Press Release
NORTH PLATTE — North Platte youth bowlers turned in an impressive postseason, earning multiple championships and top finishes at both the North Platte USBC Youth City Tournament and the 2026 Nebraska State USBC Youth Championship Tournament.
At the city tournament, local bowlers set the tone with strong team and individual performances.
In Youth Team Division 2, the team of Zathan Erickson, Bentley Halouska and Vincent Simpson captured first place with a score of 2,145.
North Platte bowlers also dominated doubles competition. Lexie Szwanek and Colesyn Hughes won Division 1 with a 1,470 series, while Vincent Simpson and Bentley Halouska took first in Division 2 with a 1,598 total.
In singles play, Kayson Miller led Division 1 with a 702 series, followed by Colesyn Hughes (680) and Calen Stewart (672). In Division 2, Bentley Halouska rolled a tournament-best 921 series to claim first place, with Annika Missing (761) and Kyler Shrum (736) finishing behind him.
All-events honors at the city tournament went to Calen Stewart (1,862) in Division 1 and Bentley Halouska (1,429) in Division 2.
North Platte carried that success into the state tournament, where local bowlers competed against the top youth talent in Nebraska.
Two North Platte teams brought home state championships. That One Team Jr. won the Team 479 & Under Division with a score of 2,876, while the Brooklyn Bombers claimed the Team 480–599 title with a 2,999 total.
North Platte bowlers continued to shine in doubles competition. Vincent Simpson and Kyler Shrum placed first in Boys Doubles (239 & Under) with a 1,536 series, and Bentley Halouska and Colesyn Hughes won the Boys Doubles (240–299) division with 1,499.
On the girls side, Annika Missing and Ariah Simpson earned first place in Girls Doubles (239 & Under) with a 1,467 total, while Lexie Szwanek and Zaedyn Quick placed second in Mixed Doubles (300–340) with 1,381.
Individually, Zaedyn Quick won the All-Events title in the Boys 150–170 division with a 2,125 total and added a second-place finish in singles (735). Bentley Halouska claimed the Boys 119 & Under All-Events title with 2,444 and finished third in singles (783).
Colesyn Hughes placed third in Boys 120–149 All-Events (2,222) and second in singles (781).
Other top finishers included Kyler Shrum, who placed fourth in All-Events (2,271) and eighth in singles (733), and Vincent Simpson, who finished ninth in All-Events (2,193) and 12th in singles (702).
In the girls division, Lexie Szwanek placed fourth in All-Events (2,052), seventh in singles (665) and eighth in scratch (512). Ariah Simpson finished sixth in All-Events (2,134) and fourth in singles (738), while Annika Missing placed fifth in All-Events (2,137) and 12th in singles (683).
The success highlights the continued growth of youth bowling in North Platte. Currently, 10 athletes compete on the North Platte Middle School bowling team, which will enter its fourth season in 2026-27 and continue traveling to compete across the state.
Looking ahead, organizers are also working toward launching a high school traveling bowling team in the upcoming year, further expanding opportunities for local student-athletes to compete at a higher level.
With strong participation and continued success, North Platte’s youth bowling program is building momentum for the future.
Local awards for youth and adults will be handed out tonight from the North Platte Bowling association including: Hall of Fame, Bowler of the Year, and all youth awards. The bowling banquet will be held at the Lincoln Highway RV park at 5:00pm April 11, 2026.