TEAM CAMPBELL TOPS FIELD AT FIVE-AND-UNDER NATIONALS
Photo by: Lisa Rudolph
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, May 5, 2025] — The USA Curling Five-and-Under National Championship, an event for curlers of all genders with five years or less of experience, brought 24 teams to the historic Saint Paul Curling Club in Saint Paul, MN.
It all came down to a Sunday final between Team Campbell (Darren Campbell, Josh Bernstein, Jared Keesling, Paige Peterson, Coach Mike Siggins/Coyotes Curling Club) against Team Bliven (Dan Bliven, Ben Jurenec, Casey Kelpinski, John Papineau/Green Bay and Appleton Curling Clubs). The championship game was a low-scoring back-and-forth affair, with the Arizona rink holding a 2-1 lead playing the seventh end. Skip Campbell made a crucial hit-and-roll with his last rock in the seventh to steal a point and deny Bliven an opportunity to score two, and made another perfect hit-and-roll in the eight end to secure the 5-1 victory.
For Team Campbell, it was their first Five-and-Under Nationals title. For Bliven and Jurenec, their run in this event has been gold in 2023, bronze in 2024, and silver in 2025.
In this year’s bronze medal game, it was an all-MOPAC contest, as Team Kunkel (Jeff Kunkel, Woody Hu, Hal Brown, Matt O’Brien, Coach Jeff Baird/Coyotes and Orange County Curling Clubs) topped Team Hernandez (David Hernandez, Zach Altman, Peter Johns, Alec Mitchell/Coyotes Curling Club) by a score of 8-1.
During the closing ceremonies, USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell remarked, “The level of play at this event continues to improve every year, and we are always excited to be around the energy and enthusiasm that this group of curlers brings to the sport.”
Since 2022, this event has been part of the USA Curling championship season, and teams earn berths in it through sanctioned qualifying bonspiels. Game results, team rosters, and DSC scores from this year’s championship can be found on the Five-and-Under Nationals Championship page.
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.
