Road to Milano Cortina 2026: U.S. Curling Trials Set for Sioux Falls
November 10, 2025 – The next major step for U.S. curlers seeking a spot at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 is the U.S. Olympic Curling Team Trials. From 11-16 November, the nation’s top teams will compete at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to decide who will represent Team USA on the international qualifying stage.
The Immediate Challenge: Qualification
Currently, the USA has not secured a quota for either the men’s or women’s event at the 2026 Games, having failed to earn enough Olympic Qualification Points from the 2024 and 2025 World Championships.
Consequently, the winning teams in Sioux Falls must first advance to the Olympic Qualification Event 2025 in Kelowna, Canada. There, they will battle for one of the last two remaining Olympic quotas for the men’s and women’s competitions.
Crucially: If Team USA fails to secure a quota at the Qualification Event, the country will not have representation in that event at Milano Cortina 2026, breaking a streak that began with the sport’s inclusion in 1998 (The U.S. men won gold at PyeongChang 2018).
Meet the Teams
Find out more about the Trials, including the full schedule, past winners, and how to watch the action live. Below are the teams vying for the opportunity to keep the Olympic dream alive:
Men’s Teams
| Team Name | Roster (Skip, Third, Second, Lead) |
|---|---|
| Team Shuster | John Shuster, Chris Plys, Colin Hufman, Matt Hamilton (+ John Landsteiner, Alternate) |
| Team Dropkin | Korey Dropkin, Tom Howell, Andrew Stopera, Mark Fenner |
| Team Casper | Daniel Casper, Luc Violette, Ben Richardson, Aidan Olenburg (+ Rich Ruohonen, Alternate) |
| Team Hebert | Caden Hebert, Jackson Bestland, Benji Paral, Jack Wendtland (+ Daniel Laufer, Alternate) |
Women’s Teams
| Team Name | Roster (Skip, Third, Second, Lead) |
|---|---|
| Team Peterson | Tabitha Peterson, Cory Thiesse, Tara Peterson, Taylor Heide-Anderson |
| Team Strouse | Delaney Strouse, Anne O’Hara, Sydney Mullaney, Madison Bear |
| Team Johnson | Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Morgan Zacher, Bailey Vaydich (+ Ella Wendling, Alternate) |
| Team Cousins | Elizabeth Cousins, Annmarie Dubberstein, Allison Howell, Liz Janiak |
