JUNIOR MIXED DOUBLES CROWN GOES TO WENDLING AND PARAL
Photo by: Sara Goulart
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, March 16, 2026] —The 2026 Junior Mixed Doubles National Championship, hosted by the Cape Cod Curling Club in Falmouth, MA, came to a close on Sunday afternoon, with Ella Wendling and Benji Paral defeating Jersey Hollands and Connor Grabow by a score of 8-7.
Spectators enjoyed high-level play on the ice throughout the event, and the championship game was no exception. After a steal of three in the third end, Wendling/Paral jumped out to a 5-1 lead and looked to be well on their way to victory. But Hollands/Grabow showed true resilience, stealing one in the fifth and then using their Power Play to score three in the seventh end and tie the score.
In the eighth and final end, Wendling faced a counter in the four-foot and behind cover on her last shot. The young Wisconsin native threw her final stone into the four-foot and Paral guided it in, pushing back the Hollands/Grabow shot rock to score one and earn the right to represent the United States at the World Junior Mixed Doubles Championship this May.
In the bronze medal game, Allory Johnson and Caden Hebert defeated the team Bella Hagenbuch and Daniel Laufer in another thriller, winning 7-6 with a measure needed to determine the final point. In semi-finals played on Sunday morning, Wendling/Paral defeated Johnson/Hebert while Hollands/Grabow topped Hagenbuch/Laufer.
“Twelve teams came to this event looking for a national championship win, and the quality of play was truly impressive,” said USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “We are grateful to the Cape Cod Curling Club for being incredible hosts—the competitors were treated extremely well, the spectators were supportive, and the playing surface was first-rate.”
Twelve teams qualified for this national championship. The field was split into two pools of six, with the winner of each pool earning byes to the semi-final while the second and third place finishers competed in the initial qualification round of the playoffs. Final standings and event statistics can be found on the USA Curling Junior Mixed Doubles National Championship page.
2026 MIXED DOUBLES NATIONALS FIELD
Fleming/Bestland (Ella Fleming, Jackson Bestland)
Hagenbuch/Laufer (Bella Hagenbuch, Daniel Laufer)
Holden/Wizik (Olive Holden, Henry Wizik)
Hollands/Grabow ( Jersey Hollands, Connor Grabow)
Holt/Brenden (Heidi Holt, Zach Brenden)
Johnson/Hebert (Allory Johnson, Caden Hebert)
Johnson/Podhradsky (Gianna Johnson, Will Podhradsky)
Mihm/Mihm (Alice Mihm, David Mihm)
Stopera/Guentzel (Megan Stopera, Mason Guentzel)
Thurston/Lannoye (Teegan Thurston, Matthew Lannoye)
Treynor/Hellman (Karina Treynor, Tucker Hellman)
Wendling/Paral (Ella Wendling, Benji Paral)
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.
