Mark Fenner
{{short description|American curler}}
{{Infobox curler
| name = Mark Fenner
| image =
| image_size =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|12|16}}
| birth_place = Bemidji, Minnesota
| Curling club = Bemidji CC,
Bemidji, MN{{Cite web|url=https://www.usacurling.org/national-team|title=USA Curling National Team Athletes|website=USA Curling|access-date=May 17, 2024}}
| Skip = Korey Dropkin
| Third = Thomas Howell
| Second = Andrew Stopera
| Lead = Mark Fenner
| Alternate = Chris Plys
| Mixed doubles partner = Delaney Strouse
| Member Association = {{USA}}
| World Championship appearances = 2 ({{WMCC|2022}}, {{WMCC|2025}})
| Pan Continental Championship appearances = 2 ({{PCCC|2022}}, {{PCCC|2023}})
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Curling }}
{{MedalCountry| {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | World Junior Championships }}
{{MedalSilver | {{WJCC|2016|2016 Copenhagen}} | }}
{{MedalCompetition | Pan Continental Curling Championships }}
{{MedalBronze|2022 Calgary | }}
{{MedalCompetition|U.S. Men's Championship }}
{{MedalGold |{{USMCC|2021|2021 Wausau}} | }}
{{MedalGold |2025 Duluth|}}
{{MedalSilver | 2024 East Rutherford | }}
{{MedalBronze | {{USMCC|2023|2023 Denver}} | }}
}}
Mark Fenner (born November 16, 1994) is an American curler originally from Bemidji, Minnesota.{{cite web |title=Mark Fenner |url=https://www.teamusa.org/usa-curling/athletes/mark-fenner |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905081952/http://www.teamusa.org/usa-curling/athletes/Mark-Fenner |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |website=Team USA |access-date=June 3, 2021}} He currently plays lead on Team Korey Dropkin. He is a two-time junior national champion and a two-time mens national champion.
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.{{cite news |last1=Bardsley |first1=Len |title=St. Rose student makes most of Olympic experience |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78888035/profile-of-tom-howell/ |access-date=June 3, 2021 |publisher=The Coast Star |date=April 4, 2013}} 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.{{cite news |last1=Monteith |first1=Austin |title=Fensons share family passion at USA Curling Nationals |url=https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/4414563-fensons-share-family-passion-usa-curling-nationals |access-date=June 3, 2021 |date=March 7, 2018}} 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.{{Cite web|last=Davis|first=Terry|date=May 18, 2018|title=USA CURLING HIGH PERFORMANCE PROGRAM ATHLETES NAMED|url=https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Features/2018/May/18/USA-Curling-High-Performance-Program-athletes-named|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102174429/https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Features/2018/May/18/USA-Curling-High-Performance-Program-athletes-named|archive-date=January 2, 2021|access-date=June 3, 2021|website=USA Curling}} 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.{{cite web |title=Next Gen Curling Stars Take 2021 U.S. Titles |url=https://www.si.com/curling/news/next-gen-curling-stars-take-2021-us-titles |website=Sports Illustrated |access-date=June 3, 2021 |date=May 31, 2021}}{{cite news |title=CURLING: 3 Bemidjians win men's national championship |url=https://news.yahoo.com/curling-3-bemidjians-win-mens-040100159.html |access-date=June 3, 2021 |publisher=Yahoo News |date=May 31, 2021}} 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 {{PCCC|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
Teams
=Men's=
| class="wikitable" |
| scope="col"| Season
! scope="col"| Skip ! scope="col"| Third ! scope="col"| Second ! scope="col"| Lead ! scope="col"| Alternate ! scope="col"| Coach ! scope="col"| Events |
|---|
| scope="row"| 2012–13
| Korey Dropkin || Tom Howell || Mark Fenner || Alex Fenson || Connor Hoge || Keith Dropkin || 2013 USJCC {{Gold1}} |
| scope="row"| 2013–14
| Korey Dropkin || Tom Howell || Mark Fenner || Alex Fenson || || || 2014 USJCC {{Bronze3}}{{cite web |title=2014 USA Junior Men's Championship - Playoffs |url=https://events.curlingzone.com/index.php?task=Event&eventid=3340&skin=2&view=Playoffs |website=CurlingZone |access-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527020805/https://events.curlingzone.com/index.php?task=Event&eventid=3340&skin=2&view=Playoffs |archive-date=May 27, 2020}} |
| scope="row"| 2014–15
| Korey Dropkin || Tom Howell || Mark Fenner || Andrew Stopera || Luc Violette || || 2015 USJCC {{Silver2}} |
| scope="row"| 2015–16
| Korey Dropkin || Tom Howell || Mark Fenner || Alex Fenson || Quinn Evenson ||Wally Henry |
| scope="row"| 2016–17
| Pete Fenson || Jared Zezel || Mark Fenner || Alex Fenson || || || {{USMCC|2017|2017 USMCC}} (5th) |
| scope="row"|2017–18
| Pete Fenson || Shawn Rojeski || Mark Fenner || Alex Fenson || || || {{USMCC|2018|2018 USMCC}} (T6th) |
| scope="row"|2018–19
| Korey Dropkin (fourth) || Tom Howell || Mark Fenner (skip) || Alex Fenson || || || {{USMCC|2019|2019 USMCC}} (4th) |
| scope="row"|2019–20
| Korey Dropkin || Tom Howell || Mark Fenner || Alex Fenson || Joe Polo || || {{USMCC|2020|2020 USMCC}} (5th) |
| scope="row"|2020–21
| Korey Dropkin || Joe Polo || Mark Fenner || Tom Howell || Alex Fenson || || {{USMCC|2021|2021 USMCC}} {{Gold1}} |
| scope="row"| 2021–22
| Korey Dropkin || Joe Polo || Mark Fenner || Tom Howell || Alex Fenson || Tim Solin || 2021 USOCT {{Silver2}} |
| scope="row"| 2022–23
| Korey Dropkin || Andrew Stopera || Mark Fenner || Tom Howell || || Mark Lazar || {{PCCC|2022|2022 PCCC}} {{Bronze3}} |
| scope="row"| 2023–24
| Korey Dropkin (Fourth) || Andrew Stopera (Skip) || Mark Fenner || Tom Howell || || Mark Lazar || {{PCCC|2023|2023 PCCC}} (4th) |
| scope="row"| 2024–25
| Korey Dropkin || Tom Howell || Andrew Stopera || Mark Fenner || Chris Plys (WMCC) || Mark Lazar || {{USMCC|2025|2025 USMCC}} {{Gold1}} |
=Mixed doubles=
| class="wikitable" |
| scope="col"| Season
! scope="col"| Male ! scope="col"| Female ! scope="col"| Events |
|---|
| scope="row"| 2014–15
| Mark Fenner || Tina Persinger || {{USMDCC|2015|2015 USMDCC}} (SF) |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Sports links}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenner, Mark}}
Category:Sportspeople from Bemidji, Minnesota
Category:American male curlers
Category:American curling champions
Category:Sportspeople from Minnesota