Lukosius wins 2025 PWBA Regional Showdown for fifth regional title
SANFORD, Fla. – Karsyn Lukosius of Freehold, New Jersey, won the 2025 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Regional Showdown Saturday evening over Alyssa Ferraro of Deltona, Florida, 207-165, contested at Airport Lanes in Sanford, Florida.
Lukosius won her fifth title after earning the top seed in the stepladder finals, thanks to the highest grand total (4,356) during 18 games of match play over the last two days. She was looking to win after being the runner-up during the 2024 edition of the event because of a stone 9 pin that kept her from the title.
“Winning this year is amazing because that 9 pin (last year) was in the back of my head during the title match,” Lukosius said. “It was haunting me. I watched the replay (of the 2024 title match) leading up to this and I just wanted revenge, which was unique to this event because I’m not usually one to want that.”
Her opponent, Ferraro, had made the climb up the ladder after notching the No. 4 seed by 14 pins and threw her first PWBA 300 game during the qualifier on Friday.
Ferraro had defeated Maryssa Carey of Hobart, Indiana, in the opening match, 202-192, after staying neck and neck heading into the final frame before Ferraro knocked down all three strikes in the 10th, forcing Carey to do the same to win by a single pin. Carey got the first one, but a stone 7 pin stayed standing on the following shot, allowing Ferraro to advance. Carey earned $1,800 for fourth place.
In the semifinal match, Ferraro faced the 2023 Regional Showdown champion in Kerry Smith of Lititz, Pennsylvania, a match that came down to the wire. Smith ended the match first after the two competitors couldn’t pull away from each other, going strike, nine, spare in the 10th for 219. Ferraro needed at least a mark and count to advance, and did exactly that with a 4 pin, spare and strike for 225. Smith earned $2,000 for her third-place finish.
That set up Lukosius and Ferraro for the title, which was looking to be another close match halfway through, with Ferraro holding a small lead. After a strike in the sixth for Ferraro, she proceeded to throw another great shot, but left a pocket 7-10 split for an open in the seventh. She had another good shot not go her way in the eighth, leaving a stone 9 pin and converting it. Lukosius went spare, strike in the eighth and ninth, and the door was slightly open for Ferraro to take advantage of.
It was not meant to be, however, as Ferraro’s first shot in the ninth hooked slightly early and left the 3-4-6-7-9-10 split, which she picked three off of. A pocket 7-9 split officially ended Ferraro’s run at 165, while Lukosius notched two more marks in the final frame for 207 for her fifth PWBA regional title, the $3,700 top prize and to have her 2026 PWBA National Tour entry fees covered. Ferraro earned $2,700 for her runner-up finish.
Lukosius was only able to bowl one event in 2025 on the PWBA National Tour, the United States Bowling Congress Queens, but without the burden of entry fees for 2026, she plans on doing more events.
“I’ll have to look at the schedule for next year, but I know there’s the Summer Series in Rochester and that’s local to me, which is cool,” said Lukosius. “I’ll definitely be at the Queens and I’ll see what stops are doable for me.”
This year’s Regional Showdown was Lukosius’ 10th PWBA regional event bowled since 2023. Since then, she has won five titles, notched three runner-up finishes, one third-place finish and one eighth-place finish for an average finishing position of 2.2, cementing herself as one to always watch for at PWBA Regional Tour events and in 2026 on the National Tour.
The next PWBA event won’t be until February 22, 2026 for the PWBA Orlando Regional in Orlando, Florida, while the National Tour kicks off April 30 in Rockford, Illinois.
