Jaelin Howell, Seattle Reign FC midfielder, Selected to Compete in Second Annual NWSL Skills Challenge
By Becca Weinberg, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Seattle Reign FC midfielder Jaelin Howell has been announced as a competing athlete in the 2024 NWSL Skills Challenge, presented by CarMax. The second annual event is part of a larger celebration ahead of the 2024 NWSL Championship, and will take place on November 22nd at 3PM PST, at the University of Kansas Health System Training Center.
The competition will include two teams of NWSL stars competing against each other in different skills contests, such as Player Shootouts, the Gauntlet, and the Crossbar Challenge. Howell joins seven other stars that have committed to participate, with the full rosters of both teams to be announced in the coming days. The event will be broadcast live on CBS and hosted by USWNT and NWSL legend Sam Mewis. The winning team will also be awarded a $30,000 prize from CarMax to be split amongst its players.
In the Shootout event, players will attack a goalkeeper in a hockey-style shootout where the attacker can dribble off the starting line and the goalkeeper can leave the goal line to defend. The second event, the Gauntlet, consists of dribbling and agility drills where a player must score into mini-goals of different sizes. The final event, the Crossbar Challenge, will feature teams alternating attempts to hit a goal’s crossbar from various distances.
Seattle Reign FC midfielder Jaelin Howell during the teams win over the North Carolina Courage at Lumen Field on August 25th, 2024. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo)
Howell will be an exciting participant in this year’s event as she has made an immediate impact in the Reign midfield after being acquired by Racing Louisville FC on August 19th, where she was the team’s captain for two seasons. Howell has made 13 starts in 20 appearances this season, and five starts in eight appearances for Seattle. She recorded one assist, 11 shots, 97 duels won, 28 tackles won, 28 clearances, and 22 interceptions in the 2024 regular season. In her NWSL career, Howell has a total of 4,350 minutes played across 57 games.
The 2024 NWSL Championship will kick off the following day, November 23rd, at 5 p.m. PST. Fans will be able to watch live on CBS and Paramount+.
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Check out our previous Seattle Reign FC articles here.
Check out our previous articles with writing by Becca Weinberg here, and her work with Lookout Landing here.
Check out our previous articles with photos by Rio Giancarlo here, and his portfolio here.
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