In a city where politics reign supreme and the local sports teams are plagued by mediocrity, Josh Glenn is an anomaly.
The American University junior made school history last weekend in Auburn Hills, Mich., when he won the NCAA wrestling title in the 197-pound weight class, becoming the first AU athlete in 40 years to take home a national title. Glenn is the university's first wrestling national champion, something the D.C.-area hasn't produced since 1969 when Gobel Kline brought the title to the University of Maryland.
Yet, for a guy who fought his way onto the national stage and into the city's athletic spotlight, Glenn would rather look ahead than bask in the attention of the moment.
"I'm not much of a limelight kind of guy," Glenn says. "I know this is great for the program and great for the university, but I can't really allow myself to get too wrapped up in it. I'm still a junior; I still have another year of trying to become a two-time national champion."
Glenn's goal-oriented focus has brought him much success in his three-year wrestling career at AU, where he won the EIWA Freshman of the Year award in his first season, and a trip to the NCAAs in last year where he placed fourth in his weight class.
"After I lost last year, it kept me hungry," Glenn said. "I knew I was so close and failed, and I was able to utilize that energy this time around."
Glenn's 2006-2007 campaign has proven to be a career-year, as he spent the entire season ranked in the top ten nationally en route to a 27-1 record. His 6-4 victory in the national title match over Iowa State's Kurt Backes highlighted a season in which he helped AU take a school-best 17th place team finish at the NCAA Championships, and earned the EIWA Wrestler of the Year award.
Regardless of the individual accolades and team success, the two-time All-American has stayed focused on where improvements can be made.
"As the team leader, I'm the harshest critic," Glenn, who is one of American's three team captains, said. "We wrestled tough, but we could have wrestled tougher. I still made technical mistakes. Now's the point in time to figure out what we did wrong and fix it."
AU head coach Mark Cody believes that Glenn's attitude and work ethic helped anchor the team.
"He's a great leader and that's what sets him apart from his competitors," Cody said. "He works as hard as anybody in the country, and he never gives less than 100 percent everyday."
Despite a recent media slew glorifying his achievement in The Washington Post and on NBC News 4 and Comcast Sports Net, Glenn has already turned his attention to what comes next.
"Now my goal is to be a two-timer and win back-to-back national titles," Glenn said. "I can't sit here and let all the distractions get to me. I'm only 50 percent of the way there"
