Minnesota curlers win national titles

Curling Nationals
John Landsteiner of Duluth delivers a stone during the 2019 USA Curling Nationals at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019.
Emil Lippe | Kalamazoo Gazette via AP

Minnesota is well-represented on the winning women's and men's teams at the 2019 USA Curling National Championship.

Monica Walker of St. Paul and twins Sarah and Taylor Anderson of Minneapolis swept their way to the women's title Saturday in Kalamazoo, Mich. They were joined by skip Jamie Sinclair, who was born in Alaska and lives in Ontario.

The Sinclair rink beat the Nina Roth rink 6-4 in the final. It's the third consecutive national title for Walker and Sinclair, and the first for the Anderson sisters. The gold medal earns them a spot in the world championships next month in Denmark.

"It feels very rewarding, I'm so happy," Sarah Anderson said in a report from USA Curling. "It's been a long year as a new team, and we've put in a lot of work. We're feeling great leaving here with a national championship."

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John Shuster delivers a stone
John Shuster delivers a stone during the 2019 USA Curling Nationals at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Feb. 9, 2019.
Emil Lippe | Kalamazoo Gazette via AP

The runner-up Roth rink includes two Minnesotans — Tabitha Peterson of St. Paul and Tara Peterson of Minneapolis.

On the men's side, 2018 Olympic gold medalists and Minnesota natives John Shuster and John Landsteiner won gold again; they were joined by fellow Olympic champion Matt Hamilton of McFarland, Wis., and new team member Chris Plys of Duluth. Plys was part of the U.S. Olympic men's curling team in 2010.

The Shuster rink defeated the defending national champion Rich Ruohonen rink 8-4. Ruohonen is from Brooklyn Park, Minn.; the team also includes Colin Hufman of Minneapolis, Greg Persinger of Fairbanks, Alaska, and Phil Tilker of Seattle.

It's the seventh national title for Shuster. His team advances to the world championships in Lethbridge, Alberta, from March 30 through April 7.