JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS BRING NATION’S TOP YOUNG CURLERS TO OHIO AND THE BOWLING GREEN CURLING CLUB
Photo by: Jeff Thompson
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, April 1, 2025] — The best young players in the country will be on the ice this week at the 2025 Junior U21 National Championships at the Bowling Green Curling Club in Bowling Green, OH. The event runs from April 1st through April 6th.
Eight women’s and eight men’s teams will compete in these Junior National championships, an event that has been a springboard for a long list of elite American curlers. Five-time Olympian John Shuster captured the title in 2004, and all five players currently representing the United States at the World Men’s were past winners of Junior Nationals. Cory Christensen, who will be representing the United States in the upcoming World Mixed Doubles Championship, was a four-time winner of this event.
“We’re thrilled to bring the Junior Nationals to Ohio and Bowling Green for the first time since 1986,” commented USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “It’s always exciting to see the high level of play at this event and watch promising young players compete.”
Teams have a number of avenues to reach Junior Nationals, including wins at Qualifier Bonspiels, total points accumulated in all Qualifier Bonspiels, and the World Curling Team Ranking System.
On the men’s side, last year’s silver medalist Team Hebert will be looking to build on their success at the recent World University Games and move up one level on the podium. They will be up against a talented field that includes multiple teams with experience at this championship.
In the women’s event, Team Johnson returns after finishing second in 2024. Like Hebert, they will face off against a group of teams that includes many competitors who have played at this championship in recent years and have enjoyed success in Junior Nationals qualifying bonspiels this season.
Teams in both the men’s and women’s championships will compete in respective round robins, with the top four teams advance to a Page Playoff. All live games will be available free on the Stadium Sports platform. Subscribers can access archived games, replays, highlights, clip sharing, and other bonus content from both these national championships and other events covered by Stadium Sports.
Junior Men’s Teams
Team McMullin (Madison Qualifier Bonspiel): Carson McMullin, Ethan Macomber, Wesley Henry, Stuart Strack
Team Hebert (World Curling Team Ranking System): Caden Hebert, Jackson Bestland, Benji Paral, Jack Wendtland
Team Brenden (World Curling Team Ranking System): Zach Brenden, Connor Grabow, Miles Grabow, Owen Nelson
Team Church (Broomstones Qualifier Bonspiel): Ryan Church, DJ Neill, Lucas Berube, Andrew Picard
Team Kadlec (CurlVegas Qualifier Bonspiel): Austin Kadlec, Zac Hess, Kyler Warring, Davin Britton, Porter Rokke
Team Rose (Fargo Qualifier Bonspiel): Caiden Rose, Adam Hein, Brock Sando, Tate Reeder-Holman
Team Lannoye (Blaine Qualifier Bonspiel): Matthew Lannoye, Sawyer Koch, Ryan McCallum, Joseph Dobbs
Team Guentzel (Total Points in Qualifier Bonspiels): Mason Guentzel, Will Podhradsky, Leighton Hines, Jackson Askew
Junior Women’s Teams
Team Hagenbuch (Madison Qualifier Bonspiel): Bella Hagenbuch, Ella Wendling, Rilee Kraft, Mae Hagenbuch
Team Johnson (World Curling Team Ranking System): Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Morgan Zacher, Bailey Vaydich
Team Ponzio (CurlVegas Qualifier Bonspiel): Kenna Ponzio, Alicia Quello, Ella Riley, Olivia Hines
Team Pekowitz (Fargo Qualifier Bonspiel): Julia Pekowitz, Heidi Holt, Lila Farwell, Alexandra Pekowitz
Team Stopera (Blaine Qualifier Bonspiel): Megan Stopera, Addison Neill (Fourth), Ella Fleming, Savannah Koch
Team Rokke (Blaine Qualifier Bonspiel): Lily Rokke, Karena Thurlow, Olivia Johnson, Madilyn Johnson
Team Hollands (Blaine Qualifier Bonspiel): Jersey Hollands, Kalina Petrova, Reese Elza, Lillian Molitor, Natalie Hollands
Team Berg (Total Points in Qualifier Bonspiels): Nia Berg, Ella Willford, Solveig Berg, Carol Chance
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.
