USA MEN SET TO COMPETE AT WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN CORTINA
Photo by: C. Kerns Photography
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, April 11, 2025] — Team Wendling (Wes Wendling, Daniel Laufer, Nick Cenzalli, Shaheen Bassiri, Dylan Ciapka) are in Italy and ready to get on the ice to represent the United States at the 2025 World Junior Curling Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The World Junior Curling Championships, running from April 12–21 in the famed Dolomite mountain town, is also a test event for the venue that will host curling during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Team Wendling, coached by Ann Swisshelm, will compete against teams from nine other countries in a full round-robin, with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs. The top six countries qualify for next year’s World Junior Men’s Championship, while the bottom four will need to earn a berth through the World Junior-B championship next December.
Wendling and his teammates earned the right to be Team USA at the 2024 USA Curling Junior Championships in Eau Claire, where they defeated 2025 champions Team Hebert in the final. Team Hebert will represent the United States in 2026.
Last year, Wendling skipped a different lineup to a fourth-place finish at the World Championship. He’ll draw on that experience as he looks to improve on that result with this team.
“We’re extremely excited to be competing in this event in a beautiful part of the world,” said Team Wendling Third Daniel Laufer. “We’re looking forward to the atmosphere in the arena during games and the high level of play.”
Junior women’s play runs concurrently. The United States advanced to the playoffs at the World-B event this season but did not qualify for the World Junior Women’s Championship.
Junior Men’s play will begin on Saturday, but the Americans have a bye in the first session and will begin round-robin play with a game against Scotland on Sunday.
Scores, schedules, statistics, and more can be found on the World Curling site. Fans can watch games online with by subscribing to the Curling Channel, and follow USA Curling and Team Wendling on social media for more updates.
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.
