(STEVENS POINT, Wis.) – Halfway through the round robin of the 2018 USA Curling Mixed Doubles National Championship, the field is starting to separate in Eau Claire, Wis.
Six teams remain undefeated as the push for the playoffs continued this morning at the Eau Claire Curling Club. With just two games on tap in the 8:30 a.m. draw, it featured two rinks that kept their perfect records intact. In Pool C, the 2013 champions Maureen Stolt and Pete Stolt (both of Plymouth, Minn.) defeated Colorado’s Clare Moores (Denver) and Lance Wheeler (Wheat Ridge, Colo.), 10-5, to improve to 3-0. In Pool D, Christine McMakin (St. Paul, Minn.) and Riley Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) handed Kim Rhyme (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Olympian Jason Smith (St. Paul, Minn.) their first loss of the championship as they swept past the Minnesota duo, 11-8.
In last night’s competition, Lexi Lanigan and Quinn Evenson (both of Duluth, Minn.) stayed perfect in Pool B as they collected a 7-4 triumph over Todd Birr and Regan Birr (both of Ham Lake, Minn.) to remain tied for first place with Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) and Derrick McLean (Bothell, Wash.). Also in Pool B, Rebecca Rodgers (Leyden, Mass.) and Charlie Thompson (Eau Claire, Wis.) improved to 2-1 with an 8-6 win over Wisconsin’s Toni Paisley (Onalaska, Wis.) and Seth King (Holmen, Wis.).
In Pool D, Harley Rohrbacher (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Guy Davis (Austin, Texas) earned their first win as they defeated Taylor Anderson (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Hunter Clawson (Clarksville, Md.), 7-6, in an extra end. In Pool C last night, Logan Tingley (Celina, Ohio) and Ryan O’Neil (Columbus, Ohio) also secured their first win as they got past Libby Brundage (Prospect Harbor, Maine) and Alex Leichter (Boston), 7-3, to even their record at 1-1.
Stephanie Larson (Rosamond, Calif.) and Fred Maxie (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Sarah Anderson (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Korey Dropkin (Duluth, Minn.) are tied at 3-0 for first place in Pool A and return to the ice today.
The round robin continues today with draws at 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. Once the round robin concludes on Saturday morning, the top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals.
The winning team will represent the U.S. at the 2018 World Mixed Doubles Championship April 21-28 in Ostersund, Sweden. Live scores, standings and athlete information will be posted at www.usacurl.org.
Standings:
Pool A:
Sarah Anderson (Minneapolis, Minn.) & Korey Dropkin (Duluth, Minn.) 3-0
Stephanie Larson (Rosamond, Calif.) & Fred Maxie (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 3-0
Audrey Foote (Whitesboro, N.Y.) & Blake Hagberg (New Hartford, N.Y.) 2-1
Jenna Burchesky (Eau Claire, Wis.) & Ben Richardson (Issaquah, Wash.) 1-2
Kelsey Ostrowski (Woodbury, Minn.) & Gary Mazzotta (Minneapolis, Minn.) 0-3
Larissa Unruh & Samuel Unruh (both of Bismarck, N.D.) 0-3
Pool B:
Lexi Lanigan & Quinn Evenson (both of Duluth, Minn.) 3-0
Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) & Derrick McLean (Bothell, Wash.) 3-0
Rebecca Rodgers (Leyden, Mass.) & Charlie Thompson (Eau Claire, Wis.) 2-1
Regan Birr & Todd Birr (both of Ham Lake, Minn.) 1-2
Toni Paisley (Onalaska, Wis.) & Seth King (Holmen, Wis.) 0-3
Ann Podoll (Fargo, N.D.) & Nathan Parry (Littleton, Colo.) 0-3
Pool C:
Maureen Stolt & Pete Stolt (both of Plymouth, Minn.) 3-0
Libby Brundage (Prospect Harbor, Maine) & Alex Leichter (Boston) 1-1
Logan Tingley (Celina, Ohio) & Ryan O’Neil (Columbus, Ohio) 1-1
Clare Moores (Denver) & Lance Wheeler (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) 1-2
Emmalee Nichols & Greg Johnson (both of Appleton, Wis.) 0-2
Pool D:
Christine McMakin (St. Paul, Minn.) & Riley Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) 3-0
Kim Rhyme (Minneapolis, Minn.) & Jason Smith (St. Paul, Minn.) 2-1
Harley Rohrbacher (Pittsburgh, Pa.) & Guy Davis (Austin, Texas) 1-1
Taylor Anderson (Minneapolis, Minn.) & Hunter Clawson (Clarksville, Md.) 0-2
Kirstin McKeown (Robbinsdale, Minn.) & Gabriel Nickel (Saint Croix Falls, Wis.) 0-2
USA Curling is sponsored by AtomOS, Nike, Brooms Up Curling Supplies, Cheetos, CryoMAX 8-Hour Cold Pack, Sitrin, The RAM Restaurant & Brewery, Thorne, BalancePlus, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar Systems), and Brakebush, and is partnered with Laurie Artiss Ltd. – The Pin People, United Airlines, 12th End Sports Network, and CurlingZone.