Teams skipped by Daniel Casper, John Shuster, Scott Dunnam and Korey Dropkin advanced to the men's playoffs at the USA Curling national championships, as round-robin play concluded Thursday in Denver.
Team Casper from Chaska tops round-robin, advances in U.S. Curling nationals
Daniel Casper's rink finished with a 6-1 record. Also advancing to the men's championship round were Team Shuster (based in Duluth), Team Dunnam and Team Dropkin (also Duluth).
February 10, 2023 at 4:09AM
Casper's Chaska-based rink finished atop the standings with a 6-1 record. Team Shuster, from Duluth, tied with Dunnam's Philadelphia-based foursome for second place at 5-2, while Dropkin, of Duluth, was fourth at 4-3. Shuster's team claimed the No. 2 seed by beating Dunnam in the round robin.
Team Jason Smith, which includes former Viking Jared Allen, tied for fifth place in the round robin with a 3-4 record.
The championship round uses the Page playoff format. Casper and Shuster will play Friday in the 1-2 game, with the winner advancing to Saturday's final. The loser will play the victor of the 3-4 game between Dunnam and Dropkin in a Friday semifinal to determine the second finalist. The Page playoff games will start at 3 p.m., with the semifinal at 8 p.m. and Saturday's championship match at 1 p.m.
In the women's round robin, Eagan native Tabitha Peterson led her team to a 7-0 record, claiming the top seed for a four-team playoff that also will begin Friday.
Peterson, a two-time Olympian, will face No. 2 seed Delaney Strouse in the 1-2 game of the Page playoffs on Friday.
Strouse, of Minneapolis, finished the round robin with a 6-1 record. The winner of the 1-2 game advances to Saturday's championship, while the loser will play the winner of Friday's game between two Chaska-based rinks — No. 3 seed Sarah Anderson (5-2) and No. 4 seed Madison Bear (4-3) — in a semifinal to determine the other finalist.
Friday's schedule will start with the Page playoff games at 3 p.m., followed by the semifinal at 8 p.m. Saturday's championship match will be at 5 p.m.
RACHEL BLOUNT
U gymnasts at Michigan
The Gophers gymnastics team will compete at No. 2 Michigan at 4:30 p.m. Friday (ESPNU). Minnesota (6-2-1, 2-0-1 Big Ten) is No. 19 in the RoadToNationals rankings and No. 7 in floor exercise.
The No. 2 Wolverines (6-2, 2-1) had a score of 198.300 — the second highest score in program history — in a quadrangular last week.
Etc.
- The Gophers softball team opens its season with two games on Friday in the Northern Lights tournament in Leesburg, Fla. Minnesota will play Western Kentucky — picked to finish second in the C-USA Conference preseason poll — at 11 a.m. and two-time defending Big East champion Butler at 1:30 p.m. The Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in their conference this season.
- The Gophers women's indoor track and field team will compete in the two-day Windy City Invitational starting Friday at Gately Stadium in Chicago. The field includes nine Power 5 programs, including Indiana, Michigan State and Purdue. Minnesota is No. 3 in the Midwest Regional USTFCCCA rankings with three No. 1 Big Ten marks this season from Nyalaam Jok (high jump) and Amira Young (60-meter dash) and Shelby Frank (weight throw).
- Bethany Lutheran and Carleton, both 18-3, were ranked Nos. 1-2 in the NCAA Division III Region IX men's basketball rankings this week.
Cross-country skier Jessie Diggins of Afton, who leads the World Cup standings, looks to add to her memorable season at the world championships this week in Trondheim, Norway. And she isn't the only Minnesotan in the field.
