This March, Penn State Curling sent six of the club’s best curlers to compete in the College National Championship. The event was run by USA Curling in Fargo, North Dakota – 1000 miles from State College as the crow flies.
It was a long trek to Fargo, starting at 3am at the Philadelphia International Airport with a connection in Minneapolis. This was the club’s first time flying and travelling outside of the northeast!
The championship was competitive, ending 0-4 for Penn State. Our last game with Yale went into overtime with an extra end, with the game not being decided until the last stone. It was an incredible game with almost everyone in the warm rooms watching. There was cheering when Penn State tied up in the last end, loud enough that the players could hear them on the ice! While we didn’t come back from Fargo with a W, we were immensely proud of our accomplishments and close games.
RPI 10 – PSU 7
Harvard 7 – PSU 5
NDSU 10 – PSU 7
Yale 8 – PSU 6
And while we might not have won, we did win the most important award of all: the Spirit of Curling Award! Every player in the championship could vote for the team they thought showed the best representation of the spirit and curling and good sportsmanship. In a tie, we co-won the award with our new B1G friends Nebraska!
Nationals was an incredible time, with so many new friends and connections. We hope this trip was the first of many and are looking forward to next year!
