[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, February 3, 2025] — The 2025 USA Curling National Championships came to a close on Sunday in Duluth, MN, with both the Men’s and Women’s final games going to an extra end before a winner was determined.

In the Women’s championship, Team Peterson (Tabitha Peterson, Cory Thiesse, Tara Peterson, Tayler Anderson-Heide, Vicky Persinger) earned a 7-6 win over Team Cousins (Elizabeth Cousins, Annmarie Dubberstein, Allison Howell, Elizabeth Janiak). Cousins, trailing 6-5, forced the extra end with a well-played 10th that secured a steal to tie the game. In the 11th, however, Team Peterson executed well and skip Peterson secured the victory with an open hit on the final shot of the game.

On the Men’s side, Team Dropkin (Korey Dropkin, Thomas Howell, Andrew Stopera, Mark Fenner) edged Team Casper (Daniel Casper, Luc Violette, Ben Richardson, Aidan Oldenburg) 7-6, in a thrilling game that was only determined when Korey Dropkin, with a Casper stone on the button, executed a difficult double-takeout to score one in the extra end.

With their victories, Team Dropkin will move on and represent the United States at the 2025 World Men’s Championship in Moose Jaw, SK, Canada, while Team Peterson will be Team USA at the 2025 World Women’s Championship in Uijeongbu, Korea. The World Men’s runs from March 29th to April 6th, while the World Women’s is scheduled for March 15th through the 23rd.

Dropkin, who skipped the team when they lost the final in 2024, noted, “What a special moment! We’ve been so close so many times, and it feels incredible to finally win the big one! I am so proud of my guys, and so grateful to make it all happen in Duluth! That is a moment I will never forget!”

After their walk down the ice, Dropkin and his teammates were presented the Sugahara Cup, named this year in honor of longtime curling supporter and benefactor Kaytaro Sugahara.

For Team Peterson, the win capped off a season that saw them juggle several different lineups, as both Tabitha Peterson and her sister Tara took time away from the sport to welcome children into the world this past fall.

“Winning U.S. Nationals is a great feeling, but doing it as new moms makes it even more special. Balancing competition, training, and motherhood has been a difficult but truly rewarding challenge,” said Peterson.

Eight Men’s teams and eight Women’s teams competed for the respective titles, with the top four advancing to the playoff round. On the Women’s side, the other playoff qualifiers were Team McMakin (Christine McMakin, Miranda Scheel, Jenna Burchesky, Rebecca Rodgers) and Team Benson (Aileen Geving, Courtney Benson, Lexi Daly, Sarah Olson), while the Men’s playoffs also featured Team Shuster (John Shuster, Chris Plys, Colin Hufman, Matt Hamilton, John Landsteiner) and Team Sinnett (Sam Strouse, Kevin Tuma, Chase Sinnett, Connor Kauffman, Caden Hebert).

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.