EIGHT TEAMS ADVANCE TO PLAYOFFS AT 2021 U.S. MIXED DOUBLES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The playoff field of the 2021 U.S. Mixed Doubles National Championship has been set after three total tiebreaker games were played on Saturday at 9:00 AM and then 2:00 PM.
Beginning on Tuesday, May 19, 24 Mixed Doubles teams from across the United States opened the Championship in hopes of not only winning a national title, but also finishing top four to earn a berth to the 2022 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Four pools of six teams competed in a five-game round robin. At the conclusion of the round robin, six teams qualified directly for playoffs, as their records were within the highest two of their pools.
POOL A:
In Pool A, a tiebreaker was required between Burchesky/Richardson and McMakin/Fenson as both teams finished their round robin with 3-2 records.
In a tiebreaker game that qualified the winner to the playoffs, Burchesky/Richardson got off to a hot start with a score of three in the first end. McMakin/Fenson answered with a deuce in the second, but Burchesky/Richardson continued to capitalize on opportunities, scoring two more points in the third and stealing a single in the fourth, putting them ahead 6-2 at the half.
McMakin/Fenson narrowed their deficit by opening the second half with a score of two, but Burchesky/Richardson returned the favor, maintaining perfect hammer efficiency. After being forced to a single in the seventh end, McMakin/Fenson did not have a shot to steal three points to tie the game, resulting in playoff qualification out of Pool A for Burchesky/Richardson.
"It felt really good, said Ben Richardson about his tiebreaker win. “We struggled a little bit yesterday with the ice and the rocks but this game we felt a lot better and more confident."
POOL B:
In Pool B, Rhyme/Smith and Walker/Leichter were tied at 3-1 when they met in their final game of the round robin. A victory by Rhyme/Smith advanced them directly to the playoffs, while Walker/Leichter, Moores/Wheeler, and Mullaney/Sinnett were all tied for the second spot with 3-2 records.
In the first tiebreaker game for Pool B, Walker/Leichter defeated Mullaney/Sinnett 6-4 and advanced to face Moores/Wheeler in the second tiebreaker.
A score of four points in the fourth end and three in the sixth end by Walker/Leichter were key to their 9-6 victory over Moores/Wheeler, advancing Walker/Leichter as the second playoff team from Pool B.
"The phrase I've been using is a sense of urgency,” said Leichter. “Personally, I forgot what nerves felt like a little bit this year and just wanted to get out here and play. It took a little bit of time to remember what it feels like."
POOL C:
In Pool C, Bear/Stopera went undefeated, qualifying as the top seed in the pool. The sibling duo of Susan and Daniel Dudt clinched the other playoff spot as they sat alone in second place with a 3-2 record.
POOL D:
Bear/Stopera was not the only team with an unblemished record. Next door in Pool D, Geving/Violette and Sinclair/Ruohonen were both 4-0 when the met in the final game of the round-robin. Geving/Violette narrowly escaped with an extra end victory, giving them the first qualification place out of Pool D and Geving/Viollette the second.
PLAYOFFS:
The playoffs of the 2021 U.S. Mixed Doubles National Championship will be divvied up into two brackets: Pool Winners and Pool Runners-Up.
Within the playoff bracket, teams are ranked first by head-to-head records, and second by their last shot draw totals, making the rankings as follows:
Pool Winners:
1. Geving/Violette
2. Bear/Stopera
3. Rhyme/Smith
4. Persinger/Plys
Pool Runners-Up:
5. Dudt/Dudt
6. Sinclair/Ruohonen
7. Walker/Leichter
8. Burchesky/Richardson
The top four of the field will earn themselves a berth in the 2022 U.S. Olympic Trials.
FOLLOW ALONG
Live scoring of the 2021 U.S. Mixed Doubles National Championship will be available on the USA Curling website throughout the duration of the event and TESN coverage will be livestreaming the playoffs of the Championship on May 22-23.
The remainder of the 2021 U.S. Mixed Doubles National Championship will be streamed live to USA Curling’s Youtube channel.
USA Curling is sponsored by Toyota, Goldline, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Brakebush, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), and Sitrin, and is partnered with IHG, Rock Solid Productions Inc., 12th End Sports Network, Laurie Artiss Ltd. – The Pin People, and United Airlines.
