The U.S. Women’s Bowling Open kicks off Wednesday with a historic top prize and a teenage star ready to compete for it.

Jillian Martin and the rest of the U.S. Open field will vie for the $100,000 award, the first six-figure first-place prize in the history of professional women’s bowling. Twenty-four bowlers will advance to round-robin match play, and those who make it to the championship round will compete for the title on CBS Sports Network on Aug. 31.

Martin, a 17-year-old from Stow, Ohio, is entering the U.S. Open with confidence after a history-making year on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour

After finishing as a runner-up at the PWBA ITRC Classic and in third place at the PWBA Hall of Fame Classic in January, Martin broke into the winner’s circle. Two weeks ago, she became the youngest bowler ever to win a PWBA Tour event when she captured the 2021 PWBA BowlTV Classic.

“I’ve obviously worked toward different goals, but winning the BowlTV Classic and becoming the youngest to win a professional women’s tournament has been the biggest one out of all of them,” Martin told Just Women’s Sports. “To just be able to go up there and do what I do and end up coming out with success has been amazing.”

Martin’s rise to the top of the sport has come quickly, giving her little time to process it all. She’s been able to lean on veteran bowlers like Rocio Restrepo, who lives near her in Ohio, as well as her family and support systems at Storm and I Am Bowling, where she is a staff member.

“I felt like I had a lot of people behind me in that moment,” she said of winning the BowlTV Classic on Aug. 10.

That group includes Martin’s great uncle, who first introduced her to the sport and taught her “how to legitimately bowl,” as she puts it. He helped her understand the complexity of the rules, and she fell in love with the challenge of strategizing to win.

Having a bowling alley close to her family’s home in Stow helped. But until she decided to enter the 2019 U.S. Open on a whim and realized she could compete with the best the sport has to offer, Martin hadn’t considered turning bowling into a career.

“It was one of those things that I had a lot of fun out here and I had a lot of fun competing, so I just wanted to see where that took me,” she said.

The moment 17-year-old Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio, realized she'd just become the youngest bowler in history to win a PWBA Tour event!

Martin, the top seed for the finals, defeated England's Verity Crawley, 221-188, in the title match of the 2021 PWBA BowlTV Classic. pic.twitter.com/wBnTLhfFec

— PWBA Tour (@PWBATour) August 11, 2021

As Martin enters the U.S. Open this week, she’s focused on playing to her strengths, getting a read on the lanes and remaining confident in her game. The high school senior takes her role as an ambassador for the sport seriously, especially as her celebrity rises. But she also doesn’t want to forget to have fun.

“I like to share my story and just kind of get the word out about bowling in general, too,” she said. “I think it’s really important that other people can learn about our sport and understand what it has to offer.

“I think it’s a really key thing just to grow the sport of bowling, and I love every minute of it.”

After a dramatic 3-0 win over crosstown rival Manchester United on Saturday, Manchester City is now leading the WSL, sitting three points clear atop the 2025/26 league table while notably extending their advantage over second-place powerhouse Chelsea FC.

The home side scored all three of their goals in the first half, with defender Rebecca Knaak putting City ahead in the 26th minute before attacker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw added to the lead in the 43rd minute.

Returning from injury with a vengeance, forward Lauren Hemp sealed the deal for the Citizens with the final goal in first-half stoppage time.

"It's so nice to be back," Hemp said postgame. "Today we showed the mentality that I said at the start we needed to show."

While reigning six-time WSL champions Chelsea have yet to lose a match this WSL season, a trio of 2025/26 draws has the Blues now trailing the current eight-win, one-loss record held by Manchester City.

As for United, the WSL third-place Red Devils were without star goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce in Saturday's loss, after the USWNT net-minder suffered a fractured eye socket in November 8th's 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.

"She should be fine, it's just trying to make sure she doesn't get another knock in that area," said United manager Marc Skinner, noting that Tullis-Joyce could return as soon as the club's 2025/26 Champions League match against VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday.

One of this season's NWSL Coach of the Year finalists is moving on up, with Kansas City manager Vlatko Andonovski leaving his position as the Current's head coach to become the club's full-time global sporting director.

Andonovski has been juggling both jobs since joining the Current in October 2023, with the 49-year-old coming off what was arguably his most successful managerial season, leading Kansas City to a first-ever NWSL Shield amidst a record-shattering 2025 campaign.

In his new role, Andonovski will "implement the long-term vision for the club's technical and athletic success, as well as be responsible for player recruitment, roster strategy and scouting."

"It's vital to move into this role to keep growing this club with the aim of being a perennial contender on the global stage and a top developer of talent," Andonovski said in Friday's club announcement.

With the administrative switch in the works prior to last weekend's playoff upset, Andonovski will now join the hiring committee tasked with appointing his successor, while continuing his head coaching duties until Kansas City secures its new manager.

In another front office shift, the Current's head of soccer operations Ryan Dell will immediately take over as the club's GM, with former GM Caitlin Carducci departing the club after one year at the helm.

Michigan women's basketball is on the rise, as the then-No. 14 Wolverines avenged their early 2025 NCAA tournament exit with a stunning 93-54 blowout win over then-No. 18 Notre Dame on Saturday.

Michigan sophomore guard Olivia Olson led the game in scoring with 20 points as the Wolverines put together a true team effort, with six bench players combining for 38 points in the win.

The Big Ten team also dominated defensively, limiting the Fighting Irish bench to just two points while keeping Notre Dame star guard Hannah Hidalgo to a mere 12-point performance.

"We knew exactly what Michigan was going to do," said Notre Dame basketball head coach Niele Ivey afterwards. "We did not have any type of fight defensively, and that's where we have to start."

The Wolverines' victory was especially sweet after Notre Dame ousted Michigan from last season's national tournament with a 76-55 second-round Irish win.

Saturday's fallout also affected this week's AP Top 25 poll, with Notre Dame falling six ranks to No. 24 while Michigan earned an eight-spot bump to No. 6.

After quietly recruiting five-star talents like Olson and Syla Swords in 2024, Michigan — a program that has yet to earn a title at the NCAA or conference level — proved over the weekend that they are entering the 2025/26 season with added depth and experience.

"That's why I committed to Michigan," Swords told JWS at October's Big Ten Media Day. "That's why so many of us came there, because we wanted to be part of something new, part of something that's never been done."

Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman is back in action, subbing into her team's 2025 NWSL semifinal win in Saturday's 90th minute as she continues to rehab a sprained MCL — with questions still remaining surrounding her future with the club.

"It felt amazing," she said afterwards. "If I get 30 seconds, or if I get 90 minutes, it feels great to be out there."

Rodman will hope for more involvement in next weekend's NWSL Championship game, taking the pitch for the Spirit in her final match under contact before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

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The USWNT standout's extension negotiations have apparently made it all the way up to the NWSL commissioner, with Rodman garnering interest from multiple UK clubs willing to outspend the US league's salary cap restrictions.

The NWSL's most recent collective bargaining agreement sets each club's current salary cap at $3.3 million, which will titrate up to $5.1 million by 2030.

"Right now, my head's completely down. It's been so distracting being injured, and that's all I can really think about," Rodman said on Saturday, addressing the reports. "Once we get this championship, then I can start making decisions and figuring out what next year looks like for me."

With rumors swirling around Rodman and her future with the Spirit, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman defended the salary cap this week, telling CBS Sports that the parity the cap fosters is "the reason our league is the most competitive league in the world."