College Curling USA is the governing body of collegiate curling in the US. The organization acts as the NCAA does in other college sports — setting game play, eligibility, and organizational rules. College Curling USA is affiliated with United States Curling Association (USCA), the organization responsible for organizing Olympic teams.[1]
History
The idea of college curling in the US began in the late 1980s when the Illinois State Curling Foundation (ISCF) began to look into college curling, filling a gap between junior and adult curling levels. The ISCF, along with curling clubs, began promoting the idea of curling to schools.[2] National Tournament began in the early 1990s with only a few schools in Northern Illinois and Wisconsin. Since then, has boomed to more than 40 schools- mostly in the Northern tier of the US and Northeast US. New Programs are starting all over the US as new clubs are being established.[3]
In the 2012-13 season, more than 200 curlers from 36 colleges or universities participated in College Curling USA sanctioned events.[4]
In September 2013, the College Championship became a United States Curling Association sanctioned event.[5]
For the 2014 Curling College Championship held in Blaine, MN, Taco Bell became an official corporate sponsor.[6]
Before the pandemic, the USA Curling College Tour and Championship had over 450 registered college students, participating in 15 college only bonspiels from the East Coast to the Midwest.
Format
College teams compete in regional categories:
Until 2013 the regions were:
Grand National (East Coast)
Great Lakes
Minnesota
North Dakota
Wisconsin
For the 2013 and 2014 championships, the regions were:[7]
Region 1: Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine
Region 2: Lower Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana
Region 3: Upper Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois
Region 4: Minnesota and North Dakota
Region 5: Remainder of the US
For the 2015 through 2017 championship the regions were:[7]
Region 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
Region 2: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania
Region 3: Indiana, Illinois, Lower Michigan, Ohio, and Southern Wisconsin
Region 4: Upper Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Northern Wisconsin
Region 5: Remainder of the US
After 2017 the regional aspect of the championship was abandoned except for the relabeling the former "Region 5" as the "Emerging Region."
Invitations to the National Championship are awarded based on accumulated 'merit points'. Points are primarily earned by hosting and/or competing in a collegiate bonspiel. Points can also be collected through non-bonspiel (Match Play) intercollegiate play or, for the Emerging (now West) Region schools only, through other non-college bonspiels and league play. College athletes must be members of the USA Curling and full-time students at the school they represent in order to earn points.
After 2023 the "Emerging Region" was relabeled the "West Region." Before this change, all new college curling programs began in the Emerging Region, regardless of their school's location. This was in addition to many curling programs located out West, which were originally given the label "Emerging" due to their geographic remoteness within the broader college curling world. This change made the composition of all the regions purely geographic. Since then, the three regions have been Northeast, Midwest, and West. The number of teams that receive nationals berths from each region varies year-to-year depending on that respective region's size (number of teams).
The national tournament is typically held in March.
2022 USA Curling College Tour Results (Red indicates championship invitation)
School
Points
Wisc-StevensPt
105
RPI
82
Syracuse
81
Villanova
66
Univ of Penn
64
MIT
55
Harvard
53.5
Neb-Lincoln
53
N Dakota St
50
Wisc-Superior
45
Minnesota
44
Cornell
44
Hamilton
44
Wisc-GreenBay
44
Bowdoin
42
PennState
40
Yale
34.5
NotreDame
34
Colgate
10
RIT
10
Note: Wisc-Green Bay declined their invitation. Yale was invited in their place.
[11]
2020 and 2021 National Tournaments
Canceled due to the Covid Pandemic.
The entirety of the 2020-2021 College Tour was canceled.
The 2019-2020 College Tour took place as normal. The tour season was completed and the invitations had been sent out when the pandemic conditions reached a level where it was determined that the event could not take place. The National Championship was scheduled to take place at the Fargo-Moorhead Curling Club in Fargo, ND.
2020 USA Curling College Tour Results (Red indicates championship invitation)
The 2014 College Championship was the first to be officially recognized by the USCA.
Location: Blaine, MN - Four Seasons Curling Club
Teams: 16
Format: Four pool round-robin
Champion: University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Runner-up: Villanova University
Third: Carroll University
Fourth: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2013 National Tournament
Location: Duluth, MN - Duluth Curling Club
Teams: 16
Format: Four pool round-robin
Champion: University of Minnesota
Runner-up: College of Saint Benedict/ Saint John's University (MN)
Third: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Fourth: Boston University
2011 National Tournament
Location: Chicago, IL - Northshore Curling Club and Chicago Curling Club
Teams: 32
Divisions: 4
Format: Round robin
The first-place teams in each division:
Division 1 - *Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Division 2 - Villanova
Division 3 - Northwestern University
Division 4 - Bowdoin College
2010 National Tournament
Location: Chicago, IL - Northshore Curling Club and Chicago Curling Club
Teams: 32
Divisions: 4
Format: Round robin
The first-place teams in each division
Division 1 - University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Division 2 - Northwestern University
Division 3 - Northwestern University
Division 4 - Carroll College
2009 National Tournament
Location: Chicago, IL - Northshore Curling Club and Chicago Curling Club
Teams: 32
Divisions: 4
Format: Round robin
The first-place teams in each division
Division 1 - University of Minnesota
Division 2 - Hamilton College
Division 3 - University of Tennessee
Division 4 - Northwestern University
2008 National Tournament
The 2008 College Curling National Bonspiel was held in Chicago, IL in March at the Northshore Curling Club and Chicago Curling Club. 34 teams participated this year separated into 4 divisions separated by combined years of experience.
