On Tuesday, November 13, 2013, Pennsbury senior Kaitlin Fitzpatrick was recognized at a special news conference for signing a letter of intent to wrestle at Campbellsville University. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
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Kaitlin Fitzpatrick – Campbellsville University (Wrestling)
Major: Double major in Business and Communications with a minor in International Relations
Final list of colleges: Campbellsville, King College (Tenn.), McKendree University (St. Louis), Lindenwood-Belleville (St. Louis)
Reasons for choosing Campbellsville: “They have lots of international students and a great ESL program. I also really liked the coach – he’s awesome. My ultimate goal is to be in the 2020 Olympics. This past year I made it into the Olympic Development program, and I’ve been training with the Olympic coaching staff. I got to visit the training center, and I really think this coach is going to help me towards that goal. College is my next step, and I really believe in him and the training. I think he will help me ultimately get closer to reaching my goal.”
What was the progression that led you to wrestling at the collegiate level? “I started wrestling in seventh grade. I actually got dared to try out for the middle school team. I was really welcomed by the middle school coach, and I liked it. It just clicked. I had a background in tae kwon do. It kind of came naturally, and then I had to start working for it. I just liked it, and I have since that point.
“I really didn’t get involved in the women’s circuit up until three years ago. Once I was introduced to that, I wanted to go to college to wrestle. The women’s circuit is the national level and international level. I’m a women’s national champ, and I took second at the World Team Trials this year. I’m a multiple time state champ. Once I got to that national and international stage, it really was important to me to work toward my goal of being an Olympian.
“I had no idea what the sport was when I started. I just did it because it was fun. It really wasn’t until I was introduced to the women’s circuit that I even knew about college women’s wrestling.”
Coach Phil Kealy says: “She’s an absolute spitball in the room. I love having her around. She does everything we tell her to do. She’ll battle with any of them and all of them. She’s known on the squad as having the best abs on the team. She trains as hard or harder than any of them. When she told me she was coming out, I welcomed her with open arms and said, ‘Come on. Let’s go and see how far you can take it,’ and she’s doing it.
“Last year she grew leaps and bounds wrestling-wise. Her confidence just improved tremendously. She’s still got room to improve, but I think she’ll cover that ground this year without a problem. Knowing where she’s going – going to Campbellsville to wrestle, she’s starting to realize she’s pretty darn good, and it’s going to show up on the mat. I’m looking forward to seeing her. We have nine 106 pounders, and she can introduce them to the sport.”
About Kaitlin:
Favorite food: Pretzels
Favorite move: Braveheart
Favorite music: Urban
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