Mike Peplinski

Mike Peplinski was a vice-skip on Team Somerville at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. Peplinski was on the team champions at the 1994 World Challenge Round and was named the USOC male curler of the year. He was runner-up at the 2000 US Nationals, and was the 1994-95 US Junior Nationals champion.

Peplinski worked as an elementary school teacher in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, after graduating from Viterbo College in Wisconsin. His 1998 Olympic appearance was remarkable as Peplinski had a chronic kidney disease, idiopathic membranous nephropathy, and underwent a kidney transplant only four months after the Nagano Olympics. The kidney was donated by his father-in-law.