MEN’S AND WOMEN’S FIELDS SET FOR 2026 NATIONALS IN CHARLOTTE
Photo by: Michael Woolheater
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, December 29, 2025] — The field is officially set for the 2026 USA Curling Men’s and Women’s National Championships, set to take place at Bojangles Ice Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, from February 23rd through March 1st. The event will bring together an elite field, with eight men’s and eight women’s teams competing for the right to call themselves national champions and represent the United States at the 2026 World Men’s and World Women’s Championships.
Four teams of each gender earned the first berths in these National Championships by qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling, held this past November in Sioux Falls, SD. On the men’s side, Team Shuster, Team A. Stopera, Team Casper, and Team Hebert were all invited to compete.
On the women’s side, Team Peterson, Team Strouse, Team Cousins, and Team Johnson earned berths because of their Trials qualification.
Team Peterson and Team Casper, after winning the Team Trials and earning the right to be Team USA at the Olympic Qualification Event earlier this month, have declined their berths in the 2026 Nationals. Team Johnson and Team Hebert have also declined their berths—both teams qualified for the 2026 World Junior Championships in Denmark after earning silver and gold at the World Junior-B Championships earlier this month.
Other teams in the field have punched their tickets to Charlotte through pathways outlined in the USA Curling Qualifying Procedures. At the Saint Paul Cash Spiel, the highest finishing teams of each gender not already qualified via the Trials, earned berths. At that event, Team M. Stopera earned their place in Charlotte by qualifying for the playoffs, while Team Dunnam finished runner-up in the event and also earned a berth.
The other direct entry opportunity was the Last Chance Qualifier, held at the The Country Club in Brookline, MA, from December 18-21, where the two highest finishing teams of each gender earned berths in Nationals. On the Men’s side, Team Wendling and Team Mansell finished at the top of the standings and booked their tickets to Charlotte. On the Women’s side, the berths went to Team McMakin and Team Weldon.
Remaining berths in the 2026 Nationals were determined based on team positions as of December 26th on the World Curling Team Ranking System (WCTRS), and awarded to the highest-ranked teams not already qualified through the Trials, the Saint Paul Cash Spiel or the Last Chance Qualifier event. Team Tuma, Team Hodek , and Team McMullin are the Men’s teams qualifying through this route. The Women’s field will be completed by Team Rhyme, Team Podoll, and Team Pekowitz.
USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell noted, “The 2026 Men’s & Women’s Nationals start right after Milan-Cortina, so it’s a great opportunity for people who discover curling on an NBC platform during the Games to see elite competition live as teams pursue the right to represent the USA at this year Men’s and Women’s World Championships. It’s the first time our Nationals will be in North Carolina—we know fans will have a great time at Bojangles Coliseum and see terrific play on the ice.”
More event details, including schedules and ticket information, will be announced early in the New Year.
MEN’S TEAMS
Team Shuster (John Shuster, Chris Plys, Colin Hufman, Matt Hamilton)
Team A. Stopera (Andrew Stopera, Tom Howell, Mark Fenner, Lance Wheeler)
Team Dunnam (Scott Dunnam, Cody Clouser, Alex Leichter, Andy Dunnam)
Team Tuma ( Sam Strouse, Kevin Tuma, Coleman Thurston, Connor Kauffman, Chase Sinnett)
Team Wendling (Ethan Sampson, Wes Wendling, Jake Zeman, Marius Klenias)
Team Mansell (Elliot Mansell, Daniel Dudt, Sean Franney, Simon Jarrett)
Team Hodek (Tim Hodek, Evan Workin, Josh Moore, Nathan Parry)
Team McMullin (Carson McMullin, Caidan Rose, Will Podhrasky, Ethan Macomber)
WOMEN’S TEAMS
Team Cousins (Elizabeth Cousins, Annmarie Dubberstein, Allison Howell, Liz Janiak)
Team Strouse (Delaney Strouse, Anne O’Hara, Syndey Mullaney, Madison Bear)
Team M. Stopera (Megan Stopera, Addison Neill, Ella Fleming, Savannah Koch)
Team McMakin (Christine McMakin, Jordan Hein, Susan Dudt, Tessa Thurlow)
Team Weldon (BriAnna Weldon, Sarah Walsh, Abigail Lin, Kate Garfinkel)
Team Rhyme (Kim Rhyme, Stephanie Senneker, Libby Brundage, Anya Normandeau)
Team Podoll (Ann Podoll, Rachel Kawleski, Mackenzie Richie, Rachel Workin)
Team Pekowitz (Julia Pekowitz, Kalina Petrova, Lila Farwell, Alexa Pekowitz)
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.
