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USA Curling

2025 EXCELLENCE AWARDS


Athletes of the Year: Awarded to one male athlete, one female athlete, and one wheelchair athlete. Winners of these awards define excellence both on and off the ice, and have demonstrated a strong commitment to competitive achievement.


Male Athlete of the Year

Korey Dropkin  Skipped Team Dropkin to 2025 Men’s National Championship. Won 2025 Mixed Doubles Olympic Team Trials with Cory Thiesse. Finished fifth at 2025 World Mixed Doubles Championship to qualify for the 2026 Olympic Games.


Aidan Oldenburg Played Lead on Team Casper and was Silver medalist at 2025 Men’s National Championship. Teamed with Madison Bear to win Bronze medal at Mixed Doubles Olympic Trials. Earned a spot in the Olympic Team Trials for Curling with Team Casper.


John Shuster  Skipped team to 2024 Bronze medal at the Pan Continental Curling Championships (PCCC). Highest ranked skip in shooting percentage at the PCCC. Earned Bronze Medal at 2025 Men’s National Championship.

Andrew Stopera Played second on Team Dropkin and won 2025 Men’s National Championship. Paired with Sarah Anderson to earn Silver medal Mixed Doubles Olympic Team Trials.
 


Female Athlete of the Year

Cory Thiesse Played Third on Team Peterson and won 2025 Women’s National Championship. Won 2025 Mixed Doubles Olympic Team Trials with Korey Dropkin. Finished fifth at the 2025 Mixed Doubles World Championship to qualify for the 2026 Olympic Games. Recorded the best overall shooting percentage among female players at the World Mixed Doubles Championship. Earned berth in Olympic Team Trials for Curling with Team Peterson.

Taylor Anderson-Heide Played Lead on Team Peterson and won 2025 Women’s National Championship. Qualified for playoffs at Mixed Doubles Olympic Team Trials. Earned berth in Olympic Team Trials for Curling with Team Peterson.

Elizabeth Cousins  Skipped Team Cousins to Silver medal at 2025 Women’s National Championship. Earned berth in Olympic Team Trials for Curling with Team Cousins.

Madison Bear Paired with Aidan Oldenburg and earned Bronze medal Mixed Doubles Olympic Team Trials. Coached Team Stopera to Silver medal at the 2025 Junior Women's National Championship. 


Wheelchair Athlete of the Year

Steve Emt Won 2025 Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Nationals with Laura Dwyer. Finished at World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Championship with 5-2 record. Won Gold medal at World-B Wheelchair Curling Championship.

Laura Dwyer After winning silver medals at 2022, 2023, and 2024 Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Nationals, won Gold with Steve Emt in 2025. Finished at World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Championship with 5-2 record. Won Gold medal at World-B Wheelchair Curling Championship.

Oyuna Uranchimeg Earned Silver medal at Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Nationals. Won Gold medal at World-B Wheelchair Curling Championship.


Team of the Year: Awarded to the team that best exhibits sportsmanship, integrity, and elite performance.


Team of the Year

Team Thiesse/Dropkin—Mixed Doubles First Americans to qualify for 2026 Olympic Games, Won 2025 Mixed Doubles Olympic Team Trials. Finished fifth at 2025 World Mixed Doubles Championship to earn 2026 Olympic Games berth. Highest ranked team in shooting percentage at World Mixed Doubles Championship.

Team Hebert—World University Games & Junior Nationals Won World University Games playdown event. Earned Silver medal at 2025 World University Games. Won 2025 Junior Men's National Championship. 

Team Farbelow—Senior Men's After winning in 2024, defended title at 2025 Senior Men’s National Championships. Earned Bronze medal at 2025 World Senior Men’s Championship.


Coach of the Year: Recognizes a Coach who has been a major contributor to the success of an established American team or teams.


Coach of the Year

Mike Peplinski Coached Team Hebert to Silver medal at 2025 World University Games. Coached Team Hebert to Gold medal at the 2025 Junior Men's Nationals. Guided Team Hebert to berth in Men’s Olympic Pre-Trials event.

Cathy Overton-Clapham Coached Team Theisse/Dropkin to Gold medal at the Mixed Doubles Olympic Team Trials and fifth place finish at World Mixed Doubles Championship that qualified team for 2026 Olympic Games. Guided Team Peterson to Gold medal at 2025 US Women’s National Championship.

Keith Dropkin Coached Team Holt/Brenden to Gold medal at inaugural U21 Mixed Doubles National Championship fifth place finish at 2025 U21 World Mixed Doubles National Championship. Coached Team McMakin to Bronze medal at Women’s National Championship. 

 


Breakout Coach of the Year: Recognizes a Coach who has been a major contributor to the success of an emerging American team or teams.


Breakout Coach of the Year

Chris Johnson Coached Team Johnson to Gold medal at U18 Girls' National Championship, Gold medal at Junior Women’s National Championship, and berth in the USA Curling Pre-Trials event.

Sean Franey Coached Team Rose to Silver medal at U18 Boys' National Championship. Guided Team Rose to playoff appearance at the Junior Men's National Championship.

Ivo Petrov Coached teams to playoff berths at both U18 Girls' National Championship and Junior Women's National Championship.


The Outstanding National Performance Award is a new award this year. 

This award recognizes athlete(s) who made a bold and memorable impact on the national stage. Whether through a historic first, standout performance across multiple championships, or a breakthrough season that captured attention, these athlete(s) rose above expectations and left a lasting impression on the curling community.


Outstanding National Performance

Dan Bliven & Ben Jurenec Dan and Ben competed at four consecutive Five-And-Under National Championships, medaling each year—Bronze in 2022, Gold in 2023, Bronze in 2024, Silver in 2025. 

Gianna Johnson Competed in four National Championships, winning Junior Women’s Nationals and U18 Girls’ Nationals, earning silver at Junior Mixed Doubles Nationals, and finishing fifth at Women’s Nationals — where she was also the youngest competitor.

Team Falco—David Falco, Becca Wood, Lance Wheeler, Clare Moores. Qualified for playoffs at World Mixed Championship. Defended 2024 national title at 2025 Mixed Fours National Championship. 

Team Leichter—Alex Leichter, Ryan Hallisey, Jared Wydysh, Ben Clark. Won Gold medal at 2025 Men's Club National Championship with undefeated record in the event. 


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