COLLEGE NATIONALS CROWN GOES TO CURLERS FROM UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
Photo by: Paul Castle
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, March 17, 2026] — Sixteen teams arrived at the Schenectady Curling Club in Niskayuna, NY, to vie for the title of College National Champion. After round-robin pool play and the playoffs were completed, the final was an all-Wisconsin affair.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison went through the event with just a single defeat during pool play, before defeating Colorado State in the quarter-finals and Penn State in the semi-finals. An in-state counterpart, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, also reached the finals with just one loss in pool play. They defeated Castleton in the quarter-finals and Bowdoin in the semi-finals.
That set up a championship game between the two Wisconsin schools. Stevens Point jumped out to an early 4-1 lead and were ahead 6-4 after six ends, but Madison fought back, stealing a single point in the eighth end to knot the score and then stealing two more in the extra end for an 8-6 victory.
In the bronze medal matchup, Penn State took on Bowdoin. The Pennsylvanians opened with four points in the first end, but Bowdoin answered quickly, taking five in the second to take back the lead. But after consecutive steals in the sixth and seventh ends, Penn State opened up a three-point edge. In the eighth and final end, they ran Bowdoin out of rocks, earning the hardware with a 9-6 victory.
“The College Nationals and the season that leads to brings together young curlers from across the country, and most competitors experience the sport for the first time when they start it as an activity at their school,” said USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “The College USA Curling Committee, led by Sam Futch and Nancy Myers, works very hard to manage the qualifying event process and deliver a terrific national championship—we are grateful to them and the team at the Schenectady Curling Club for the hosting the event.”
For more information about the event, including team rosters, game results, and standings, visit the USA Curling College Nationals 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.
