TEAM KUNKEL TOPS FIELD AT FIVE-AND-UNDER NATIONALS
Photo by: Cyndy Eng
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, April 28, 2026] — The nation’s top curlers with five years of experience or less took to the ice this week at the Granite Club of Seattle for the 2026 USA Curling Five-and-Under National Championship, and after a competitive week of play it was Team Kunkel (Jeff Kunkel, Woody Wu, Kenny Duncan, Matt O’Brien, Hal Brown, Coach Jeff Baird) emerging as national champions.
Team Kunkel capped off an impressive undefeated run, going 5-0 in pool play, winning their quarter-final and semi-final matchups, and ending with a 9-6 victory over Team Gilbert (David Hurst, Ramin Gilbert, Jerry St. James, Gerard Trimberger) in the final. In the championship game, Kunkel and his teammates jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and played the scoreboard to lead by three in the eighth end and eventually running Gilbert out of rocks.
Team Dei (Josh Dei, Leena Hornlein, Conor McCadden, Jaclynn Sharp) captured the bronze medals, beating Team Wysocki (Trevor Wysocki, David Kaul, Kris Lefeber, Danny Cheever) by a score of 7-4. Up three but facing four Wysocki counters with his first shot of the final end, Dei made a quadruple takeout to secure the victory. Hornlein and Sharp also made history, becoming the first women to capture medals at this event since it became an official USA Curling championship in 2022.
USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell remarked, “It has been exciting to see the level of play improve each year at this championship. The Granite Club of Seattle also did a terrific job as event hosts—there was great energy in the building while Shawn Olesen and the club ice crew provided a first-class surface for the competitors.”
Participation in the Five-and-Under Nationals has increased every year, with around 350 different team combinations entering qualification events this past season. The championship featured four pools of six teams, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the quarterfinals. Final results and all playoff game scores can be found in the Event Hub on the Five-and-Under Nationals Championship page.
Five-and-Under bonspiels that are interested in being a national qualifier event in the 2026-27 season can apply here.
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.
