Mark Fenner

Last updated
Mark Fenner
Born (1994-12-16) December 16, 1994 (age 30)
Team
Curling club Bemidji CC,
Bemidji, MN [1]
Skip Korey Dropkin
Third Thomas Howell
Second Andrew Stopera
Lead Mark Fenner
Alternate Chris Plys
Mixed doubles
partner
Delaney Strouse
Curling career Curling pictogram.svg
Member AssociationFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Championship
appearances
2 (2022, 2025)
Pan Continental Championship
appearances
2 (2022, 2023)
Medal record
Curling
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Junior Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2016 Copenhagen
Pan Continental Curling Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2022 Calgary
U.S. Men's Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2021 Wausau
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2025 Duluth
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2024 East Rutherford
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2023 Denver

Mark Fenner (born November 16, 1994) is an American curler originally from Bemidji, Minnesota. [2] He currently plays lead on Team Korey Dropkin. He is a two-time junior national champion and a two-time mens national champion.

Contents

Curling career

In juniors, Fenner played second for skip Korey Dropkin, medalling four years in a row at the United States Junior Curling Championships. This included two gold medals in 2013 and 2016. The team also consisted of Tom Howell at third and Alex Fenson at lead, except for the 2014–15 season when Andrew Stopera played lead. At the 2013 World Junior Curling Championships in Sochi, Russia, they finished in seventh place with a record of 4–5. [3] At their second trip to the World Juniors in 2016, they found more success, finishing the round-robin in first place with a record of 8–1. In the 1 vs 2 page playoff game they lost to Bruce Mouat's Team Scotland, but they defeated Switzerland's Yannick Schwaller in the semifinal to face Scotland again in the championship game. Fenner and Team United States lost to Mouat again in the final, to finish with the silver medal.

Upon moving from juniors to men's, Fenner and Alex Fenson played as the front end for Pete Fenson for two seasons. Pete Fenson, Alex's father, is also an Olympian and seven-time national champion. [4] During these two seasons, from 2016 to 2018, Dropkin and Howell played as the front end for Heath McCormick, but for the 2018–19 season Dropkin, Howell, Fenner, and Fenson reunited to compete together again. [5] The next season Team Dropkin brought on Joe Polo, a highly experienced curler who was the alternate on the gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Winter Olympics, as a fifth teammate and experimented with various lineups throughout the season. The five-person team found success at the 2021 US Men's Championship, finishing the round-robin in first place with a 7–2 record. In the playoffs, Team Dropkin defeated Jed Brundidge's team in the 1 vs 2 page playoff game and then again in the final to secure their first Men's National Championship. [6] [7] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Championship was conducted after the 2021 World Men's Championship so Team Dropkin will not represent the United States at World's, but they did secure a spot at the Olympic Trials in the fall of 2021.

The Dropkin team parted ways with Polo during the 2022–23 season, and picked up junior teammate Stopera. The team had good success, winning a bronze medal at the 2022 Pan Continental Curling Championships, and finishing fourth in 2023. The rink won their first men's national title together at the 2025 United States Men's Curling Championship, representing USA at the 2025 World Men's Curling Championship. At the 2025 Worlds, the team went 4-8 after the round robin, finishing a disappointing 11th place.

Personal life

Fenner currently works as a bartender and lives in Richfield, Minnesota. [8]

Teams

Men's

SeasonSkipThirdSecondLeadAlternateCoachEvents
2012–13 Korey Dropkin Tom Howell Mark Fenner Alex Fenson Connor HogeKeith Dropkin 2013 USJCC Gold medal icon.svg
2013 WJCC (7th)
2013–14Korey DropkinTom HowellMark FennerAlex Fenson2014 USJCC Bronze medal icon.svg [9]
2014–15Korey DropkinTom HowellMark Fenner Andrew Stopera Luc Violette 2015 USJCC Silver medal icon.svg
2015 USMCC (6th)
2015–16Korey DropkinTom HowellMark FennerAlex FensonQuinn EvensonWally Henry
(WJCC)
2016 USMCC (4th)
2016 USJCC Gold medal icon.svg
2016 WJCC Silver medal icon.svg
2016–17 Pete Fenson Jared Zezel Mark FennerAlex Fenson 2017 USMCC (5th)
2017–18Pete Fenson Shawn Rojeski Mark FennerAlex Fenson 2018 USMCC (T6th)
2018–19Korey Dropkin (fourth)Tom HowellMark Fenner (skip)Alex Fenson 2019 USMCC (4th)
2019–20Korey DropkinTom HowellMark FennerAlex Fenson Joe Polo 2020 USMCC (5th)
2020–21Korey DropkinJoe PoloMark FennerTom HowellAlex Fenson 2021 USMCC Gold medal icon.svg
2021–22Korey DropkinJoe PoloMark FennerTom HowellAlex Fenson Tim Solin 2021 USOCT Silver medal icon.svg
2022 WCC (4th)
2022–23Korey DropkinAndrew StoperaMark FennerTom Howell Mark Lazar 2022 PCCC Bronze medal icon.svg
2023 USMCC Bronze medal icon.svg
2023–24Korey Dropkin (Fourth)Andrew Stopera (Skip)Mark FennerTom HowellMark Lazar 2023 PCCC (4th)
2024 USMCC Silver medal icon.svg
2024–25Korey DropkinTom HowellAndrew StoperaMark Fenner Chris Plys (WMCC)Mark Lazar 2025 USMCC Gold medal icon.svg
2025 WMCC (11th)

Mixed doubles

SeasonMaleFemaleEvents
2014–15Mark FennerTina Persinger 2015 USMDCC (SF)

References

  1. "USA Curling National Team Athletes". USA Curling. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  2. "Mark Fenner". Team USA. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  3. Bardsley, Len (April 4, 2013). "St. Rose student makes most of Olympic experience". The Coast Star. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  4. Monteith, Austin (March 7, 2018). "Fensons share family passion at USA Curling Nationals" . Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  5. Davis, Terry (May 18, 2018). "USA CURLING HIGH PERFORMANCE PROGRAM ATHLETES NAMED". USA Curling. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  6. "Next Gen Curling Stars Take 2021 U.S. Titles". Sports Illustrated. May 31, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  7. "CURLING: 3 Bemidjians win men's national championship". Yahoo News. May 31, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  8. "2025 World Men's Curling Championship Media Guide" (PDF). Curling Canada. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  9. "2014 USA Junior Men's Championship - Playoffs". CurlingZone. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.