U of R men's curling team return home with gold medals

The University of Regina men’s curling team received a warm welcome as they returned home from Fredericton with some gold medals.

The University of Regina (U of R) men’s curling team received a warm welcome as they returned home from Fredericton N.B. with some gold medals.

Skip Josh Bryden and his team Adam Bukurak (3rd), Carter Williamson (2nd), Ryn Grabarczyk (lead) and Ayden Whittmire (5th) defeated the the Dalhouise Tigers in a close match for the title on Saturday.

“It was a close game, and they decided to shake and it was kind of like a pause in the moment. It was like, ‘What just happened? What did we just do?’ and so it’s super exciting,” Bryden said.

Coach Jamie Schneider explained that he saw a lot of growth in his players as the competition went on.

“You never know when you’re going into these things. Competition is so tough and we started off okay but we just seemed to get better as we went. The kids really embraced it and they figured the ice out and they seemed to be able to get better every game and we saw it in the end. The last two games were with top teams in the country and we were able to do what we did best, just play as a team.”

This is the third time in U of R history that a curling team has been able to claim the national title.

As for what’s next? The team will soon be representing Canada in the upcoming First World University Games taking place in January of 2025.