Brick Memorial State Champion Wrestler Says He Is Gay

by Karen Wall

Alec Donovan, who won a state individual championship in March, has revealed that he is gay, according to reports.

Donovan, a Brick Memorial High School wrestler, told another wrestler that he is gay during a recruiting trip to Limestone College in South Carolina, according to OutSports.

Donovan, who won the 145-pound title and is one of the top wrestlers in his weight class in the country, was 39-1 this season en route to winning the title. He told the Asbury Park Press that while his parents knew and some of his teammates on the Brick Memorial team knew, coming out publicly was a relief.

“I felt I knew where I was in this world and knew the people I trusted. It is who I am,’’ Donovan told the Asbury Park Press late Monday afternoon from San Luis, Obispo, Calif, where he is on a collegiate visit to Cal Poly.

Donovan, who told OutSports he struggled with suicidal thoughts in his freshman year, would be the first person to compete as a publicly out gay NCAA wrestler. He told OutSports he is part of an anti-bullying group at Brick Memorial, working to help those who are bullied and intimidated. And he said he hopes his story will help other high school students who are struggling with who they are.

While more professional and college athletes have spoken up and revealed publicly that they are gay -- Michael Sam gained headlines when he became the first openly gay college football player drafted into the NFL -- few high school athletes do so.

A report by The Washington Post says OutSports reported that in 2014, 108 athletes and sports officials came out publicly from high schools to professional sports.

Garrett Snoeyenbos, a former football player for Vanderbilt and Navy who ended up quitting because he felt uncomfortable with his sexuality in 2012, told OutSports in 2014 that, had a story like Sam’s appeared then, he may have continued on with the game. He came out publicly in March, the Post report said

(Alec Donovan is honored by Brick Township Mayor John Ducey and the Township Council in April for winning a state championship. Credit: Karen Wall)