Wausau, WI –Wausau West High School graduate Ella Wendling, and her teammate Benji Paral from Eau Claire, are the US Junior Mixed Doubles curling champions.
The pair went undefeated at the national playdowns last week at the Cape Cod Curling Center in Massachusetts. They defeated the Hollands-Grabow rink from North Dakota 8-7 in the championship match. The wining point came in the eighth or final end, after Hollands-Grabow had scored three in the seventh end.
The victory qualifies them to represent the United States in the Under-21 Mixed Doubles World Championships to be held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in May.
Wendling and Paral were bronze medal winners in the Junior World Olympics held in 2024.
They are coached by Jim Wendling, curling coach at Wausau West High School.