HOUSTON – Qualifying at the 2026 Professional Bowlers Association/Professional Women’s Bowling Association Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles event in Houston concluded Saturday evening, and the top 40 teams advanced to Sunday's semifinals, including the duo of Keira Magsam of Gretna, Nebraska, and Tom Hess of Granger, Iowa.
Although the pair entered the event as first-time teammates, they quickly found chemistry during Saturday's qualifying round to secure their place in the semifinals with a combined seven-game total of 3,045, good for ninth place.
For Hess, competing in the event has always been about supporting the tournament's mission, making the search for a new partner an easy decision after his usual teammate was unable to attend.
"The reason I come here is for the cause, Striking Against Breast Cancer," Hess said. "I love Donna (Connors). I've bowled here before, but my normal partner couldn't come this year, and my daughter doesn't bowl anymore. I went to the Team USA page looking for somebody who didn't have a partner. Keira's name popped up, and I've known her since she was about 9 or 10 years old. I reached out to her dad, Rick, and asked if she'd want to bowl. She said yes, and that's how we're here."
Magsam, who recently completed a successful collegiate season at Jacksonville State, said her background in team competition helped make the transition to bowling alongside Hess seamless.
"With my team-based experience, I was able to keep that going from being a part of Jacksonville State," Magsam said. "And just knowing Tom for as long as I have, I feel like we meshed well and were able to stay connected throughout the day."
Hess agreed, crediting communication and teamwork for the duo's strong performance.
"For the first time bowling together, I thought we did very well as a team, holding each other up when we needed it," Hess said. "We didn't want to put any kind of pressure on each other. The only pressure we put on ourselves was wanting to bowl well for each other. We worked across the house, communicated well and were able to get it done today."
Looking ahead to Sunday's semifinal round, both bowlers know the lane conditions will present a new challenge despite their success during qualifying.
"They're never going to play the same from day to day," Hess said. "We both had a really good look on the fresh for the first four games. I'm looking forward to getting back out there and seeing if we can make a run."
Magsam echoed that confidence while recognizing the need to adjust.
"You can't assume they're going to play the same, but I feel like we have a pretty good overall idea of the pattern," Magsam said. "Hopefully we can start off the same way we did today."
Hess also credited Magsam's collegiate team experience for helping keep the partnership focused throughout qualifying.
"She came up to me early and said a lot of her bowling lately has been team-based and that she likes to keep things positive," Hess said. "I can be a little bit of a fiery guy, and she really helped keep the team together and keep us going today."
Magsam agreed with her partner's assessment.
"I don't think I could say it any better myself," Magsam said.
Erin McCarthy of Elkhorn, Nebraska, and Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, led the field after qualifying with a combined seven-game total of 3,127. Danielle Urbano of Stony Point, New York, and Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas followed in second with 3,103, while Rocio Restrepo of Colombia and Deo Benard of Roanoke, Texas, placed third with 3,100. Josie Barnes of Hermitage, Tennessee, and Stu Williams of Pflugerville, Texas, finished fourth with 3,083, and Kayla Sommer of Rockford, Illinois, and Dawson Peterson of Stewartville, Minnesota, rounded out the top five with 3,073.
Lauren and Matt Russo of O'Fallon, Missouri, claimed sixth with 3,071, followed by Sydney Bohn of Jackson, New Jersey, and Cam Crowe of Orland Park, Illinois, in seventh with 3,069. Diana Zavjalova of Latvia and Marshall Kent of Yakima, Washington, finished eighth with 3,046, while Annalise OBryant of Ball Ground, Georgia, and Spencer Robarge of Springfield, Missouri, closed out the top 10 with 3,043. Crystal Elliott of Palm Bay, Florida, and Francois Lavoie of Canada secured the 40th and final semifinal berth with a combined total of 2,892.
Magsam, Hess and the other 39 teams will return at 9 a.m. Eastern for four games in the semifinal round before another cut to the top 12 for round-robin match play at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eastern. After the final match-play round, the champions will be crowned based on total pinfall and each earn a national title for their respective tours.
