University of Sioux Falls Athletics

2013 (FRESHMAN): Redshirted.

HIGH SCHOOL: Played baseball at Juan Diego High, a program that finished runner-up in the 3A tournament in 2012...the Soaring Eagles won the three previous state championships...was hitting .545 with seven doubles and one home run before a health condition prevented Howa from playing out the final half of his senior year.

PERSONAL: Son of Curtis and Dawn Howa...has one sister, Mackenzie (15)...graduated with a GPA of 3.74...has been honored with several awards away from the diamond, including the Excellence in Technology award and the Dorothy Day Award (100 hours of service to the community)...Since he was 8 years old, Howa has invested extra time and energy into Swing For Life, a charity started by his aunt Kathy Howa after she was diagnosed with breast cancer...Kathy Howa estimates her nephew has raised $21,000 for cancer research over the last decade, contributing by setting up "pink games" at his school, creating screens for T-shirts and most recently overhauling the charity website...he has also dedicated time to other various causes, including painting an animal shelter and helping out at a rehabilitation center for women...favorite athlete is Albert Pujols...enjoys riding dirt bikes, hunting and fishing...majors are math and computer science. 

Why Matt Chose USF: "I chose the University of Sioux Falls because of the close knit student body, the interactivity of the coaches and instructors and because of how I feel about the overall good vibe of the institution."