JOHNSON, HEBERT CAPTURE JUNIOR NATIONAL TITLES IN BOWLING GREEN, OHIO
Photo by: Emma Wanyek
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, April 7, 2025] — Last year’s silver medalists moved to gold at the 2025 USA Curling Junior Men’s & Women’s National Championships, as Team Hebert (Caden Hebert, Jackson Bestland, Benji Paral, Jack Wendtland) and Team Johnson (Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Morgan Zacher, Bailey Vaydich) were crowned best in the nation.
On the men’s side, Team Hebert went through the event without a loss, earning their ninth straight victory in the championship game, defeating Team Lannoye (Matthew Lannoye, Sawyer Koch, Ryan McCallum, Joseph Dobbs) by a score of 8-5. It was a close, well-played contest throughout, but Hebert made a delicate tap for two on his last shot in the ninth to score two and go up by three. In the 10th, Hebert took out a Lannoye stone with his last shot to win the game.
Team Lannoye had lost the 1-2 Game to Hebert, but bounced back on Sunday morning by defeating Team Church (Ryan Church, DJ Neill, Lucas Berube, Andrew Picard) in the semi-final to earn their spot in the championship game.
In the women’s event, Team Stopera (Megan Stopera, Addison Neill, Ella Fleming, Savannah Koch) had advanced directly to the final by winning the 1-2 Game against Team Johnson. Johnson rebounded from that loss by winning the morning semi-final against Team Hagenbuch (Bella Hagenbuch, Ella Wendling, Rilee Kraft, Mae Hagenbuch) and advancing to the final.
Photo by: Emma Wanyek
After falling behind early in the game, Team Johnson rallied in the latter ends, stealing points in the final four ends on their way to victory.
Both teams will represent the United States next season. Team Johnson will first head to the World Junior-B Championships in December, where they will play to earn a berth in the World Junior Championships later in the year.
Team Wendling (Wesley Wendling, Daniel Laufer, Nicholas Cenzalli, Shaheen Bassiri, Dylan Ciapka), the 2024 Junior Men’s champions, will represent the United States at the World Junior Men’s Championship in Cortina next week. Results at that event will determine which countries qualify directly for the 2026 World Junior Men’s Championship, and which ones will have to earn a berth through the World Junior-B Championship.
“It was exciting to watch our best junior teams play compete at this championship,” noted USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “We are also incredibly grateful to the Bowling Green Curling Club at the Black Swamp Curling Center. Led by Event Chair Lauren Whitmer, the club members delivered a first-rate experience for competitors and were excellent partners for the national organization.”
Junior Men’s Teams
GOLD: Caden Hebert, Jackson Bestland, Benji Paral, Jack Wendtland
SILVER: Matthew Lannoye, Sawyer Koch, Ryan McCallum, Joseph Dobbs
BRONZE: Ryan Church, DJ Neill, Lucas Berube, Andrew Picard
Junior Women’s Teams
GOLD: Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Morgan Zacher, Bailey Vaydich
SILVER: Megan Stopera, Addison Neill (Fourth), Ella Fleming, Savannah Koch
BRONZE: Bella Hagenbuch, Ella Wendling, Rilee Kraft, Mae Hagenbuch
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.
