsworth, Calif., 3,109. 4, Bowlers Choice Pro Shop, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,088. 5, Together Once Again, North Richland Hills, Texas, 3,078.

Doubles (379 average and over)
1, Gina Daroszewski, Franklin, Wis./Jill Albrecht, Wind Lake, Wis., 1,445. 2, Shannon Pluhowsky, Phoenix/Tiffany Stanbrough, Oklahoma City, 1,416. 3, Corrine Ham, Cocoa, Fla./Kendra Gaines, Orlando, Fla., 1,402. 4, Susanne Nawojski, Lancaster, N.Y./Michelle Sterner, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 1,365. 5, Lisa Graham, Centerville, Ohio/Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,356.

Singles (190 average and over)
1, Corrine Ham, Cocoa, Fla., 736. 2, Jennifer Murphy, Clarksville, Tenn., 735. 3, Sharon Koh, Malaysia, 728. 4, Brenda Mack, Indianapolis, Ind., 724. 5, Kim Terrell, Dover, Del., 720.

All-Events (190 average and over)
1, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,113. 2, Kendra Gaines, Orlando, Fla., 2,082. 3, Kari Watson, Kettering, Ohio, 2,061. 4, Brenda Viator, Franklin, Wis., 2,055. 5, Sharon Koh, Malaysia, 2,041.