Laurier alumni Wilkes and Webster bound for Milano Cortina 2026

WATERLOO, Ont. - Two Laurier Golden Hawks curling alumni will wear the Maple Leaf on the world's biggest stage next winter after earning Olympic berths at the 2025 Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax.

Sarah Wilkes (BA '12) and Paul Webster (BEd '98) will become the latest Golden Hawks to compete on the Olympic stage, securing their places at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games as Team Homan and Team Jacobs respectively won their national trials that ran from Nov. 22–30.

Wilkes, 35, will make her Olympic debut as lead on Team Homan. The Toronto native - now living in London, Ont. - will enter the Games as a two-time world champion and three-time Scotties winner.

Her journey began at Laurier, where she became the fourth women's curler inducted into the Golden Hawks Hall of Fame. Wilkes was part of Laurier's CIS (U SPORTS) championship teams in 2008-09, 2010-11 and 2011-12, earning CIS All-Canadian honours three times and representing Canada internationally twice.

A dual-sport athlete, she also helped lead the Golden Hawks women's softball team to national silver in 2008 and its lone national title in 2009.

Wilkes joined skip Rachel Homan's rink during the 2020-21 season, playing second before transitioning to lead. Their victory at the Trials continues a dominant run for a rink that will head to Italy as one of the tournament favourites.

On the men's side, Webster will be a coach at his fifth Olympic Games. Webster was a provincial champion curler for the Golden Hawks in 1994 and 1996 and also competed with the men's rugby program.

Webster's résumé has continued to expand since, including a Brier title in 2025 and receiving a Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Award in November - one of the country's highest coaching honours - recognizing his leadership in helping athletes excel internationally.

He works as a competitive consultant with Curling Canada at its national training centre in Calgary and has served as curling director at The Glencoe Club for the past 14 years.

Team Jacobs enters Milano Cortina with deep Olympic pedigree. Skip Brad Jacobs won gold at Sochi 2014, while Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert were part of Canada's undefeated championship run at Vancouver 2010. Kennedy, now a three-time Olympian, also earned bronze at Beijing 2022 alongside Brett Gallant. 

Canada heads into 2026 as the most decorated curling nation in the world, with 36 men's and 19 women's world titles. The Olympic curling competitions will run Feb. 11–22 at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo.