McDonald Take U25 NextGen Title Belt

Winnipeg's Jordon McDonald (Photo: Curling Canada) wins U25 NextGen Funding for the 2024/25 season. The U-25 NextGen Classic allows for players with an average age of 25 to compete. This includes some teams competing in U Sports and Canadian Collegiate programs, along with other teams finding success in the years just out of juniors.  In addition to the $6,000 in NextGen funding, including additional opportunities to work with the national team program, McDonald and his team of Dallas Burgess, Elias Huminicki, and Cameron Olafson receive a berth into the PointsBet Invitational held September 25-29 at Winsport in Calgary. London's Jayden King, with Dylan Niepage at third, Owen Henry at second and Daniel Del Conte at lead, came into the game undefeated with six wins, including a 5-3 decision against McDonald in draw six. The loss was McDonald's lone of the tournament, getting their revenge in the final game. King blanked the first two ends, including a double takeout in the second end, then scored a single in the third end. McDonald scored a single in the fourth end, then stole singles in the fifth and sixth ends to lead 3-1. The seventh end didn't fair much better for King, coming up short for another 2-point steal. McDonald ran King out of stones in the eighth end to clinch the championship belt. King takes home $4,000 for their runner-up finish. McDonald defeated Calgary's Cole Adams 6-3 in the semifinals, while King won 11-4 over Waterloo's Sam Mooibroek. Read More: McDonald Out Front at U25 Next Gen Classic FINAL: Jordon McDonald vs. Jayden King: