Kearney, Neb. -- Crew Howard, a graduate student at Nebraska Kearney, is the recipient of the Elite Scholar-Athlete award for the 2026 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship.

Howard (Clarinda, Ia.) graduated last May with a 4.00 in Business Administration and currently has a 4.00 working towards an MBA. The heavyweight was presented with the award prior to the second session Friday night (March 12) in Sioux Falls, S.D. He is the second Loper to win this honor, following Josh Portillo at the 2021 meet in St. Louis. 

The Elite Scholar-Athlete award recognizes the true essence of student-athletes by honoring the individuals who have reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in their sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among their peers. The Elite Scholar-Athlete award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships.

Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above academically who have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. All ties are broken based on the number of credits completed.

For more information on the Elite Scholar-Athlete award winners, log on to https://www.ncaa.org/elitescholarathlete.