On Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017, Pennridge senior Austin Howell was recognized for signing a letter of intent to compete in track at the University of Iowa. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Austin Howell – University of Iowa (Track)
Major: Communications
Final list of colleges: Iowa, Purdue, Nebraska, Miami, TCU, Texas, Penn State, Oklahoma
Reasons for choosing Iowa: “The program is awesome, and I love coach (Jason) Wakenight and coach (Joey) Woody – they’re awesome coaches. I kind of wanted to stay close to home, but I found out the only way to get better is to go far where the better programs are, and that’s what Iowa is – the better program.
“It’s a beautiful campus, and the facilities are awesome. They just got a brand new indoor facility with the fastest track in the world.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track at the collegiate level? “Freshman year I brought three medals back from states, and that’s when I knew – I thought I was going to be good at it. I just did it for fun in middle school, and then it started to get serious.”
Coach Bob Hosier says: “You can really sum it up pretty simply. Of all the great athletes we’ve had here at Pennridge at track, he is the first one to have the opportunity to be a four-year medal winner at the state level in indoor and outdoor because he did it as a freshman. That just tells you how good his career has been. He has a bunch of state medals for indoor and outdoor in his pocket, and we’re hoping for some more.
“He has great natural ability. He’s one of those guys – he’s so fluid you think he’s loafing all the time, and then you look at the watch, and the watch doesn’t lie. He’s very smooth, he’s strong, and he’s dedicated. This was his sport.”
About Austin:
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite TV show: Dexter
Favorite movie: Interstellar
Favorite music: Hip Hop
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