PLAYERS WITH LESS THAN FIVE YEARS OF CURLING EXPERIENCE VIE FOR NATIONAL TITLE IN SEATTLE
Photo by: Jalen Marlowe
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, April 22, 2026] — The nation's best curlers with five years of experience or less in the sport will take to the ice today, as the 2026 USA Curling Five-and-Under National Championship gets underway at the storied Granite Club of Seattle.
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. Teams can be comprised of players of any gender—five teams in the event are skipped by women.
“Since it became an official part of the USA Curling national championship season in 2022, we have seen this event soar in popularity,” said USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “Each year, more people discover our sport and realize there is much to love. An event like this one appeals to their competitive natures, while also providing an opportunity to gather off the ice and get to know people from around the country.”
Teams qualified for the national championship through results at 23 Qualifier Bonspiels held across the country. The Granite Club, as the host, also receives a berth. Since USA Curling wants this to be a championship for young adults who take up the game later in life, players must be 21 years of age or older.
Ben Hoppe, a one-time 5U curler himself and a writer who now covers curling at all levels, has shared his take on the field in Seattle over on his Substack. He also provides insight into total entries in qualifier spiels, and the number of ‘unique-ish” entries across all the events leading to the Nationals.
Fans can attend games in person at Seattle Granite, and games will be streamed on the club’s YouTube channel. Standings, schedules, DSC scores, and more can be found on the Five-And-Under Nationals Championship page.
POOL A
Team Eagan: Coady Egan, Jason Kress, Jennifer Myers, Michael Nolan
Team Mack: Rebekka Mack, George Mack, Joe Cavanaugh, Rebeckah Cavanaugh, John Krehnovi
Team Neumann: Kevin Neumann, Zach Kehres, Anna Jensen, Karen Juhl, Andrew Parrish
Team Elliott: Chris Elliott, Tim Bert, Abel Luna, David Betzold, Logan Carroll
Team Martin: Robert Martin, Molly Hackett, Lea Stall, Jessica Martin
Team Wysocki: Trevor Wysocki, David Kaul, Kris Lefeber, Danny Cheever
POOL B
Team Casey: John Casey, Isabela Ordonez, Matthew Hoepfner, Anna O'Shea
Team Parira: Tiyash Parira, Elvis Andino, Ezra Dantowitz, Sarah Blackadar, Harrison Folk
Team Rice: Joseph Rice, Brenden Foland, Brian Campbell, Scott Campbell, David Hernandez
Team Papineau: John Papineau, Tyler Goetsch, Matthew Voissem, Andrew Tradewell, Robert Gustafson
Team Pytlarz: Jaclyn Pytlarz, Rachel Roberts, Alexander Claxton, Alex Vieane, Anne Bonache
Team Vig: Zachary Vig, Eli Ahrens, Andrew Blumhoefer, Gunnar Cowing, Erin Naylor
POOL C
Team Dei: Josh Dei, Leena Hornlein, Conor McCadden, Jacalynn Sharp
Team Nie: Jason Nie, Daniel Pazuchowski, Neil Hunter-Smith, Kenneth Doan, Sudheer Kumar Reddy Putha
Team Record: Hannah Record, Gavin Lloyd, Matt Record, Lindsey Mullikin
Team Gumz: Jacalynn Gumz, Anthony Worzalla, Josh White, Unal Karabulut
Team O’Donnell: Kiera O’Donnell, Brian O’Donnell, Pat Moran, Michelle Moran
Team Swift: Ryan Swift, Scott Yorga, Lily MacLean, Kim Weber Yorga, Joe Dinnetz
POOL D
Team Gilbert: Ramin Gilbert, Jerry St. James, David Hurst, Gerard Trimberger
Team Hodges: Nate Hodges, Michael Lopykinski, Alec Hackett, Morgan Hay
Team Salmonson: Tim Salmonson, Mike Kerr, Bryan Sather, Sean Smith
Team Hammond: Bradley Hammond, Sara Hammond, Matthew Wagoner, David Wagoner, Abbey Carlson
Team Kunkel: Jeff Kunkel, Woody Wu, Matt O’Brien, Hal Brown
Team Tygert: Keith Tygert, Connor Delaney, Todd Smith, Morgan Collins, Rachel Skavina
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.
