REGINA – The University of Calgary Dinos men's curling team are national champions!

Powered by incredible shot making all week long – including a number of daring approaches in the championship match – the Dinos took down Carleton, 7-6, in the 2026 U SPORTS National Championship Saturday from the Caledonia Curling Club.

"This is so special. We're all on cloud nine right now," third-year third Ky Macaulay said after the win. "We had a good meeting before the game and we all knew we had a job to do. We just stayed true to ourselves. Even when the going got tough, we stuck together and ran into them a little more than they ran into us." 

Going up against one of the two teams that they lost to in the round robin – a 6-2 loss to the Ravens back on Wednesday – the Dinos learned from that matchup.

"Having played them in the round robin, they beat us pretty handily, but we knew that wasn't our best showing," Macaulay said. "We wanted to force them to one in that opening end and then we wanted to score two or more with the hammer.

"Rock for rock, we knew there would be no room for mistakes." 

The Dinos plan started out almost perfectly. Carleton started with the hammer and was first on the board with one in the first before the Dinos blanked the second and scored three in the third – the first three-point end conceded by the Ravens all tournament. 

"Getting that three – we were looking for two and it was kind of a fortunate break to get three," Macaulay said. "We just tried to carry that through the rest of the game." 

Carleton responded with three of their own in the fourth, only to see the Dinos continue their impressive shot making with two in the fifth for a 5-4 lead.

Each team used the hammer to score one in each of the next three ends to send this year's final to extra ends. Calgary put three in the house, but Carleton kept things close with two of their own to battle for the winning stone. Skip Kenan Wipf once again successfully used the hammer to seal the deal and clinch the win for the Dinos.

"That extra end – I wouldn't say it was ever comfortable," Macaulay recalled. "You're always just kind of waiting for that other shoe to drop. But, once the stone left Kenan's hand, I felt pretty good. We all trust him so much."

Calgary got to the national final after outlasting Memorial in the morning's semifinal. The Dinos scored three in the opening end and never trailed. The Seahawks showed they belonged in the Final Four, tying things up at 5-5 after five and 6-6 after seven. But the Dinos had the hammer and scored two in the eighth to advance to the championship bout.

The win is extra special for a Dinos program that is in just its fourth year back on campus. A dream that was started by program director and UCalgary alum Jocelyn Peterman, Saturday was a big step in the direction everyone in the Scarlet & Gold are hoping to continue to head.

"This just fills me with a lot of pride," Macaulay said on bringing the title to Calgary. "We've worked hard to bring this program to where it is. We've got really good curlers and a great coaching staff. It's very cool seeing it develop to where it is. It leaves you wanting more. But to build and build and build these first couple years and it finally paying off…that's priceless."

In addition to the national championship, Saturday's win also earns the Dinos a spot on the 2027 FISU World University Games roster, scheduled for Jan. 15-25, 2027, in Changchun, China. 

Shortly after the FISU World University Games, the Dinos will host the 2027 U SPORTS/CCAA Curling Championships from Feb. 22 through Feb. 26 at the Calgary Curling Club.

-UC-