Cassia Zammit

by Samantha Hauff

“One match at a time” is the mantra of Presbyterian College’s Women’s Wrestling team.

It was also the philosophy that guided three freshmen – Maddie Kubicki, Cassia Zammit, and Henlee Haynes – to success in last month’s third annual National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and earned each of them All-American honors.

Maddie Kubicki

The Blue Hose concluded their season by finishing eighth in the country. Kubicki, a freshman from Kansas City, Mo., place fourth nationally at 143 pounds. Zammit, who hails from Miamisburg, Ohio, finished fifth in the country at 130 pounds, and Haynes, from Panama City, Fla., placed eighth at 170 pounds.

“It is a monumental achievement for our women’s wrestling program, a program that has only competed for five years, to be eighth in the country,” said PC athletic director Dee Nichols. “It is a proud moment for PC Athletics and the first DI women’s wrestling program that personifies the Blue Hose Championship Spirit. These accomplishments reflect the caliber of student-athletes at PC and speaks volumes about the work ethic, devotion, and teamwork by the women’s team.”

As a team, the Blue Hose’ eighth-place finish ranked them higher than approximately 80 other NCAA teams – a notable feat by a young program that qualified seven athletes for the tournament.

PC president Dr. Anita Gustafson extended her congratulations to the team by inviting the team to her office once they returned to campus.

“How marvelous that our women’s wrestling team placed eighth in the nation!” she said. “I am so proud of their accomplishments as they gained this national recognition. I applaud Madeline Kubicki, Cassia Zammit, and Henlee Haynes for being named All-Americans, a significant honor for them as individuals, as members of their team, and as representatives of Presbyterian College. Women’s wrestling is putting PC on the map as one of the premier programs in the country.”

At the forefront of this accomplishment were three standout true freshmen who attribute their young success to all of their teammates, who push them and motivate them in the practice room.

“We aren’t just pushing each other for our own sake, we’re pushing each other because we want our teammates to be the best they can be,” said Haynes.

Their relative inexperience on the college scene did not intimidate or inhibit them from success, because all the barriers and invisible borderlines of being an underclassman, upperclassmen, or graduate student disappear on the mat.

“We don’t really see ourselves as freshmen whenever we’re wrestling,” said Kubicki. “We’re each equal to the other person that’s across the mat from us and we all just go out there and wrestle the hardest that we can. There is no difference when you’re wrestling someone else; you’re both trying to accomplish the same thing and just seeing who’s training and technique ends up coming out on the higher end at the end of the match.”

Stepping out on the mat in Cedar Rapids was a brand-new experience for each of these athletes. Although each are decorated wrestlers who attended large events in high school, this was the first taste of competing at a very high level as a college athlete.

“I don’t think the tournament really hit me until I was actually there,” said Zammit. “There was a ‘whoa’ moment for me when we arrived. Of course, we’ve been to big places like high school state championships or the Fargo High School national tournament, but this was different. It was just nothing like I’ve experienced.”

The Blue Hose welcomed the pressure though and used it to their advantage no matter who or what stands in their way. One highlight of the tournament was an upset by Haynes against Iowa’s Haley Ward, which set the pace for all of the PC wrestlers at the tournament.

“After that match, I said ‘Okay, I’m in this’ and then I was able to erase the weight of the ‘big names’ in my bracket and just wrestle,” said Haynes.

Not only was it a pivotal moment for Haynes, it was a moment to remember for the whole team.

“One of my favorite memories was Henlee’s match,” said Zammit. “The team was in a little circle and we all watched Henlee’s match where she beat a really good athlete. It was a nice team experience because we were all jumping up and down super excited. It just made me feel very loved and showed how this team is really supportive of each other and constantly cheering each other on.”

On the subject of excitement, wrestlers were witness to head coach Brian Vutianitis’ own “jumping for joy” moments during every big win at the tournament.

“I loved seeing Coach V’s reaction to my semifinals match,” said Kubicki. “He’s always jumping up and down and cheering. That just shows how excited he is for us and how proud he is of us because we succeeded despite everything that we’ve dealt with throughout the course of the season.”

Each of the All-Americans attribute their success to positive coaching and teammates who put their nose to the grindstone each and every practice.

“I couldn’t ask for a better environment and better relationships in my life after coming here,” said Haynes. “Building this team for us is for us as people AND athletes, not JUST athletes. I think that was a really big thing for me.”

What’s next for PC Women’s Wrestling?

The Blue Hose believe the sky’s the limit to what their program can achieve. As the program grows and transforms, they only seem to be getting better each and every year.

“We’re just getting started,” said Zammit. “We have a multitude of girls coming in from all different backgrounds and they are all extremely talented. Athletic wise, I think we’re going to excel very quickly.”

The wrestlers all extend their gratitude for the opportunity to wrestle at PC and looks forward to future goals, using their All-American titles as a stepping stone to launch the remainder of their college wrestling careers.

Henlee Haynes