Thomas Howell (curler)

Last updated

Thomas Howell
Born (1994-10-14) October 14, 1994 (age 30)
Team
Curling club Kettle Moraine CC,
Delafield, WI [1]
Skip Korey Dropkin
Third Thomas Howell
Second Andrew Stopera
Lead Mark Fenner
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)
Other appearances Winter Universiade: 1 (2013),
World Junior Championships: 3 (2012, 2013, 2016)
Medal record
Curling
World Junior Curling Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2016 Copenhagen
Pan Continental Curling Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2022 Calgary
United States 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 2018 Fargo
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2024 East Rutherford
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2023 Denver

Thomas "Tom" Howell (born October 14, 1994) is an American curler from Bentleyville, Ohio. He currently plays third on Team Korey Dropkin.

Contents

Curling career

Juniors

As a junior curler, Howell won three United States Junior Curling Championships, in 2012, 2013, and 2016. [2] As such, he played for the United States at three World Junior Curling Championships, notably finishing 5th at the 2012 World Junior Curling Championships and 7th at the 2013 World Junior Curling Championships.

Howell was a member of the U.S. team at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, playing second on a team that included Korey Dropkin, Sarah Anderson, and Taylor Anderson. The team finished 5th at the event; after going undefeated in the round-robin, they were eliminated in the quarter-final against Italy.

Howell also represented the United States at the 2013 Winter Universiade, as the alternate for the Chris Plys's team. That team finished in 5th place.

Men's

On the World Curling Tour, Howell, as a member of the Dropkin rink, has been a regular at events held in the U.S., playing in his first event at the 2010 Laphroaig Scotch Open at the age of 16. Howell won his first Tour event by winning the 2014 Twin Cities Open.

From 2016-18, Howell and Dropkin joined the Heath McCormick rink, with Plys at third and Dropkin at second. During Howell's second season with Team McCormick, he won his first medal at the United States Men's Championship, earning silver when they lost to Greg Persinger's team in the final.

In 2021, Howell won his first United States Men's Curling Championship, which was postponed until after that year's Worlds due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following season, he finished runner-up at the 2021 United States Olympic Curling Trials, after losing to the defending Olympic champion John Shuster rink in the final. As the 2022 US nationals were cancelled due to the pandemic, Dropkin's rink was invited to represent the US at the 2022 World Men's Curling Championship, where Howell and the Dropkin rink finished in fourth.

Dropkin and Howell formed a new team in the 2022-23 season, joining former junior teammates Stopera and Fenner. 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.


Teams

Men's

SeasonSkipThirdSecondLeadAlternateCoachEvents
2009–10 [3] Stephen Dropkin Korey Dropkin Tom HowellRyan McMakinCameron Ross2010 USJCC (4th)
2010–11 [4] Stephen DropkinKorey DropkinTom HowellDerek CorbettCameron Ross2011 USJCC Silver medal icon.svg [5]
2011–12Stephen DropkinKorey DropkinTom HowellDerek CorbettCameron RossSandra McMakin 2012 USJCC Gold medal icon.svg
2012 WJCC (5th)
2012–13Korey DropkinTom Howell Mark Fenner Alex Fenson Connor Hoge Keith Dropkin 2013 USJCC Gold medal icon.svg
2013 WJCC (7th)
2013–14 Chris Plys Stephen Dropkin Sean Beighton Korey DropkinTom Howell Phill Drobnick 2013 WUG (5th) [6]
Korey DropkinTom HowellMark FennerAlex Fenson2014 USJCC Bronze medal icon.svg [7]
2014–15Korey DropkinTom HowellMark Fenner Andrew Stopera Luc Violette 2015 USJCC Silver medal icon.svg
2015 USMCC (6th)
2015–16Korey DropkinTom HowellMark FennerAlex FensonQuinn Evenson Wally Henry (WJCC) 2016 USMCC (4th)
2016 USJCC Gold medal icon.svg
2016 WJCC Silver medal icon.svg
2016–17 Heath McCormick Chris PlysKorey DropkinTom Howell 2017 USMCC (6th)
2017–18Heath McCormickChris PlysKorey DropkinTom Howell 2018 USMCC Silver medal icon.svg
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 FennerMark Lazar 2025 USMCC Gold medal icon.svg
2025 WMCC (TBD)

Mixed

SeasonSkipThirdSecondLeadCoachEvents
2011–12 Korey Dropkin Sarah Anderson Thomas Howell Taylor Anderson Wally Henry 2012 WYOG (5th) [8]

Mixed doubles

SeasonMaleFemaleCoachEvents
2011–12 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Yang Ying Flag of the United States.svg Thomas Howell Li Hongchen 2012 WYOG (9th) [9]

References

  1. "USA Curling National Team Athletes". USA Curling. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  2. "Southborough brothers curl for gold in Alaska". My Southborough. January 28, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  3. "Field set for 2010 U.S. Junior Nationals". USA Curling. January 14, 2010. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  4. "CURLING: Field set for 2011 USA Curling Junior Nationals in Fairbanks". Team USA. January 5, 2011. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  5. "Wisconsin women, Minnesota men win 2011 Junir Nationals". USA Curling. February 6, 2011. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  6. "XXVI. Winter Universiade 2013". World Curling Federation. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  7. "2014 USA Junior Men's Championship - Playoffs". CurlingZone. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  8. "1st Winter Youth Olympic Games 2012 – Mixed team". World Curling Federation. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  9. "1st Winter Youth Olympic Games 2012 – Mixed doubles". World Curling Federation. Retrieved April 22, 2021.