Rochester Curling Club women's team earns bronze medal in prestigious tournament
Nov. 20—ROCHESTER — The Curling Club of Rochester took part in the prestigious Minnesota Region of the USA Curling's Arena National Championships on Nov. 9-12 in Eveleth and the women's team earned a medal.
The women's team of Rochester placed third to capture a bronze medal. The squad includes Kelsey Schuder, Susan Horsman, Laura Gardner, Kaisey Ackerman and Sophia Walsh.
The Rochester men's team features Ryan Cradick, Doug Boecker, Adam Stallman, Jeremy McJunkin and Stephen Russell.
There were 12 men's and 12 women's teams competing in the event. The Rochester men finished with a 2-3 record and did not advance out of pool play. The Rochester women advanced out of pool play, lost in the semifinals and then won the third-place match.
The two Rochester teams had qualified to compete in the event over the summer while hosting playdowns at the Olmsted County Fair.
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The Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association has started a Hall of Honor to recognize people who have helped to improve/promote/ and or serve basketball in the state. Awards are given in four categories: officials, media, head coach/assistant and friend of basketball.
This year's class features two area people, Kaye Bernard and Ryan James.
Bernard is honored as a friend of basketball. She has been scorekeeping for Rushford-Peterson boys basketball games, home and away, since in the early 1990s when her oldest son, Ben, was a freshman.
She also kept the book for both boys and girls programs from 1993-97 while her daughter, Jessica, was playing. In addition to her continuing service to the Rushford-Peterson basketball community, Bernard has also kept the scorebook for Section 1A boys and girls basketball tournament games at the Mayo Civic Center.
James, an Austin High grad, is honored for his work in the media. He has served 20 years as a media member for Prep Hoops Minnesota of Prep Network, The Breakdown and Gopher Illustrated of 247 Sports. He started writing for Gopher Illustrated in 2004, covering Gophers basketball as a beat writer, recruiting analyst and Big Ten voter.
He began writing for the Breakdown Boys Basketball book in 2005 and has helped with the scheduling of Breakdown boys basketball events as well. He worked with Minnesota Preps from 2006-11 and in 2012 joined Prep Hoops Minnesota as a writer, recruiting analyst and event director. In addition to his writing, James also taught special education for 18 years and served as an assistant basketball coach for 12 years at Simley, Henry Sibley, Tartan and Minnetonka.
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Brendan O'Sullivan, who played for the Rochester Honkers during the 2023 season, is one of nine players in the Northwoods League to receive a Rawlings "Finest in the Field" Award for this past season.
Nine players in the league were honored for their fielding skills, one for each position. O'Sullivan earned his "Finest in the Field" honor for his defensive play at shortstop.
He led all shortstops in the league with a .962 fielding percentage. O'Sullivan plays his college ball at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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Steve Gilbertson has been named the head coach of the Winona High School baseball team.
Gilbertson replaces Matt Smith, who directed the Winhawks since 2007 and led the team to a Class 3A state tournament berth in 2022.
"I am beyond excited to be named head coach of Winona Senior High baseball," Gilbertson said in a release. "I look forward to keeping the tradition and passion of this program alive and well, all while adding a new energy and mindset."
Gilbertson is a native of Eau Claire, Wis. He has been an assistant for several sports at Winona, including football, girls basketball and baseball. He started coaching with the football team as a student at Winona State University.
Guy N. Limbeck is a sports writer for the Post Bulletin. His Local Notebook appears each Tuesday. He can be reached at
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