SIX TEAMS QUALIFY FOR OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS IN SIOUX FALLS, FINAL TWO DETERMINED AT PRE-TRIALS EVENT
Photo by: C. Kerns Photography
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, May 28, 2025] — The field for the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Men’s and Women’s Curling, scheduled for Sioux Falls, SD, from November 11-16, 2025, is nearly complete.
The Team Trials will have a field of four teams per gender. Three Women’s teams and three Men’s teams are now qualified—the last berths will be determined at a Pre-Trials event at the Charlotte Curling Association from September 11-14, 2025.
Team Shuster earned their berth in the Trials last spring, after winning the 2024 Men’s Nationals and finishing in sixth place at the 2024 World Men’s Championship. A finish of sixth place or higher at the Worlds was required to secure Trials participation after that Nationals victory.
The two other men’s teams that have secured berths, Team Dropkin and Team Casper, were the two highest-ranked American teams on the World Curling Team Ranking List as of May 1, 2025. Dropkin currently sits at #12 in the world, while Casper is at #22.
On the women’s side, all three teams qualified for the Trials as a result of being the top three American teams on the World Curling Team Ranking List as of May 1, 2025. Team Strouse sits at #30, Team Peterson is at #31, and Team Cousins is ranked #43.
Single-session and Full Event passes for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials are available now. Tickets for anyone under the age of 18 are 50% off.
The Pre-Trials event will determine the final berths—one Women’s and one Men’s—in the Team Trials. Any team in the Top 100 on the World Curling Team Rankings List, not already qualified for the Olympic Team Trials, was invited—five Men’s teams and two Women’s teams have elected to compete. The Men’s field at the Pre-Trials will include Team Wendling, Team Sinnett, Team Dunnam, Team Hodek, and Team Hebert. On the Women’s side, Team McMakin and Team Johnson will face of in a Best-of-Five competition.
Men’s Team Trials Qualifiers
Team Shuster—John Shuster, Chris Plys, Colin Hufman, Matt Hamilton, John Landsteiner. 2024 Men’s National Champion, finished in sixth place at the 2024 World Men’s Championship. Ranked #21 on World Curling Team Rankings List.
Team Dropkin—Korey Dropkin, Tom Howell, Andrew Stopera, Mark Fenner. Ranked #12 on World Curling Team Rankings List.
Team Casper—Daniel Casper, Luc Violette, Ben Richardson, Aidan Oldenburg, Rich Ruohenen. Ranked #22 on World Curling Team Rankings List.
Women’s Team Trials Qualifiers
Team Strouse—Delaney Strouse, Madison Bear, Sydney Mullaney, Anne O’Hara. Ranked #30 on World Curling Team Rankings List.
Team Peterson—Tabitha Peterson, Cory Thiesse, Tara Peterson, Taylor Heide-Anderson. Ranked #31 on World Curling Team Rankings List.
Team Cousins—Elizabeth Cousins, Annmarie Dubberstein, Allison Howell, Liz Janiak. Ranked #43 on World Curling Team Rankings List.
Men’s Pre-Trials Field
Team Wendling—Wes Wendling, Ethan Sampson, Jake Zeman, Marius Kleinas. (#39)
Team Sinnett—Sam Strouse(Fourth), Kevin Tuma, Chase Sinnett (Skip), Connor Kauffman, Coleman Thurston. (#44)
Team Dunnam—Scott Dunnam, Cody Clouser, Lance Wheeler, Andy Dunnam. (#50)
Team Hodek—Tim Hodek, Evan Workin, Josh Moore, Nathan Parry. (#67)
Team Hebert—Caden Hebert, Jackson Bestland, Benji Paral, Jack Wendtland. (#80)
Women’s Pre-Trials Field
Team McMakin—Christine McMakin, Miranda Scheel, Jenna Burchesky, Sara Olson. (#49)
Team Johnson—Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Morgan Zacher, Bailey Vaydich. (#76)
“We’re excited to bring the Pre-Trials to Charlotte in September and looking forward to a great competition at the Sanford Premier Center this November,” said USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “Curling fans who travel to Sioux Falls will enjoy the experience—the community has embraced the event and our local partners are terrific.”
The winning teams at the Olympic Team Trials in November will represent the United States at the Olympic Qualification Event (OQE) in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, where they will compete for the final two berths in the 2026 Games. The OQE runs from December 6-19, 2025.
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.
