JUNIOR NATIONALS GET UNDERWAY AT THE WACHTER ARENA IN BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA
Photo by: Jalen Marlowe
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, March 30, 2026] — The 2026 USA Curling Junior Men’s & Junior Women’s National Championships get underway today in North Dakota, bringing the country’s best curlers under the age of 20 to the state capital and the Wachter Arena at the Capital Ice Complex.
The championship runs from March 30th through April 4th, with single-day tickets and all-session passes available at the door. This year’s event will determine which teams earn the opportunity to represent the United States at the 2027 World Junior Curling Championships, scheduled for next February.
The field features no shortage of top-tier talent in both the Men’s and Women’s divisions. The 2025 champions—Team Hebert (Caden Hebert, Jackson Bestland, Benji Paral, Jack Wendtland) and Team Johnson (Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Morgan Zacher, Bailey Vaydich)—are both returning to the event and looking to defend their titles.
Team Hebert are not only won this championship last season, they captured the World Junior Men’s crown on March 3rd in Tarnby, Denmark, besting the defending champions from Italy in the final. It was the first time the United States had captured the world junior title since 2009, when two-time Olympian Chris Plys led his American team to victory.
In World Women’s play, Team Johnson also advanced to the medal round, coming up just short in the playoffs against the eventual champions from Korea in the semi-final before dropping the bronze medal game to China.
The field has impressive depth, with many teams boasting previous experience at this championship, including Team Stopera (Megan Stopera, Addison Neill, Ella Wendling, Savannah Koch) and Team Lannoye (Matthew Lannoye, Sawyer Koch, Ryan McCallum, Joey Dobbs, Owen Nelson)—both of these teams earned silver medals at the 2025 championship in Bowling Green, OH.
Teams qualified for the 2026 Junior Nationals through multiple pathways. The top two finishers in each gender from the 2025 Junior National Championships secured automatic berths, while additional teams earned their way to Bismarck by winning at the Eau Claire, Broomstones, and Fargo Qualifying Bonspiels. Berths were also awarded to winners at the Four Seasons Junior Bonspiel, with the final spots in the field based on cumulative point totals from all qualifying events throughout the season.
“This is one of the deepest fields we have had at a Junior Nationals in some time, with most players having previous experience at this event,” said USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “We are truly grateful for the efforts of the Local Organizing Committee and the Capital Curling Club, led by Ryan Lagasse. Contesting this championship in an arena setting gives the players an experience that will serve them well at the 2027 Worlds and other top-tier events they will compete at in the future.”
In addition to attending in person, fans can watch every game on the USA Curling YouTube channel, with USA Curling streaming partner Stadium Sports providing feature game with multiple cameras and commentary during most sessions. Additional information—including schedules, standings, and Draw Shot Challenge Scores—can be found in the Event Hub on the Junior Nationals page.
MEN’S TEAMS
Team Hebert-Defending Champion (Caden Hebert, Jackson Bestland, Benji Paral, Jack Wendtland)
Team Lannoye-2025 Runner-Up (Matthew Lannoye, Sawyer Koch, Ryan McCallum, Joey Dobbs, Owen Nelson)
Team McMullin-Eau Claire Qualifier (Carson McMullin, Daniel Laufer, Will Podhrasky, Ethan Macomber)
Team Church-Broomstones Qualifier (Ryan Church, DJ Neill, Lucas Berube, Ryan Trout)
Team Rose-Fargo Qualifier (Caiden Rose, Mason Guentzel, Adam Hein, Tate Reeder-Holman, Brock Sando)
Team Grabow-Four Seasons Qualifier(Connor Grabow, Stuart Strack, Miles Grabow, Wesley Henry)
Team Meyer-Four Seasons Qualifier (Charlie Meyer, Zach Thompson, Tanner Holmes, Luke Leonhardt, Gavin Agre)
Team Kadlec-Points Leader (Austin Kadlec, Kyle Warring, Zac Hess, Davin Britton, Ryan Best)
WOMEN’S TEAMS
Team Johnson-Defending Champion(Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Morgan Zacher, Bailey Vaydich)
Team Stopera-2025 Runner-Up(Megan Stopera, Addison Neill, Ella Wendling, Savannah Koch)
Team Berg-Eau Claire Qualifier (Nia Berg, Ella Willford, Solveig Berg, Carol Chance)
Team Pekowitz-Broomstones Qualifier (Julia Pekowitz, Kalina Petrova, Lila Farwell, Alexa Pekowitz)
Team Hagenbuch-Fargo Qualifier (Bella Hagenbuch, Heidi Holt, Rilee Kraft, Mae Hagenbuch)
Team Biesecker-Four Seasons Qualifier (Zoe Biesecker, Clare Schapman, Frances Schapman, Madeline Muscatell)
Team Miller-Four Seasons Qualifier (Greta Miller, Lindsay Hofmeister, Audrey Campbell, Lois Buckingham)
Team Treynor-Points Leader ( Karina Treynor, Alice Mihm, Violet Bartels, Aanya Goenka)
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.
