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Although there weren’t any Cougar wrestlers at this year’s Class 4A State tournament, a talented Niwot student had the crowd buzzing before the championship finals nevertheless.

On the final night of the three-day tournament, Niwot junior and home crowd favorite Ellie Brown brought members of the overflow Pepsi Center crowd to their feet with her uniquely beautiful rendition of the national anthem.

“Ellie is such a gifted singer, and she has done such an amazing job for us here at Niwot, I thought she would be an excellent candidate on CHSAA's biggest stage,” Niwot athletic director Chase McBride said. “I was proud she could be there to represent Niwot High School, and the community of Niwot.”

Brown wasn’t nervous before what was arguably the biggest performance of her nascent singing career.

“I don’t get nervous in front of big crowds,” Brown said. She also performed the national anthem for the CHSAA State Volleyball tournament last fall at the Denver Coliseum. “I thought I would be nervous when I got there, but I wasn’t.”

Instead, Brown said she tends to tense up when performing in front of friends and family, as she does regularly for Niwot home sporting events.

“Even singing at basketball or volleyball games, since it’s my friends, I tend to get a little more nervous,” Brown said. “But people that I don’t know? I don’t really feel very nervous.”

Ever since she can remember, Brown has loved music and singing. Fostered by her musically inclined family — both her father and aunts sing and play instruments — Brown’s talent was evident early on. Since elementary school, she has been active in choir and musical theatre, but she has never had any formal voice training. Even so, she took second in the Longmont Idol competition as an eighth grader, and she even made it to the second round during a recent audition for The Voice.

Dustin Price Photos Niwot junior Ellie Brown posed with her Dad before singing the national anthem at the Championship finals for the Colorado State Wrestling tournament.

When she’s not singing or performing, Brown is an active member of several Niwot High clubs and programs, including Mwebaza Club, Link Crew, and Mock Trial, where she helps her mom Aimee Brown, who has been a Niwot counselor for nine years. Unlike many teenagers, Brown enjoys spending her days with Mom close by.

“I actually love it,” she said. “I have a good relationship with all of the staff members, which makes it even nicer.”

Though her singing is attracting attention locally, Brown isn’t harboring a secret yearning for pop stardom. After graduation next year, she hopes to attend college somewhere “warm” and would like to open her own coffee shop someday.

“It’s been my dream to be on American Idol ever since I was little, but I think it’s changed from something that it was,” Brown said. “I’ve thought about trying out for other shows, but I like singing more just for me.”