U18 NATIONALS GET UNDERWAY AT ROCK CREEK CURLING IN COLORADO
Photo by: Emma Wanyek
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, January 7, 2025] — Rock Creek Curling will once again host the USA Curling U-18 Boys & Girls Nationals, with 24 teams competing in Lafayette, CO, from January 8th through the 11th.
The 2026 championships features 12 teams of each gender, with teams earning berths through a regional playdown process. The host club, as in all USA Curling 24-team events, also receives a berth in the event. Teams will be split into pools of six teams, with the top three teams in each advancing to a playoff round. The opening draw is scheduled for Thursday at 8 AM.
Since its inception in 2017, the U18 Nationals have been a springboard for a number of elite curlers, including Danny Casper, who will skip Team USA in the men’s division at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. Casper competed in three U18 Nationals as a young player, skipping a team to a bronze medal finish in his final year of eligibility.
The field in Lafayette blends experienced teams with newcomers. Team Johnson (Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Bailey Vaydich, Mae Hagenbuch) captured this title last year with Madeleine Muscatell—Hagenbuch has joined the team for 2026. Team Johnson also captured the 2025 USA Curling U-20 Women’s National Championship with Morgan Zacher at second and Vaydich at lead—that lineup recently qualified for the World Junior Women’s Championship by earning a silver medal at the World Junior-B Championship this past December.
On the Men’s side, defending champions Team Hebert will not be in the field, as players have aged out and their focus has shifted to the World Junior Men’s Championship (U21) this February. Caiden Rose of Colorado will be back—he’ll be joined at third by Mason Guentzel, who skipped the team in 2025 that bested Rose in the final. Team Kadlec, bronze medalists last season, are also returning.
“The U18 National Championships, supported since its inception by the Chris Moore Legacy Fund, continues to be an event that develops both elite competitors and lifetime curlers,” noted USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “Rock Creek Curling, hosts since 2023, has made this an outstanding event for these young curlers, and I know teams will have an extraordinary experience in Lafayette.”
Some games will be livestreamed on the Rock Creek Curling YouTube channel. More information about the event, includes scores, standings, and Draw Shot Challenge results, can be found through the Event Hub on the U18 Nationals Championship page.
BOYS’ TEAMS
Team C. Meyer—Pacific Northwest Curling Association (Charlie Meyer, Zach Thompson, Tanner Holmes, Luke Leonhardt)
Team Hellman—Mountain & Pacific Curling Association (Tucker Hellman, Carter Hellman, Cecil Lynn, Troy Nelson, Luke Shuster)
Team Rose—Mid-America Curling Association (Caiden Rose, Mason Guentzel, DJ Neill, Adam Hein)
Team Dial—Rock Creek Curling (Calvin Dial, Martin Fleming, Adam Peters, Gavin Brackle)
Team Jordan—Minnesota Curling Association 1 (William Jordan [Fourth}, Nolan Sigel, Rylyn Cooper [Skip], Brody Wilson)
Team Stygles—Great Lakes Curling Association 2 (Robert Stygles, Joey Height, Alex Nelson, Lyndon Stygles, Holden Jackson)
Team Berube—Grand National Curling Club (Lucas Berube, Ryan Trout, Ryan Best, Liam Guerin, Seth Ford)
Team K. Meyer—Great Lakes Curling Association 1 (Kyle Meyer, Jin Lazor, Julius Peplisnki, Zack Meyer)
Team Martin—Alaska Curling Association (Coleman Martin, Tobin Simko, Paitin Traxler, Aidan Lazarus)
Team Grabow—Dakota Territory (Miles Grabow, Will Podhrasky, Brennen Krenz, Nick Staveteig)
Team Kadlec—Wisconsin Curling Association (Austin Kadlec, Zac Hess, Kyler Warring, Davin Britton)
Team Mihm—Minnesota Curling Association 2 (David Mihm, Oliver Brooks, Radlee Cooper, Henry Jordan)
GIRLS’ TEAMS
Team Biesecker—Mid-America Curling Association (Zoe Biesecker, Kalina Petrova, Lila Farwell, Scarlett Wilson)
Team Chou—Rock Creek Curling (Abigail Chou, Olivia Kemp, Penny Fleming, Addison Clark)
Team Johnson—Minnesota Curling Association 1 (Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Bailey Vaydich, Mae Hagenbuch)
Team Charles—Wisconsin Curling Association (Katie Charles, Madelyn Lehman, Audrey Ivey, Grace Rubenzer)
Team Clark—Alaska Curling Association (Charlie Clark, Ainsley Persinger, Eva Piehl, Rosa Hoppe, Maybe Clark)
Team Rokke—Dakota Territory (Lily Rokke, Olivia Johnson, Madilyn Johnson, Karena Thurlow)
Team Berg—Minnesota Curling Association 2 (Nia Berg, Ella Willford, Solveig Berg, Carol Chance)
Team Hollands—Great Lakes Curling Association (Jersey Hollands, Heidi Holt, Kate Stevenson, Isabel Molitor)
Team Stilp—Grand National Curling Club (Freya Stilp, Sara Bassiri, Rebecca Lassoff, Jessica Lassoff, Sahana Venugopal)
Team Carroll—Great Lakes Curling Association 2 (Elizabeth Carroll, Josephine Cabala, Avery Nickel, Alana Pretto)
Team Miller—Pacific Northwest Curling Association (Greta Miller, Jessie Wu, Shriya Patankar, Audrey Campbell)
Team Treynor—Mountain & Pacific Curling Association (Karina Treynor, Alice Mihm, Violet Bartels, Srihasini Malladi)
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.
