LA CROSSE, Wisc. - McDaniel College men's wrestling junior Xavier Howard earned his first All-America honor on Friday, posting two wins at the 2024 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships to assure himself of a top eight finish.

Howard is the 11th Green Terror to earn Division III All-America honors and is the second in as many years after Thomas Monn was the first freshman to be named All-American in program history a year ago.

Ranked third in the Mideast Region at 157 pounds and seeded eighth in this year's championship bracket, Howard began the day with a 4-1 win over Tim Smith of Wabash before falling to No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Nolan Hertel of Wisconsin-La Crosse by tech fall in the national quarterfinals.

Facing elimination, Howard posted a 15-13 decision over 11th-ranked Jermaine Butler of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the consolation bracket to earn All-America honors.

With two wins, Howard advanced to the second day of the national championships where he will face No. 4 Ryan Smith of Stevens. Howard can finish no lower than eighth and as high as third.

Meanwhile, senior Jaedyn Harris, ranked 10th in the nation at 197 pounds, was also making his first career appearance at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. He began his day with a 4-2 loss to Roanoke's Lorenzo Pellot who is ranked fifth in the Southeast Region before picking up a 14-10 decision over Baldwin-Wallace's Luke Hopkins in the consolation bracket. Hopkins is ranked third in the Central Region

However, his quest to give McDaniel multiple All-Americans for the first time since 2000 was thwarted by a tough 1-0 loss to No. 2-ranked Coy Spooner from Coast Guard in the second round of the consolation bracket.

Harris finishes his career with a 78-26 career record for a .750 winning percentage. His 78 wins are the 11th-most in program history with 19 of those wins coming by fall.

Competition on day two of the 2024 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships hosted by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse begins at 11 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday.