AMY GOLDING (WHITBECK)
Class of 2014
AMY GOLDING (WHITBECK)

Duanesburg Eagles

 

Amy Whitbeck and six of her girlfriends started wrestling for Duanesburg in the 6th grade. The other six girls all quickly quit but Amy kept wrestling and competing at the highest levels possible over the next 14 years. While Whitbeck wrestled in High School for Hall of Fame Coach Joe Bena and the Eagles she would literally write the record book in Section 2 for girls wrestling.

Wrestling at 96 Lbs. in 2006 as a sophomore, Amy would become the first female wrestler in Section 2 history and the State to win a section title. Whitbeck became the first girl in State history to win a match at the state tournament that year when she defeated Penn Gottfried 5-3 in wrestle backs.

As a junior, Amy would win her second consecutive Section 2 Championship at 103 Lbs. when she defeated Kirk Harrington 11-6 in the finals. She competed again in the State tournament and won her first match that year. Whitbeck also competed in the Eastern States, was seeded 3rd, and was the first girl ever to advance into the quarterfinals. This same year Whitbeck would also become a member of the United States female junior Olympic wrestling team and would finish 5th in the world during the Beijing Junior Olympics.

Whitbeck would move up to 112 lbs. in 2008 and would have another stellar year going 36-3 during the season. She would lose a close match in the semifinals to end her streak of Section 2 Championships and she would finish 3rd for the year. During her four years of wrestling for Duanesburg she would win 116 matches and would be the first female in the State and Section to break 100 career wins.

Amys other accomplishments during her amazing high school career include two time ASICS Girls All American in 2007 and 2008. She competed in two Eastern States Championships, winning matches in each. She was also a 2005 USGWA-NJ Girls Wrestling Champion and a 2007 USGWA National Champion. She was also a 2008 USGWA National Champion at 120 Lbs. Amy was a bronze winner in the 2008 USA Wrestling National Championships in Fargo in womens Jr. Freestyle and a 2007 FILA Junior National Champion. She was a two time Womans Body Bar Champion in 2007 and 2008.

Whitbeck wrestled her freshman year in college at Northern Michigan at the US Olympic Education Center. She transferred her sophomore year to wrestle for Missouri Baptist. She transferred again to finish her college wrestling career with Coach Don Murray at Brockport where she became teammates with her future husband and former Section 2 Champion Eliah Golding.

During her college career Amy would achieve the following accomplishments. She was a Junior World bronze medalist in 2010 competing in Budapest, Hungary when she dramatically came from behind to beat Russian Valentina Brik. She was a Gold Medalist in the 2009 USGWA National Tournament. She was 3rd in the 2009 University National Championships. She was a 2010 Body Bar National Champion. She was 2nd in the 2010 Womens Collegiate National Tournament. Amy was 5th in the 2011 US Open Championships. She was a 2011 World team member and was a runner up in the US World Team Trials.

Amy would train and qualify for two Olympic Trails Tournaments in 2012 and 2016 when she was coached by Joe DeMeo and Golding. She missed making both Olympic teams in a very stacked weight class. At the beginning of 2016 Amy was still ranked 5th in the nation.

Amy is married to Eliah Golding (2009 Section 2 Champ, Colonie) and is now Amy Golding. They have two children, Kaydence and Jordan, and they live in the Greater Albany area and work as teachers.