WORKIN WINS MIXED FOURS NATIONALS, DAKOTA TERRITORY captures REGIONS CUP BY A SINGLE POINT
Photo by: Michele Page
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, April 20, 2026] — The 2026 Mixed Fours National Championship was decided by the slimmest of margins, with Team Workin (Evan Workin, Rachel Workin, Jordan Brown, Christina Wilwand) from the Dakota Territory defeating two-time defending champion Team Falco (David Falco, Becca Wood, Lance Wheeler, Clare Moores) in a thrilling extra-end final.
The game was tied 2-2 at the fourth end break. Workin blanked the fifth and scored two in the sixth end, just missing an opportunity to put three on the board with his final shot of that end. Down two playing the seventh end, Team Falco showed why they have been champions twice before, scoring one with hammer and then stealing one in the eighth to force the extra end. Trying to steal again for the win, Falco threw a great come-around draw with his last, but Workin was able to pick it out for the victory and the national championship. For Workin and his teammates, this was a return to the winner’s circle—they captured this championship once before, earning the title in 2018.
In the bronze medal game, it was Wisconsin’s Team Roth (Nina Roth, Kroy Nernberger, Anthony Roth, Shalon Holbeck) earning the hardware with a 7-3 win over Team Kizlyk (Darrick Kizlyk, Lucy Bradshaw, Aaron Johnston, Dena Rosenberry).
As the last regionally-based national championship of the season, the Regions Cup also hung in the balance heading into the final. Prior to the playoffs, the Minnesota Curling Association was leading the points race. But with Minnesota eliminated in the qualification round and Wisconsin losing in the semi-finals, the Regions Cup all came down to the championship game. Workin’s win meant that the Dakota Territory earned the first Regions Cup title by a single point, finishing with 94 points while both MACA and Minnesota ended with 93.
“Not only did we see great play throughout the week and in the playoffs, the first Regions Cup was decided on the very last shot,” noted USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “It was created to make every game matter and recognize the role of regional associations, and all the players in these events took pride in representing their association and being part of a larger team.”
The Regions Cup will be awarded to the Dakota Territory at the next Members’ Meeting.
“The well-played final was also a great cap to the four-year hosting run of the Denver Curling Club,” Gemmell added. “The members and their leadership have been terrific partners to USA Curling, and we are honored they ran this event from 2023 to 2026. We will be announcing next year’s host club later this week.”
Games from Mixed Fours Nationals were streamed on the Denver Curling Club YouTube channel, while scores and DSC results, team lineups can be found in the Event Hub on the USA Curling website.
MIXED FOURS NATIONALS FIELD
Alaska Curling Association: Jon Johnson, Charlie Clark, Coleman Martin, Jessica Johnson
Dakota Territory Curling Association: Evan Workin, Rachel Workin, Jordan Brown, Christina Wilwand
Grand National Curling Club: Andy Dunnam, Courtney Flick, Robb Young, Amber Will
Great Lakes Curling Association: Scott Strouse, Jillian Riecke, Ralph Puertas, Joann Hanafi
Host Club, Denver Curling Club: Darrick Kizlyk, Lucy Bradshaw, Aaron Johnston, Dena Rosenberry
Mid-America Curling Association: David Falco, Rebecca Wood, Lance Wheeler, Clare Moores
Midwest Curling Association: Tri Banh, Katherine Stewart, James Klus, Lis Collins
Minnesota Curling Association: Courtney Benson, Matt Mellin, Sara Olson, Derek Benson
Mountain Pacific Curling Association: Gabrielle Coleman, Connor Robertson, Abby Lin, Neil Hunter-Smith
Pacific Northwest Curling Association: Bruce Irvin, Lily Irvin, Brad Blyth, Maya Horten
Wisconsin Curling Association 1: Nina Roth, Kroy Nernberger, Tony Roth, Shalon Holbeck
Wisconsin Curling Association 2: Nick DeJongh, Lara Katz, Jacob Bortell, Emily Minzel
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.
