[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, January 13, 2025] — Teams from across the country came to Rock Creek Curling in Lafayette, CO, this past weekend to compete at the Boys’ and Girls’ U18 National Championships. When the last stones came to rest, it was teams representing the Minnesota Curling Association that left with gold.

Mason Guentzel led his team (Will Podhradsky, Leighton Hines, Jackson Askew, Coach Tim Solin) to a victory without suffering a single loss during the competition. The Minnesota foursome emerged from the qualifying round with a 5-0 record, and defeated Wisconsin’s Team Kadlec (Austin Kadlec, Kyler Warring, Zac Hess, Davi Britton, Coach Sandra McMakin) 7-5 in the semi-finals.

In the final, Guentzel faced Caiden Rose and his team (DJ Neill, Adam Hein, Tate Reeder-Holman, Coach Sean Franey), representing the Mid-America Curling Association. Rose and his team also entered the final with an unblemished record after defeating Team Rokke (Porter Rokke, Nicholas Staveteig, Brennen Krenz, Saywer Heger, Coaches Eric Rokke and Evan Workin) from the Dakota Territory in the other semi-final.

In the final, the teams were tied after four ends, but a decisive steal of three in the sixth end broke the game open and Guentzel went on to a 9-3 victory. In the bronze medal game, Team Kadlec scored one in the final end to defeat Team Rokke.

On the Girls' side, Minnesota’s Team Johnson (Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Bailey Vaydich, Madeline Muscatell, Coach Chris Johnson) finished 4-1 in the qualifying round, securing the top seed in their pool based on their win in round-robin play over Team Petrova (Kalina Petrova, Jillian Segel, Sara Bassiri, Julia Rydzewski, Coach Ivo Petrov) of the Grand National Curling Club (GNCC). In the semi-finals, Johnson topped Team Hollands (Jersey Hollands, Lillian Molitor, Kate Stevenson, Isabel Molitor, Coach Addison Hollands) of the Great Lakes Curling Association by a score of 8-4. In the other semi-final, Team Wendling (Ella Wendling, Heidi Holt, Rilee Kraft, Mae Hagenbuch, Lily Haws, Coach Jim Wendling) defeated Petrova.

In the final, Team Johnson scored four in the opening end on their way to a 9-4 victory. In the bronze medal matchup, Team Hollands defeated Team Petrova.

Tracey Moore, representing the Chris Moore Legacy Fund, was in attendance throughout the championship, and awarded the medals and trophies to the competitors. The championship honors the late Chris Moore, a former Chair of the United States Curling Association and a lifelong advocate for youth participation and competition.

Information, including scores and standings, can be found in the Event Hub on the U18 National Championships page.

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, 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.