U SPORTS, the Canadian College Curling Championships begin Tuesday in Fredericton
Four post-secondary curling programs will arrive in Fredericton, New Brunswick, with visions of a repeat on their minds when the 2024 U SPORTS/Curling Canada Canadian Universities and Curling Canada Canadian College Championships kick off on Tuesday.
All four winning programs — though all four skips still decide the picks — from the 2023 events in Sudbury, Ont., return for the 2024 tournament, which begins Tuesday with the first drawing at 4:30 p.m. (all times Atlantic) in Aitkin University Center and Capital Winter Club.
In addition to the national titles, an added incentive for the 32 teams competing in Fredericton will be the opportunity for the winning men's and women's teams to play in the 2024 PointsBet Invitational next fall in Calgary.
In the U SPORTS University Championship, the University of Alberta Pandas from Edmonton and the University of Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks from Waterloo, Ontario, return with the exact same lineup from last year.
The Pandas women's lineup of skip Serena Gray-Weathers, vice-skips Katherine Clifford, Brianna Cullen, Zoe Cinnamon and coach Amanda St. Laurent will take part in the opening draw, where they will take on the host University of New Brunswick Reds, skip Jenna Campbell.
On the men's side, the Golden Hawks' lineup of skip Sam Muybrook, deputy skip Kipo Mollema, second Wyatt Small, captain Ben Pearce, substitute Cody Harris and coach Matt Wilkinson, will begin their title defense on Tuesday at 9pm against the University of Regina Cougars. , skipped by Joshua Brayden.
The women's field is rounded out by the Dalhousie University Tigers from Halifax, the Laurentian University Voyagers from Sudbury, Ontario, the McMaster University Marauders from Hamilton, the University of Mount Allison Mounties from Sackville, New South Wales, and the University of Victoria University Vikes from Victoria.
Joining Wilfrid Laurier and Regina in the men's field are the University of Alberta Golden Bears from Edmonton, the Brock University Badgers from St. Catharines, Ontario, the Dalhousie University Tigers from Halifax, and the University of Guelph Gryphons from Guelph, Ontario. Host the University of New Brunswick Reds, and the Saint Mary's University Huskies from Halifax.
In addition to the trip to the PointsBet Invitational, the U SPORTS Men's Champions will be nominated to represent Canada at the 2025 FISU World University Winter Games in Turin, Italy. The Fredericton women's champions could also qualify, depending on what other nations offer to compete. Team Canada's seventh-place finish at the 2023 FISU Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York was not enough to secure a spot in the 2025 women's field.
Meanwhile, both winners of the 2023 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championships are back, albeit with slightly different lineups.
Josie Zimmerman skipped the Camrose-based University of Alberta Augustana Vikings to the win last year, returning with deputy skips Claire Bevan Stewart (moving over from second last year) and Hope Zimmerman (moving over from alternate last year). The team is rounded out by new captain Randy Cameron and coach Steve Lindberg, and will play its first game on Tuesday at 4:30pm against the Fanshawe College Falcons, captained by Veronica van Broekhoven, of London, Ontario.
On the men's side, skip Jacob Dobson, second Noah Garner, and captain Matthew Abrams return to the defending champion Humber College Hawks from Toronto, as does deputy skip Kevin Gingaga, who was the alternate last year. Substitute Matthew Moretto and coach Zach Shurtleff complete the squad, which will play Tuesday at 9 p.m. against the Red Deer (Alberta) Polytechnic Kings, who are skipped by Jaden Morlock.
The CCAA women's championship field is rounded out by the Assiniboine College Cougars from Brandon, Man., the Concordia University Edmonton Thunder, the Humber College Hawks from Toronto, the Mohawk College Mountaineers from Hamilton, the Pac West team from British Columbia and the Southern Alberta Institute. Technology (SAIT) Trojans from Calgary.
The Assiniboine College Cougars from Brandon, the Concordia University Edmonton Thunder, the Mohawk College Mountaineers from Hamilton, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Oaks from Edmonton, the SAIT Trojans from Calgary, and the Sault College Cougars from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, completed the men's field.
In both the U SPORTS and CCAA tournaments, the eight-team men's and women's fields will play one round, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals, which are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on March 16, followed by the semifinals. Medal matches are at 2:30 p.m
Select matches from the U SPORTS and CCAA tournaments will be broadcast live curling canada+.
Live recording for both events is available through Click here.
For lineups and the full schedule, plus ticket information for U SPORTS tournaments, click here.
For lineups and the full schedule, plus ticket information for CCAA tournaments, click here.
