TEAM FALCO CAPTURES MIXED FOURS TITLE, THRILLS HOME CLUB CROWD
Photo by: Michele Page
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, April 15th, 2024] — Twelve teams came to the Denver Curling Club for the 2024 Mixed Fours Nationals, and rosters included past champions and an Olympian.
But when the championship concluded on Sunday, it was Denver’s own Team Falco (Dave Falco, Becca Wood, Lance Wheeler, Clare Moores) who hoisted the trophy, going undefeated through the event and capturing the title with a 10-3 win in the final over Team Leichter (Alex Leichter, Laura Hallisey, Ryan Hallisey, Nicole Aaron), from the At-Large Region and Broomstones Curling Club.
After the game, Falco commented that, “Our team was focused coming into this event, and that showed up in our performance on the ice. We faced tough opponents, including Team Leichter in the final, so it felt great to come out on top in front of fans from our home club.”
The twelve teams were divided into two pools of six. Team Falco had a perfect 5-0 record in Pool A round-robin play, and faced the young Team McMullin (Carson McMullin, Gianna Johnson, Miles Grabow, Bailey Vaydich) in the other semi-final. Team McMullin was representing the Dakota Territory, with team members coming from the Fargo-Moorhead Curling Club, the Capital Curling Club, and the Four Seasons Curling Club. Falco cruised to a convincing 6-0 victory in that game.
Team Leichter topped the Pool A standings with a record of 4-1, setting up a semi-final game against the second place finisher in Pool B—Team Sobering (Darryl Sobering, Renee Sobering, Josh Chetwynd, Cynthia Smith) of MACA and the Denver Curling Club. In that game, the Broomstones-based team booked their spot in the championship game with a 7-2 victory.
In the Bronze medal matchup, Team Sobering claimed the hardware with an exciting 5-4 extra-end victory over Team McMullin.
As National Champions, Team Falco becomes Team USA, and will represent the country at the World Mixed Fours Championship in the fall of 2024.
Medal Winners
Gold Medalist: Team Falco (Mid-America/ Denver Curling Club): David Falco, Becca Wood, Lance Wheeler, Clare Moores
Silver Medalist: Team Leichter (At-Large/Broomstones Curling Club, Philadelphia Curling Club): Alex Leichter, Laura Hallisey, Ryan Hallisey, Nicole Aaron
Bronze Medalist: Team Sobering (Mid-America/ Denver Curling Club): Darryl Sobering, Renee Sobering, Josh Chetwynd, Cynthia Smith
Photo by: Michele Page
About USA Curling
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eagan, 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, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Toyota, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), Rock Solid Productions, Jet Ice, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling is a proud member of the World Curling Federation and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. To learn more, visit usacurling.org.
