A high-school wrestler shows college coaches what she can do

For video of Kiley Hubby in practice, click here.

Kiley Hubby dreams of wrestling in college.

Last month Hubby came one step closer to turning that dream into a reality.

The standout member of the Glacier Peak High School girls wrestling team gave college coaches a glimpse of her abilities when she won her division at the Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions.

Hubby, a sophomore, won the 161-pound bracket of the High School Varsity division at the tournament, which took place Dec. 15-16 in Rocklin, California.

But this tournament was about more than just winning. The Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions featured both college and high school divisions, meaning top college teams from throughout the west were present. Therefore, Hubby not only came home with a trophy, she also gained valuable exposure to coaches from one of college’s fastest growing sports.

“I think I did pretty well,” Hubby said about her performance. “There were a few matches where I didn’t wrestle how I normally do, but I kept my mentality the same.

“While we were wrestling or warming up the college wrestlers were going against each other,” Hubby added. “It was cool to see the college wrestlers and how they wrestled, and I was just able to compare myself to them and get to know the coaching style, get a feel for each of the schools that were there.”

Hubby was one of two wrestlers from the Snohomish-based Bad Draw Wrestling Club who competed at the Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions. Joessie Gonzales, a senior at Snohomish High School, placed fifth in the 132-pound bracket. Hubby and Gonzales were the only participants from Washington in the High School Varsity division of the tournament, which was attended primarily by wrestlers from California, but also a handful from other western states.

Hubby was already an accomplished wrestler prior to heading to Rocklin. Hubby began wrestling in fourth grade after her younger brother, Jake, joined Bad Draw. Hubby, a standout softball player, originally stuck with wrestling to get stronger for softball. But as time went on she began to love the sport, and just a couple months ago she decided to drop her travel softball team so she can concentrate on wrestling.

Even before committing to wrestling full-time, Hubby was making a name for herself. Her most notable accomplishment came last April when she beat former national champion Jerzie Estrada of Colorado to claim the 15-under 142-pound title at the World of Wrestling Reno World Championships. Last year as a freshman at Glacier Peak she placed third at the state meet at 140 pounds.

“It’s her positive attitude,” Bad Draw coach Adam Aney said when asked about the keys to Hubby’s success. “And she’s a worker. She will outwork anyone in the wrestling room, boy or girl. She stays focused and she’s driven.”

Hubby wrestled five matches in Rocklin, winning them all despite not having a coach present. In the finals she faced Yelena Maroyed of Bella Vista, California, considered the favorite in the 19-wrestler bracket after medaling at the California high school state meet last year. Hubby trailed Maroyed 2-0 through most of the match, but in the last 20 seconds of the final round Hubby got a takedown and near-fall points to pull out the come-from-behind 6-2 victory.

“It was a great feeling,” Hubby said. “I was really happy because in the middle of the match I didn’t think I was going to be able to win that last one. But I just kept going. It was tough because she was way stronger than me and I’m not used to facing girls like that. I felt like I had to battle a lot more with that match than I have with a lot of my other ones.”

The tournament also gave Hubby a chance to network. Among the schools that took part in the college competition were Simon Fraser, which finished second at last year’s Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association national championships, as well as fifth-place Menlo and 10th-place Eastern Oregon. Also present was Gray’s Harbor, the only collegiate program in Washington.

In addition to competing, the colleges also had tables set up at the tournament with brochures available and representatives present to answer questions.

“I really want to wrestle in college and get a good education,” said Hubby, who listed Simon Fraser, Oklahoma City and Campbellsville as her dream schools. “There’s a lot of smaller schools, but there’s a lot of schools this year that have been developing a women’s program or just got it. It’s getting bigger.

“Once I got into the championship match, and the college coaches saw me losing and then come back, it was eye-opening — I hope.”

But regardless, Hubby’s win at the Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions can only have helped in her quest to wrestle collegiately.

If you have an idea for a community sports story, e-mail Nick Patterson at npatterson@heraldnet.com.