Sarah Elizabeth Anne Koltun[2] (born July 6, 1993) is a Canadian curler from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.[3] She currently plays second on Team Corryn Brown.
Sarah Koltun | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | July 6, 1993 | ||||||||||||||
Team | |||||||||||||||
Curling club | Yellowknife CC Yellowknife, NT[1] | ||||||||||||||
Skip | Corryn Brown | ||||||||||||||
Third | Erin Pincott | ||||||||||||||
Second | Sarah Koltun | ||||||||||||||
Lead | Samantha Fisher | ||||||||||||||
Curling career ![]() | |||||||||||||||
Member Association | ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||||||||||
Hearts appearances | 9 (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024) | ||||||||||||||
Top CTRS ranking | 14th (2021–22) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Career
editAt just 13 years old, Koltun's first national championship was at the 2007 Canadian Junior Curling Championships where her team finished last with a 1–11 record. Later that year, she skipped the Yukon rink to a 1–5 record at the 2007 Canada Winter Games.[4] She also skipped the Yukon team at the next seven Canadian Junior Curling Championships. Her best result was in 2013, skipping the team to a 7–4 record before losing in a tiebreaker. Other notable results were a 6–6 record in 2011[5] and a 5–7 finish in 2009.[6] Koltun also represented Yukon a second time at the Canada Games in 2011, finishing 3–2. She competed at two Arctic Winter Games as well in 2008 and 2010 winning a gold medal in 2010[7] and a silver medal in 2008.[8]
After her junior rink competed at the 2014 Canadian Junior Curling Championships which was her final year of juniors, the team got to represent Yukon/Northwest Territories at the 2014 Scotties Tournament of Hearts as they had previously won the 2014 NWT/Yukon Scotties Tournament of Hearts.[9] They were the first team from Yukon to win the event since 2000. At the Hearts in Montreal, Quebec, they finished last, however they were able to defeat Prince Edward Island's Kim Dolan and Saskatchewan's Stefanie Lawton.[10] The following year, Yukon and Northwest Territories had separate entries to the national championship however due to a format change and because they placed last the previous year, they were put into a pre-qualifying tournament against Northern Ontario and Northwest Territories to determine the final spot in the main draw. They would lose both of their games and were eliminated.[11][12] They would not participate in the 2016 Yukon Scotties Tournament of Hearts but returned in 2017 where they won the event by default.[13][14] At the 2017 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, they managed to win their game against Nunavut however lost to both the Territories and New Brunswick and were once again eliminated. After the season, Koltun moved to the Northwest Territories to join the Kerry Galusha rink at third.[15]
Team Galusha went undefeated at the 2018 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The format at the national 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts had changed again, putting sixteen teams into two pools of eight teams. They finished 1–6 in their pool, only beating Koltun's former province Yukon. This put them into the thirteenth place game against Prince Edward Island's Robyn MacPhee rink, which they won. The following season, they added former Canadian Junior champion Brittany Tran to the team at second. The team won their first World Curling Tour event, the 2018 Royal LePage Women's Fall Classic.[16] Team Galusha easily won the 2019 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts, winning all three of her games in a best of five series against the Tyanna Bain junior rink from Inuvik. At the 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Galusha rink had a strong start, winning three of their first four games, before losing three straight, and were eliminated after pool play with a 3–4 record.[17]
The Galusha rink added experienced player Jo-Ann Rizzo for the 2019–20 season. They had some success on the tour, having a quarterfinal finish at the 2019 AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic[18] and reaching the semifinals of the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard.[19] They defended their territorial title by winning the 2020 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts in January 2020. At the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, they finished 2–5, not enough to advance to the championship pool. The following season, Team Galusha again won the 2021 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts, however, Koltun did not compete with the team as the Hearts were to be held in a bio-secure "bubble" to prevent spread of the COVID-19 virus. She was replaced in the lineup by Shona Barbour. At the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Team Galusha finished the round robin with a 4–4 record, just missing the championship pool.[20]
Team Galusha had a great start to the 2021–22 season, beginning with the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard where they lost in the final to Team Hollie Duncan.[21] The following week, they won the KW Fall Classic after defeating the Duncan rink in the championship game.[22] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the qualification process for the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials had to be modified to qualify enough teams for the championship. In these modifications, Curling Canada created the 2021 Canadian Curling Pre-Trials Direct-Entry Event, an event where eight teams would compete to try to earn one of two spots into the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Pre-Trials.[23] Team Galusha qualified for the Pre-Trials Direct-Entry Event as the fourth seed. The team qualified for the playoffs by going 3–0 in the A Event and then defeated Team Robyn Silvernagle (skipped by Jessie Hunkin) 10–8 to earn the first spot in the Pre-Trials.[24] The next month, the team competed in the Pre-Trials where they finished with a 1–5 record, only beating Team Penny Barker.[25] The 2022 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts was cancelled due to the pandemic and Team Galusha were selected to represent the Territories at the national women's championship.[26] At the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the team finished the round robin with a 5–3 record, qualifying them for a tiebreaker against Manitoba's Mackenzie Zacharias. Team Galusha won the tiebreaker 8–6, earning themselves a spot in the playoffs and becoming the first team solely representing the Northwest Territories to qualify for the playoffs in Scotties history.[27] They then lost in the first game of the playoff round to New Brunswick's Andrea Crawford and were eliminated from contention.[28]
To begin the 2022–23 season, Team Galusha reached the quarterfinals of the 2022 Saville Shoot-Out where they lost to Casey Scheidegger.[29] They then played in the 2022 PointsBet Invitational where they again lost to the Scheidegger rink in the opening round. The team continued to have success on tour in October, reaching the semifinals of the 2022 Tour Challenge Tier 2 Slam and the quarterfinals of the North Grenville Women's Fall Curling Classic.[30] In the new year, they again went undefeated to win the 2023 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts, defeating Reese Wainman 8–1 in the final. Representing the Territories at the 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Team Galusha started the event with a 3–1 record before losing their next three games. They won their final game against the Yukon to finish fourth in their pool with a 4–4 record, missing the playoffs.[31]
The Galusha rink did not have as much success on tour the following season, only reaching the playoffs in two of their first six events. This included a semifinal finish at the Alberta Tour Kick-off and a quarterfinal appearance at the 2023 KW Fall Classic. In December, the team went undefeated at the Stu Sells Brantford Nissan Classic until the final where they lost to Courtney Auld.[32] After winning the 2024 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the team announced the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts would be their last event together as they would disband at the end of the season.[33] At the Hearts, the team finished fifth in their pool with a 3–5 record.[34] This included defeating Manitoba's Jennifer Jones in their final round robin game and having the largest comeback in Scotties history, overcoming a seven-point deficit after three ends to defeat Ontario's Danielle Inglis 10–9.[35][36]
On March 28, 2024, it was announced Koltun would join the Corryn Brown rink out of British Columbia for the 2024–25 season, taking the place of Jennifer Armstrong who decided to focus on mixed doubles. She would play second with Erin Pincott at third and Samantha Fisher at lead.[37]
Personal life
editKoltun is currently a family medicine resident. She is married.[38]
Teams
editSeason | Skip | Third | Second | Lead | Alternate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006–07[4] | Chelsea Duncan (Fourth) | Sarah Koltun (Skip) | Tessa Vibe | Linea Eby | |
2007–08 | Chelsea Duncan (Fourth) | Sarah Koltun (Skip) | Linea Eby | Tessa Vibe | |
2008–09 | Sarah Koltun | Chelsea Duncan | Linea Eby | Jenna Duncan | |
2009–10 | Sarah Koltun | Chelsea Duncan | Linea Eby | Jenna Duncan | |
2010–11[39] | Sarah Koltun | Chelsea Duncan | Linea Eby | Jenna Duncan | |
2011–12 | Sarah Koltun | Chelsea Duncan | Linea Eby | Jenna Duncan | |
2012–13 | Sarah Koltun | Chelsea Duncan | Patty Wallingham | Jenna Duncan | |
2013–14 | Sarah Koltun | Chelsea Duncan | Patty Wallingham | Andrea Sinclair | Jenna Duncan |
2014–15 | Sarah Koltun | Chelsea Duncan | Patty Wallingham | Andrea Sinclair | Lindsay Moldowan |
2016–17 | Sarah Koltun | Chelsea Duncan | Patty Wallingham | Jenna Duncan | Helen Strong (STOH) |
2017–18 | Kerry Galusha | Sarah Koltun | Megan Koehler | Shona Barbour | |
2018–19 | Kerry Galusha | Sarah Koltun | Brittany Tran | Shona Barbour | Megan Koehler |
2019–20 | Kerry Galusha | Sarah Koltun | Jo-Ann Rizzo | Shona Barbour | Stacey Stabel (STOH) |
2020–21 | Kerry Galusha | Sarah Koltun | Jo-Ann Rizzo | Margot Flemming | |
2021–22 | Jo-Ann Rizzo (Fourth) | Sarah Koltun | Margot Flemming | Kerry Galusha (Skip) | Megan Koehler |
2022–23 | Jo-Ann Rizzo (Fourth) | Margot Flemming | Sarah Koltun | Kerry Galusha (Skip) | Megan Koehler |
2023–24 | Jo-Ann Rizzo (Fourth) | Margot Flemming | Sarah Koltun | Kerry Galusha (Skip) | Shona Barbour |
2024–25 | Corryn Brown | Erin Pincott | Sarah Koltun | Samantha Fisher |
References
edit- ^ "Sarah Koltun Profile". Curling Canada. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Whitehorse 2007 Canada Games Profile: Sarah Koltun". 2007 Canada Games. 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ "2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Media Guide" (PDF). Curling Canada. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ a b "Yukon talks up curling at Canada Winter Games". CBC. February 28, 2007. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ Tom Patrick (February 11, 2011). "Junior rinks glide into seventh, eighth at nationals". Yukon News. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ Tom Patrick (February 6, 2013). "Team Koltun sweeping up wins at nationals". Yukon News. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Team Yukon finishes Arctic Winter Games with 101 medals". Whitehorse Daily Star. March 15, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ "Alaska Dominates Games" (PDF). Ulu News. March 15, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ Tom Patrick (December 16, 2013). "Baldwin wins curling title, heading to Yellowknife with Koltun". Yukon News. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Yukon's Sarah Koltun looking up for Canada's Rachel Homan at Scotties". The Globe and Mail. February 3, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Northwest Territories survive nailbiter against Yukon". Curling Canada. February 13, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Yukon's Koltun exits Scotties qualifier after pair of loses". CBC. February 13, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ Tom Patrick (January 4, 2017). "Team Koltun back for third run at Scotties". Yukon News. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ Marissa Tiel (February 14, 2017). "Koltun rink ready for Scotties". Whitehorse Star. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Yukon curler heads to NWT". The Rush. May 17, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Team Galusha commitment pays off with tour win in Kemptville, Ont". Curling Canada. November 6, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Women's curler Sarah Koltun competing in Scotties". Waterloo Warriors. February 20, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Galusha Reaches 2019 AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic Quarters". CurlingZone. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Galusha Reaches 2019 Stu Sells Toronto Tankard Semifinals". CurlingZone. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Scotties Tournament of Hearts: Scores, standings, schedule". Sportsnet. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ "Scotland's Mouat, South Korea's Kim pick up victories in Canada". TSN. September 13, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ James McCarthy (September 19, 2021). "Role reversal: Team Galusha beats Hollie Duncan in final of KW Fall Classic". NNSL Media. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Trials proceess revised". Curling Canada. February 4, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ "Heading to Liverpool!". Curling Canada. September 25, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ "Familiar feelings for Team Tardi!". Curling Canada. October 27, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ "In keeping with NWTCA policy if a championship cannot be held, Team Galusha, defending champions, has been appointed as the NWTCA representatives to the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Jan 28-Feb 6 in Thunder Bay, ON". Facebook. NWT Curling. January 5, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ "Playoff quest realized!". Curling Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts: Standings, schedule and results". Sportsnet. January 28, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Saville Shoot-Out". CurlingZone. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Jonathan Brazeau (October 23, 2022). "Oskar Eriksson skips Team Edin into HearingLife Tour Challenge men's final". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ "Jones eyes record book!". Curling Canada. February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ "2023 Stu Sells Brantford Nissan Classic". CurlingZone. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ "Galusha on team: We've really committed to each other". TSN. February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Bryan Murphy (February 24, 2024). "Scotties Tournament of Hearts 2024: Scores, standings, schedule & TV channel for women's curling championship". The Sporting News. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ "It's Playoff Time". Curling Canada. February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ "Northwest Territories stages historic comeback at Scotties in Calgary". Global News. February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ "Curling Lineup Changes: Ackerman stepping way, Flemming joins Team Skrlik". TSN. March 26, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Media Guide" (PDF). Curling Canada. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ "Sarah Koltun Past Teams". CurlingZone. Retrieved September 5, 2020.