In the ݮýFiremanݮýs Carry,ݮý a wrestler hoists an opponent over their shoulders before flipping them to the mat. It sounds like a move favored by mountainous pros like the Rock or the Big Show, but itݮýs also the favorite of a freckle-faced 5ݮý5ݮý Terp who stands among the nationݮýs best female collegiate grapplers.
Then-freshman Mckinley Jovanovic won last yearݮýs National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) Mideast regional tournament in the womenݮýs 131-pound weight classݮýa first for a UMD woman in any classݮýand finished fifth in nationals to net All-American honors.
The Silver Spring, Md., native, who enrolled at UMD as the stateݮýs top female wrestler in her weight division, has grappled with challenges off the mat, too: Womenݮýs wrestling at the NCAA Division I level is a rarityݮýjust six schools have teamsݮýand Jovanovic is one of two women on . After training with men all week, she enters independent womenݮýs tournaments during weekends, when she can find them, and pays her own travel costs. The NCWA oversees female competitions only during the postseason tournament.
Jovanovic sees parallels between her athletic pursuits and her studies as a triple major in history, education and public policy; she gravitates toward U.S. history classes that celebrate unsung women who overcame 20th century adversity.
The 20-year-old hopes to finish No. 1 in her NCWA weight class this March, then try out for USA Wrestlingݮýs under-23 womenݮýs team, the first step to qualifying for the national squad that can enter the world tournament and Olympic trials. Despite the sportݮýs sometimes-bruising physicality, she says itݮýs the mental aspect thatݮýs bred success: ݮýThe best thing about wrestling is that you can be down nine points and still come back to win if you keep persisting.ݮý
Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle
