Liz Johnson Claims 2025 USBC Senior Queens Title
LAS VEGAS – United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Liz Johnson of Niagara Falls, New York, defeated Rina Sabo of Bennett, Colorado, 243-185, to win the 2025 USBC Senior Queens title.
Johnson adds to her already extensive trophy case, winning the event in her Senior Queens debut and joins Sandra Postma and Anne Marie Duggan as the only bowlers to win USBC Queens and USBC Senior Queens titles.
“That’s just crazy to me,” said Johnson. “I remember growing up and dreaming of bowling this event, this was one of my dream tournaments.”
That dream became reality when qualifying began and she went into the double-elimination match-play bracket as the No. 1 seed, going undefeated and being the top seed in Sunday’s stepladder.
Johnson had to beaten twice in the title match but only needed the first match against No. 3 seed Sabo to take home the title. Sabo was looking to follow in the footsteps of last year’s champion, Kathy Ledford of Boise, Idaho, who was the No. 3 seed and took home the title in the 2024 event.
Ledford and Sabo faced off in the second match of the 2025 stepladder, with Ledford, the No. 5 seed, hoping to be the first back-to-back champion since Robin Romeo’s three straight wins from 2014-2016.
Unfortunately, the magic ran out for Ledford, who managed just a 148 to Sabo’s 247, guaranteeing a new champion would be crowned this year. Ledford earned $4,000 for her fourth-place finish.
Sabo’s opponent in the semifinals was Jody Scheerer of Orlando, Florida, also making her Senior Queens debut and loss to Johnson for the top seed, but was a consistent force all week as she qualified as the No. 2 seed in the bracket.
The semifinal match saw neither Sabo or Scheerer able to pull away until the last few frames, where Sabo rolled the 2 pin forward in the eighth frame and tripped the 4 pin out in the ninth. Scheerer threw her own great shot that saw the 4 pin stand, before a pocket 7 pin in the ninth saw her hopes fade fast.
A wrap 10 pin to start the final frame put the nail in the coffin for Scheerer, ending with 188 while Sabo advanced to the title match with a 213. Scheerer earned $5,000 for the third-place finish.
The title match was all Johnson, who threw seven strikes in the first eight frames while Sabo was unable to carry the corner pins and fell behind early. Johnson officially put her stamp on the event with all three strikes in the 10th frame for 243 against Sabo’s 185. Sabo earned $6,200 for her runner-up finish, improving upon the 2024 event where she finished in a tie for 13th place.
Johnson took home $8,000, the trophy and the tiara for her winning efforts, starting off her senior career with a bang and in a place that holds many memories not just for her, but the other competitors in the field.
“I’m so glad that the event was at Sam’s Town this year, it was special to win here,” said Johnson.
The stepladder finals begin with Ledford and Canada’s Jill Friis, where the low-scoring match was in favor of Ledford, 172-166. Friis earned $3,050 for the fifth-place finish, the same place she ended the 2024 event.
The 2025 event started April 9 with the first of three five-game qualifying rounds for the 92 competitors, with the top 31 bowlers after 15 games joining Ledford in the double-elimination match-play bracket.
BowlTV livestreamed the 2025 event from start to finish at Sam’s Town, including the stepladder finals.
For more information on the USBC Senior Queens, visit BOWL.com/seniorqueens.
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). USBC conducts championship events nationwide including the largest participation sporting events in the world – the USBC Open and Women’s Championships – and professional events such as the USBC Masters and USBC Queens.
Founded in 1895, today USBC and its 1,420 state and local associations proudly serve more than a million members. USBC is headquartered in Arlington, Texas, working toward a future for the sport. The online home for USBC is BOWL.com.
2025 USBC Senior Queens
Sam’s Town Bowling Center
Las Vegas
Sunday’s Results
Final standings
1, Liz Johnson, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 243 (one game), $8,000
2, Rina Sabo, Bennett, Colo., 645 (three games), $6,200
3, Jody Scheerer, Orlanda, Fla., 188 (one game), $5,000
4, Kathy Ledford, Boise, Idaho, 320 (two games), $4,000
5, Jill Friis, Canada, 166 (one game), $3,050.
Stepladder results
Match 1 – Ledford def. Friis, 172-166.
Match 2 – Sabo def. Ledford, 247-148.
Semifinal – Sabo def. Scheerer, 213-188.
Championship – Johnson def. Sabo, 243-185.
