FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 3, 2018
Bear, Stopera rinks capture 2018 Junior National Championships titles
(STEVENS POINT, Wis.) – A lot of familiar faces will be representing the U.S. at the upcoming World Junior Championships as the Andrew Stopera and Madison Bear rinks won the 2018 USA Curling Junior National Championships on Saturday at the Detroit Curling Club.
Stopera (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) and teammates Luc Violette (Lake Stevens, Wash.), Ben Richardson (Issaquah, Wash.), Graem Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.), and Caleb Clawson (Clarksville, Md.) defeated Wisconsin’s Trevor Marquardt rink, 8-3, in the men’s final while Bear (Pardeeville, Wis.) and her team of Annmarie Dubberstein (Portage, Wis.), Jenna Burchesky (Walpole, Mass.), and Allison Howell (Bentleyville, Ohio) got past the Abbey Kitchens rink, 7-4. Team Bear is coached by Bev Schroeder (Stevens Point, Wis.) while Mark Lazar (Toledo, Ohio) is the coach for the Stopera rink.
It is the second straight title for Stopera, Violette, Richardson, and Fenson, who won silver at the 2017 World Juniors in South Korea, and first for Clawson. Violette also won the junior title in 2014. Dubberstein, Burchesky and Howell defended the junior title they won last year and Bear was their alternate at the World Juniors. Bear also won the junior women’s title in 2016 and a silver at the World Juniors that year.
Bear’s team started strong with a deuce in the opening end and used the last-rock advantage well in the 7-4 defeat of Kitchens (Devils Lake, N.D.) and her team of Leah Yavarow (Bemidji, Minn.), Sara Hodek (Fairdale, N.D.), and Sydney Steffen (Devils Lake, N.D.).
Stopera’s team also used its last rock advantage well as they put four deuces on the scoreboard while holding Marquardt (Poynette, Wis.) and his team of Ryan Elwing (Brookfield, Wis.), Mitch Wilson (Delafield, Wis.), Connor Hipke (Wauwatosa, Wis.), and Coleman Thurston (Poynette, Wis.) to singles in the 8-3 win. The Marquardt rink defeated Nick Connolly’s team in the semifinal earlier in the day to reach the final while Team Kitchens got past fellow North Dakotan Beth Podoll, 6-5, by stealing the final end of the women’s semifinal.
The 2018 World Junior Championships will take place March 3-11 in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Line scores, championship finals:
*Madison Bear 201 002 020 x – 7
Abbey Kitchens 020 010 001 x – 4
*Andrew Stopera 200 020 202 x – 8
Trevor Marquardt 001 001 010 x – 3
*last rock in first end
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.
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For more information: Terry Davis, Director of Communications, terry.davis@usacurl.org, 608-338-9900 (mobile) or 715-344-1199, Ext. 202 (office).