J-M grad Howard repeats as All-American
Brendan Howard talked about not having “closure’ when his chance to compete in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships was taken away thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown senior did get a portion of that closure when he was recently named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division II All-America team.
“I think it’s the least the NCAA can do for some of the top guys seeded in the tournament,” said Howard, who was honored in the 125-pound weight class, where he was seeded third in the national tournament with a sparkling 27-2 record. “It’s fine. I like it.
“Out top-seeded guy, going for his third national title (Jacob Ealy at 141), didn’t get that chance so it was good to see him get All-American also.”
It was the second time Howard, a Jefferson-Morgan graduate, earned All-America status.
“I’m proud of that,” Howard said. “Any time you can do that in any sport it’s a big deal. A lot of hard work was put into that. To do it twice, it’s amazing.”
Like everyone else, Howard is trying to deal with the coronavirus situation as best he can, staying isolated and taking online classes.
“To be honest, I’m in my bed eating McDonald’s right now,” he said with a laugh. “I just got done with my classes yesterday. When I transferred from Clarion (after his freshman year) a lot of credits didn’t transfer over to UPJ, so I have one more semester in the fall, three more classes to take.”
A psychology major, Howard hopes the pandemic lifts before summer ends.
“If we do have it where we can actually be on campus at that point, I’ll probably be helping out coaching next year’s team (as a volunteer assistant),” said Howard, who noted that coaching the sport he loves and excelled at could be in his future.
“Definitely. I was coaching a lot of kids around the Johnstown area from like eighth grade up to high school, helping them out and doing some private sessions with them,” Howard said. “I really see progress in a short amount of time with these kids.
“It’s an option in the future.”