[EAGAN, MN, December 19, 2023]  — Team Wendling (Wes Wendling, Jackson Bestland, Kevin Tuma, Jackson Armstrong, Caden Hebert) went to the 2023 Men’s World Junior-B Curling Championship in Finland intent on earning a spot for the United States in the 2024 World Junior Men’s Championships.

Mission accomplished.

Not only did the American representatives grab one of the remaining berths in the upcoming World Juniors, they ran off an impressive series of victories in consecutive high-stakes games to make it to the championship game.

The margin for error is small at the World Junior-B championship—22 teams competed in the Men’s field for the four remaining spots in the 2024 World Junior Championship. Team Wendling started 2-0 in the qualifying round before dropping a game to New Zealand. They rebounded from that loss to reel off five straight victories on their way to the final. In a well-played championship game, Wendling and his teammates were bested 7-4 by Team Canada (Johnson Tao, Jaedon Neuert, Zach Davies, Adam Naugler).

It was an impressive run for a team that features four players competing on the world stage for the first time in their young careers. Coached by Ann Swisshelm and supported by Mike Peplinski, Team Wendling has seen steady improvement throughout the season and has enjoyed consistent results on Tour.

“The team has really put in the work since earning this opportunity last April,” noted Swisshelm. “That will only continue in the months ahead—they are committed to success at the 2024 World Juniors in February.”

Team Wendling will return to Finland and the Kisakallio Sports Institute in February, representing the United States at the World Juniors from February 17th to the 24th. That championship will feature ten teams, including the top six countries from last year’s World Junior Men’s event.

More information about the World Junior-B event and the 2024 World Junior Championship is available here.

About USA Curling

Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eagan, 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, 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.