Wall of Distinction 2025: Curling skip Steinke won a national title and three-straight AOY awards

Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

This is the first of three features on the inductees into the MacEwan Griffins' 2025 Wall of Distinction class, who will be celebrated at the department's annual Awards Gala on Saturday.

TODAY: Jordan Steinke, curling (2011-15)

EDMONTON – In the 50-year history of Griffins Athletics, an exclusive group of only 10 student-athletes have won a Griffins Athlete of the Year award (across all sports) at least twice in their careers.

Even smaller is the list of those who've won two in a row (7).

We're getting into ultra-exclusive territory to find a list of those who've won it three times (2).

But only one former Griffin can stake a claim to winning that honour in three-consecutive years.

Curler Jordan Steinke.

So, it's no surprise that the talented skip is getting his due with the ultimate MacEwan Griffins' honour – an induction into the Wall of Distinction as part of the 2025 class, which will be celebrated at the department's annual Athletics Awards Gala on Saturday.

"That's very cool," said Steinke, who will be the first MacEwan curler to go into the Wall of Distinction. "I was actually kind of thinking about it a year ago right when I finished (my competitive curling career).

"I was kind of hoping to receive the call. It's very cool to actually see that come to light. It's been a long time, but I always remember my time at MacEwan very fondly."

Steinke achieved the unprecedented three-in-a-row feat when he was named MacEwan Male Athlete of the Year in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.

For the third straight year Jordan Steinke is your male athlete of the year! #gogriffsgo

— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) March 27, 2015

The only other Griffins student-athlete to win the honour three times is already in the Wall of Distinction – basketball star Darren Ross, who was the top MacEwan Male Athlete in 1988-89, 1990-91 and 1992-93.

The wild thing about the three-in-a-row run for Steinke – whose career at MacEwan included CCAA gold and silver medals – is he was never once able to pick up one of those Athlete of the Year awards in person.

"Nationals was almost always during the banquet, so I've only actually been to one banquet," he said. "It was usually just a phone call and congratulations, and I'd go talk to the Athletics Director. Actually, the year I was able to attend I didn't win it, so as far as I remember I was never on stage. 

"It's really awesome," added Steinke, who was also named Most Outstanding Griffins men's curler for four-straight years – an awards table feat that has only been accomplished by two other athletes in their respective sports in MacEwan history (Trevor Norton, men's volleyball, 1981-85, and Cassidy Kinsella, women's volleyball, 2014-18). 

"Obviously curling's a team game and I brought in my team from when I curled competitively in juniors to play with me. It made it a little bit easier to succeed at MacEwan having a really good team around me."

Hailing from Dawson Creek, B.C., Steinke brought junior teammates Jason Ginter, brother Tristan Steinke and Brett Winfield with him to MacEwan and the result was a dynasty, highlighted by a national championship in 2013-14.

Jordan Steinke, Tristan Steinke, Winfield, Ben Bissell and Kristian Bush captured the one and only CCAA national championship banner in MacEwan curling history, which began in 1977 and ran until it was discontinued following the 2019-20 season.

The Griffins' 2013-14 CCAA national champion men's team (from left): Kristian Bush, Ben Bissell, Brett Winfield, Tristan Steinke and Jordan Steinke.

"We went to the Sault," said Jordan Steinke of the 2014 CCAA Championship. "I just remember being on a mission. We kind of rolled through everyone, to be honest with you. We were playing very strongly. 

"I don't remember what Tom (Kitagawa, head coach) said exactly, but my parents weren't able to make it, and the other parents called my parents and basically said, 'yeah, they're just on a mission this week. It looks like it's going to happen.'

"Not to be cocky, but I don't remember even having a close game, to be honest with you. We were really playing well. It was a tough year because I remember barely making it to nationals."

They survived a nerve-racking bronze medal match at the ACAC Championship in Lac La Biche, Alta. to qualify for nationals by the skin of their teeth. It was the third time Steinke was part of a team that won an ACAC bronze medal, but never a provincial title.

"We really struggled in Portage and barely beat a really good Augustana team to get third," he recalled. "Only the top three teams got to go to nationals. Whatever happened in those 6-8 weeks leading up to (nationals), we really turned on the jets and were cruising."

Jordan Steinke ponders a shot during the 2014 ACAC Curling Championship. The Griffins finished third, just booking their spot at nationals by the skin of their teeth (Len Joudrey photo).

In the round robin in Sault, they dusted Portage, Fleming, Fanshawe, host Sault, Mohawk, Humber and rival NAIT, outscoring their opponents by a combined 53-26 score in the seven games.

"They always talk about peaking at the right time," said Steinke. "You'll see a lot of high-end curlers right now who don't play as much early in the year, they play a lot leading up to it, but take breaks going in. It's really about peaking at the right time. Clearly, we were doing something right."

That led to the final, where the Ooks and skip Matt Brown were waiting as the giant that needed to be slayed. Brown and crew edged Steinke's team 7-6 in the CCAA final a year earlier at the Avonair. 

However, it wasn't as much thoughts of their 2012-13 battle creeping in; rather it was a more recent memory – how badly Steinke's team beat them in the round robin, an 8-2 rout.

"In curling, you play a round-robin beforehand, and we beat them up really good," recalled Steinke. "I think I made a triple in the first end of the round robin (game) to go way up, 4-0 on them right away. So, we kind of crushed them in the round robin. 

"I just remember (in the final) we weren't going to get stopped basically. I think we only played nine ends. The final was pretty close. I think we grabbed a couple late. But it wasn't a nail-biter. We were playing so well that it would have been tough to stop us."

The result was a 7-4 MacEwan win and a banner to bring home. Both Steinke brothers were named to the tournament all-star team.

"Very cool," said Jordan when asked what it was like to play with his brother. "I just saw the pictures on Facebook (last week) of our 11-year anniversary."

It marked the second-straight year Jordan Steinke was part of a CCAA medal-winning team after claiming silver with teammates Ginter, Brett Hilker and Bissell in 2012-13.

"We were a very strong team overall," he said. "Sometimes in curling, you're a little bit outmatched. You never like to lose, but you understand. I've played (Brad) Gushue and (Kevin) Martin, and a lot of the big guys. You don't expect to beat them. You just expect to play well, and the losses are slightly easier to swallow knowing you're playing world champions. 

"In ACAC, I felt like we should never lose. And we didn't very often, which is nice."

Steinke was named ACAC Curler of the Year twice (2011-12 and 2014-15), and both were in seasons his rink didn't win a CCAA medal, proving how dominant he was in all four of his years with the Griffins, picking up at least one accolade every year. 

Jordan Steinke's rinks were a force to be reckoned with in the ACAC from 2011-15 (Len Joudrey photo).

After graduating from MacEwan with an accounting degree, he pressed on for his CPA and is currently a controller for a large mechanical company in Grande Prairie. 

But even more importantly, his MacEwan experience included meeting his wife Sydney Lewko, who was also on the Griffins curling team, winning an ACAC Women's Championship with skip Krista Hilker in 2013-14 to go along with two ACAC all-star team nods.

The couple has two young children now, so Steinke has stepped back this season from a competitive curling career that included six appearances at the Alberta provincials, the last as a lead for Scott Webb's team in 2024 with brother Tristan playing third. 

Curling now is just for fun.

"Actually, I'm curling with Brett (Winfield)," he said. "We do something called the Peace Curling Tour up here. Also on the team is my dad and Kenton Maschmeyer, who was the third on NAIT who won nationals."

Thus is the journey of curling at all levels, which includes the special camaraderie between teammates that is never forgotten. 

As Steinke goes into the Griffins Wall of Distinction, he's bringing his teammates with him in spirit.

"They're my best friends, for starters," he said. "They were all part of my wedding party later on in life. I curled with them growing up from when I was 15 onward. Life was easy with them. Obviously curling's a lot about chemistry. 

"Curling with your best buds and winning was a lot of fun."