Blue Devil Girls’ Wrestling Team Debuts

Huntington High School has a new varsity girls’ wrestling team. It’s a Blue Devil first. Maria Canino, the granddaughter of Huntington’s late iconic National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach Lou Giani is guiding the team through its inaugural season.

Huntington is joined in the initiative by Harborfields, Walt Whitman and John H. Glenn, which hosts the combined team three days a week at practices. The Blue Devils practice the rest of the time at Huntington High School.

The Blue Devils’ roster includes Aylin Davila Chitay, Keysy Diaz Campos, Adriana Flores Matute, Wynne Franciscovich, Yoselin Fuentes-Velasquez, Sandy Garcia Ulloa, Katerin Garcia-Maldonado, Yuliana Hernandez-Perla, Brittany Lopez Berrios, Jaslyn Marroquin Chavez, Ashley Moreno Garcia, Soraya Ortega-Salgado, Keiry Palma, Natalia Rodriguez, Giselle Salmeron and Angie Uceda-Enamorado.

The team opened the season this past Saturday at the Queen of the Mat Tournament at Copiague. All of the Blue Devils joined the team without previous wrestling experience, but they have rapidly gained in technique, skill and confidence. The athletic department outfitted them with singlets, shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants, headgear and knee pads.

“It was a very good day,” said Canino about Saturday’s tournament. Aylin Davila Chitay captured the Huntington girls’ wrestling team’s first win ever, which came via a pin. Brittany Lopez Berrios followed with the second win in the program’s history, also by pin.

The Huntington Booster Club awarded a $500 grant to Canino to help subsidize the acquisition of wrestling shoes for the girls. “We are very grateful to the booster club for their generosity and support,” Canino said.

A Huntington physical education teacher since September 2014, Canino was a member of Huntington High School’s Class of 2007, she obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees at Adelphi University and Stony Brook University, respectively. She is also certified in health education. She obtained her school administrator certification through Stony Brook University.

Canino has coached varsity girls’ wrestling and junior varsity girls’ volleyball, soccer and softball. (She is the Harborfields varsity softball coach.) She is also an active member of the high school’s Natural Helpers club. She has attended and been a guest speaker at the NYS AHPERD conference.

Contact Canino at mcanino@hufsd.edu if you want to support the Blue Devil girls’ wrestling team.