[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, February 25, 2025] — Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin followed up their Game One win in the Best-of-Three Mixed Doubles Trials final by winning Game Two and capturing the national title. With their victory, they have earned a berth in the 2025 World Championship and the right to represent the United States in Mixed Doubles Curling at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

On Sunday, facing the team of Sarah Anderson and Andrew Stopera following a tense, back-and-forth extra-end win in Game One on Saturday evening, Thiesse/Dropkin took control of Game Two early by stealing two in the second end and following that with a steal of one in the third end. Ahead 4-1 at the mid-game break, Thiesse/Dropkin moved to a 6-1 lead after the sixth end. While Anderson/Stopera converted their last rock advantage to score two in the seventh, it wasn’t enough as Thiesse/Dropkin ran them out of stones in the final end.

While this is the second national championship for this team, both Thiesse and Dropkin also won Mixed Doubles Nationals titles with other partners before joining forces in 2023. Thiesse partnered with John Shuster to win the crown in 2019, while Dropkin won with Sarah Anderson in 2015 and 2018.

The pair will now head to Fredericton, NB, Canada, to represent the United States at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship at Willie O’Ree Place. Twenty teams from around the world will compete for both the world title and berths for their countries in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Thiesse and Dropkin will look to repeat the success they had in 2023, when they captured the world championship at the Gangneung Curling Centre in Gangneung, Korea.

Following the game, Dropkin said, “Following the game Korey said “We’ve dreamed about this moment…it’s nice to be back at the trials and have that opportunity to secure the championship.”

The next two months will be busy ones for both players. Before they compete in Frederiction, Thiesse will play at the World Women’s Championship in Korea with Team Peterson, while Dropkin will lead his team at the World Men’s Championship in Moose Jaw, SK, Canada.

With the Mixed Doubles Trials complete, curling fans can now look forward to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Men’s & Women’s Curling in November of 2025 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. The top four teams of each gender will be on the ice looking to earn their spot on Team USA in 2026. All session passes are available online now—single-session tickets will be offered soon at Denny Sanford Premier Center.

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.