Bonspieling their way to national success for the second year in a row, Huskies Curl at Michigan Tech — a registered student organization in only its second year of existence — took second place in this year's College Curling Championship.
Huskies Curl at Michigan Tech took second place in the 2025 USA College Curling Championship, held March 6-9 in Midland, Michigan. The national competition included 16 teams who qualified for the event. Hailing from across the country — from Arizona State University to the United States Naval Academy — all of the competitors were undergraduate or graduate students expected to maintain academic excellence as well as prowess on the curling sheet.
The Huskies Curl Nationals Team included:
- Mechanical engineering major Gracie Kohn '27, club president, who plays skip position on the team.
- Exercise science major Rese Elza '25, club social rep, who plays vice position on the team.
- Chemical engineering major Bryce Doering '25, club vice president, who plays second position on the team.
- Civil engineering major Tyler Magnuson '27, club secretary, who plays lead position on the team.
- Anthropology major Owen Stephenson '28, club member and team alternate.
- Biomedical engineering major Joseph Sharland '28, club member and team alternate.
- Team coach Gordon Maclean is a Michigan Tech alumnus who earned his forestry degree in 1977 and was inducted into the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Honor Academy in 2023. Maclean founded the Copper Country Curling Club in 1993 and has been active in the U.S. Curling Association.
Huskies Curl formed in 2024, placing third in nationals in its rookie year. Taking victory up a notch in 2025 portends good things to come, said Gracie Kohn, the club's president. Another promising sign was an exponential rise in student interest and club membership.
"As this was the first full year of Huskies Curl, we were not expecting huge membership out of the gate," she said. "At the end of last year we had about 10 active members. This year after Orientation Week and K-Day we had over 100 on our Discord and email list. At our first meeting, 30 new people came to see what Huskies Curl was about."
While the club was thrilled to share curling with more students, rapid growth tested both capacity and tenacity.
"We have limited spots for events and were able to take about 10 members to each event. This was a daunting task and a big challenge," said Kohn.
"I really appreciate all the hard work and dedication my teammates have given to Huskies Curl. They are some of my best friends and the org wouldn't be the same without them."
It took hours of planning and coordinating to get as many Huskies to as many events as possible. "Thankfully, we got almost everyone to an event," said Kohn. "It was an amazing experience to see many new curlers stepping on the ice for the first time. Most members come in with little to no experience."
Kohn said teaching people how to curl and watching them try the sport is one of her favorite things. Winning events is, too. This year, the club was able to bring two teams to the Midwest collegiate regional competition in Hartland, Wisconsin.
Kohn said nationals was also a fantastic experience, with the team meeting and competing with collegiate curlers from around the nation.
"We played great, staying undefeated until the finals," she said. "We ended up coming up a little bit short of the gold against UW-Madison, but we are still very proud of our silver medal after receiving bronze last year. Next year we're going for gold."
Kohn said next year's goals also include continuing to "grow Huskies Curl and the sport of curling altogether. The main goal of Huskies Curl is giving people a chance to experience the amazing world of curling and we intend to keep doing that."
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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