January 19, 2023. 

The U18 National Championships at Rock Creek Curling in Lafayette, CO, concluded this past Sunday, with Team Ryhorchuk capturing the Girls’ title and Team Hebert finishing first in the Boys’ event. 

Twelve teams of each gender competed for the championship title. The preliminary rounds had two pools of six teams each per gender, with the top two from each pool moving on to the playoffs. 

At the conclusion of pool play, Team Ryhorchuk, Team Hollands, Team Viau, and Team Pekowitz qualified for playoffs in the Girls’ event. In the Boy’s championship, Team Hebert, Team Fitzgerald, Team Rose and Team Geuntzel earned spots in the playoff round.

The semi-final matchups in the Girls’ event saw Team Ryhorchuk defeat Team Viau 8-5, while Team Pekowitz topped Team Hollands 6-1. 

The Girls’ final was a close, well-played game, with Team Ryhorchuk emerging as the champion following a 5-2 win over Team Pekowitz. In the Bronze medal game, Team Viau bested Team Hollands. 

In the Boys’ semi-finals, Team Hebert handled Team Guentzel, winning 7-1. Team Fitzgerald was tested by Denver-based Team Rose, skipped by 13-year-old Caiden Rose, but scored three in the final end to earn a 6-5 victory.

In the Boys’ final, skip Caden Hebert needed a draw to the four-foot on the last shot of the final end to score two and win the game. When the rock came to rest, neither team was 100% sure if it was a score of two or one.  Following a measure, Hebert was awarded two points and earned the  Boys’ U18 National Championship title with a 5-4 win. 

In the Bronze medal game, Team Guentzel scored three in the final end to defeat Team Rose.

Rock Creek Curling was a great venue for this championship, and both staff and volunteers dedicated countless hours to make this a truly memorable event for competitors and their families. USA Curling is thrilled that Rock Creek has agreed to host the U18 Nationals through 2026, and is grateful for the continued support of this event and junior curling by the Chris Moore Legacy Fund.

Championship curling returns to the Denver Metro area in just a few weeks, as the USA Curling Men’s and Women’s National Championships are at the Denver Coliseum from February 5-11, 2023. 

Girls’s Gold Medalists

Sophia Ryhorchuk (Skip)

Morgan Zacher (Vice)

Allie Giroux (Second)

Brooke Giroux (Lead)

Coach: Anya Normandeau

Girls’ Silver Medalists

Addison Neill (Fourth)

Julia Pekowitz (Skip)

Kailey Price (Second)

Alexa Pekowitz (Lead)

Coach: Shelley Dropkin

Girls’ Bronze Medalists

Clare Viau (Skip)

Ella Fleming (Vice)

Megan McPhee (Second)

Ella Wendling (Lead)

Coach: Chris Viau

Boys’ Gold Medalists

Caden Hebert (Skip)

Jackson Bestland (Vice)

Benji Paral (Second)

Jack Wendtland (Lead)

Shane Nelson (Alternate)

Coach: Mike Peplinski

Boys’ Silver Medalists

Aiden Fitzgerald (Skip)

Jackson Askew (Vice)

Carter Mitchell (Second)

Jake Ring (Lead

Coach: Evan Workin

Boys’ Bronze Medalists

Mason Guentzel (Skip)

Stuart Strack (Vice)

Will Podhradsky (Second)

Sawyer Owens (Lead

Coach: Carl Ball

For more information about  the U18 National Championships or the upcoming Men’s and Women’s National Championships, visit the USA Curling Championships page.

USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Brakebush, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), Rock Solid Productions, IHG, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling, as the National Governing Body for the sport in the United States, is also supported by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.