FIVE-AND-UNDER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BRINGS CURLERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO SAINT PAUL
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, May 1, 2025] — The nation's best curlers with five years of experience or less in the sport will take to the ice today, as the 2025 USA Curling Five-and-Under National Championship gets underway at the historic Saint Paul Curling Club in Saint Paul, MN.
A field of 24 teams will compete in four pools of six teams each. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the quarter-finals and the single-elimination playoff round.
Many competitors will be playing in their first Nationals, but several teams enter the event with strong resumes and past experience in the event. Team Mellin (Matt Mellin, Joe Daly, Derek Farrell, Jackson Purdy) return, intent on defending their 2024 title. Dan Bliven and Ben Jurenec, champions in 2023, have also qualified for the event, joined this year by front-enders Casey Kelpinski and John Papineau.
“We continue to see terrific enthusiasm for this championship,” noted USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “It reflects the continued growth of our sport, as more young adults discover the game and appreciate both the social and competitive sides of it.”
Teams qualified for the championship through results at 23 Qualifier Bonspiels held around the country—there were 561 total entries in these events this past season. The host club also receives a berth. Reflecting the intent to make this a championship for young adults taking up the game later in life, players must be 21 years of age or older.
Former 5U curler Ben Hoppe does an excellent job tracking the teams and their performances throughout the season, and suggests that, “Every year, it feels like there is a newcomer to the event that makes a run.” Hoppe provides a thorough analysis of both the field in this championship and insight into the Qualifier Bonspiels on his Substack.
Fans can attend games in person at the Saint Paul Curling Club, and the action will be streamed on the club YouTube channel. Standings, schedules, DSC scores, and more can be found on the Five-And-Under Nationals Championship page.
FIVE-AND-UNDER NATIONALS FIELD
Team Betzold: David Betzold, Jerry Schimmel, Randy Peterson, Tyler Despins
Team Bliven: Dan Bliven, Ben Jurenec, Casey Kelpinski, John Papineau
Team Bouthillette: Bobby Bouthillette, Scott Cleve, Jeff Polo, Spence Dinicolantonio, Jennifer Polo
Team Campbell: Darren Campbell, Josh Bernstein, Jard Keesling, Paige Peterson
Team Carlson: Abbey Carlson, Sara Hammond, Brad Hammond, Lea Stall
Team Dei: Josh Dei, Leena Hornlein, Conor McCadden, Jackie Sharp
Team Elliott: Chris Elliott, Kirk Rose, Michael Elliott, Vanessa Williams
Team Green: Rob Green, Rachel Burzi, Vika Petrycheva, Devin Plantamura, John Fink
Team Hernandez: David Hernandez, Zach Altman, Peter Johns, Alec Mitchell
Team Horgan: David Horgan, Tyler Goetsch, Matthew Voissem, Andrew Tradewell, Matthew Oetzel
Team Kunkel: Jeff Kunkel, Woody Hu, Hal Brown, Matt O’Brien
Team McGurk; Dan McGurk, Tyler Holloway, Jonathan Hickey, Stephanie Trudeau, Drew Gormley
Team Mellin: Matt Mellin, Joe Daly, Derek Farrell, Jackson Purdy
Team Mewers: Queena Mewers, Kyra Manayan, Alex Eaton-Salners, Neal Digre, David Hurst
Team Nie: Jason Nie, Daniel Pazuchowski, Sudheeer Kumar Reddy Putha, Jeremy Sonke, Kenneth Doan
Team Purves: Justin Purves, Brandon Smith, Erik Peterson, Andrew Boucher
Team Pytlarz: Jaclyn Pytlarz, Kathalin Alsmeier, Rachel Roberts, Sydney Jorgensen, Alexander Claxton
Team Russ: Matthew Smith, Brice Russ, Kellen Wall, Jo Ellen Smith
Team Shoemaker: Hanna Shoemaker, Danielle Tolliver, Katie Kelly, Danielle Wain, Gina Boggs
Team Sundbom: Taylor Sundbom, Maddy Schintz, Joey Cummings, Gary Carlson
Team Visser: Aaron Visster, Lauren Visser, Blake Iles, Pete Meyer
Team Waind: Chris Waind, Connor Sisson, Dan Hoy, Art Thorsen
Team Wright: Dillon Wright, Jonathan Bashford, Jarrod Smith, Alison O’Connor
Team Wysocki: Trevor Wysocki, David Kaul, Kris Lefeber, Danny Cheever
About USA Curling
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA Curling is the National Governing body for the Olympic sport of curling and the Paralympic sport of wheelchair curling in the United States. The mission of USA Curling is to grow, strengthen, and advocate for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of curling in the United States by prioritizing accessibility and programmatic development from grassroots to podium. USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, the Dale’s family of beers, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Ice, Sports & Solar (ISS), Rock Solid Productions, Jet Ice, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling is a proud member of World Curling and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. To learn more, visit usacurling.org.
