New York native Sluberski went from trailblazing athlete to trailblazing coach

She posted a 116-36 record with 44 pins against male competition during an era where women’s and girls’ wrestling lacked its own sanctioned divisions.

She would go on to compete collegiately at Northern Michigan and Brock College in St. Catherines, Ontario before becoming a two-time U.S. Senior World Team member.

“My little brother signed up for it, so my dad brought me and said I was not going to sit on the couch and do nothng,” Sluberski recalled of her introduction to wrestling. “There were some other girls there too and I enjoyed it.

“I was in the right place at the right time. I had many supportive coaches in youth, middle school and high school who kept pushing me along. They made me feel like I had a place in the sport. 

“In high school, I knew I wanted to go to college, and wrestling felt like my pathway to the next level. Wrestling was a vehicle to take me to the next chapter in life.”

Now, against the odds, a decade-and-a-half later, life came full circle for Sluberski, as her life’s work today consists of attempting to provide that same vehicle and pathway to young girls across the country.

“Coming through wrestling when I did, there were not a lot of women coaches. It wasn’t really on my radar. I actually was planning to go into nursing, but I realized it wasn’t for me. I ended up going down to Kentucky and coaching at the University of the Cumberlands. I felt valued and like I had something to give back to the sport.”

After coaching stints at the University of Providence in Montana and at Eastern Oregon, Sluberski now enters her third season as head women’s wrestling coach at D’Youville University in Buffalo, N.Y., just 45 miles from her hometown. She is passing on her knowledge and wisdom to student-athletes alongside her husband and assistant coach, Max Mejia.

After embracing the challenge of heading up a brand-new program prior to the 2023-24 season, Sluberski also possesses plenty of knowledge to share with other coaches, especially as girls’ and women’s programs continue to pop up all over the country. 

“You learn so much but realize each year how little you know,” she said. “You become more open to learning. It was a challenge.

“This is a time in women’s wrestling where there are so many opportunities opening up for women at the same time, but not all of them want to go to college and wrestle. We are trying to find individuals who are good fits for the school.”

Sluberski believes emphasizing the academic and career preparation component is essential when recruiting prospects. Further, especially with a brand-new program, establishing culture is paramount, she asserted.  

“D’Youville is a really great school for health care programs. There is a huge appeal in that because those are not always offered at women’s programs.

“We are big on those academic programs and resources. We have academic success coaches, a sport psychologist, and nutrition coaches. In four years, somebody can go through and compete and start making money right away with a degree.

“Establishing a team culture is a working progress, but we are continually raising the expectations. I look for a great person, great student, and great athlete. I don’t mean the most talented or the smartest athlete, but the hardest working individuals who are most willing to put in the time to make themselves better. That is what we are striving for.” 

As the wife-husband duo prepare to take on the impending challenge of transitioning to officially sanctioned NCAA competition in the 2025-26 season, the DYU coaches are keeping things in perspective by focusing on the bigger picture. It is a picture wrestlers and coaches often miss, Sluberski posited.

“I hope that our student-athletes are able to take all the lessons and struggles and navigate life afterwards and lead great lives,” she said. “In their careers, family lives, and everything else. We sometimes miss the big picture stuff, but there is so much life after wrestling. How do you apply all that you’ve learned to the hard stuff you’re going to face and still make it great?”