EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — ESU Junior Yianna Foufas traveled to Katerini, Greece, on Sept. 25 to participate in the Beach Wrestling World Championship for the USA U20 team, placing fourth and being a major contributor to the team's first-ever World Championship.

After falling to the eventual champion of the 50 kg group in the semifinals, Foufas earned the first point of the bronze medal match. However, Mihaela Bacos of Moldova picked up a point and, due to the rules of beach wrestling, the 1-1 draw went to Bacos, giving an impressive fourth-place finish to Foufas.

"I was kind of upset that I didn't win that last match," Foufas remembered. "It was very close, and I think that was getting to me for the first couple of hours, but then I had to focus on getting my cut dealt with. I didn't even have time to think about how I felt."

In her first match of the tournament, while lifting her opponent for a takedown, a head-to-head collision left a gash on Foufas' head that she is still recovering from. Despite having to rebandage the wound continuously throughout the day, Foufas went on to compete in four more matches. For the North Bellmore, N.Y. native, there was never a question of whether to keep going.

"I'm not sure if it was the brightest idea to keep wrestling, but it's the world championship," Foufas reflected. "If I had anything to lose, it would have been then. I just decided to keep going."

Although the cut made competition difficult as opponents tried to take advantage of the weak point and inflict more damage on the area, Foufas persevered. That determination made a huge difference in the championship. By just one point, Team USA picked up its first-ever world championship win over Germany. The decision to continue competing may have been the deciding factor, as the team would've lost out on those crucial points from Foufas, then allowing Germany to jump to the top of the standings.

This wasn't the only injury she was facing either. An ankle injury from over a year ago still has lingering effects that were heightened by the nature of beach wrestling. According to Foufas, it requires a higher level of ankle stability from a wrestler, with both the weight shift to the heels rather than the toes and the uneven ground the beach provides.

She began to question whether this was something she was even capable of doing after the injury. With limited mobility, the idea of moving around in the sand and being able to wrestle seemed like a far-off goal. But this was all worth it to overcome as it meant something more to her.

"My whole point in going to the North Carolina qualifier was to go to Greece," Foufas stated. "My family is from Greece, so I've always wanted to compete in this tournament. When I qualified for that match, I knew I had to go."

Foufas credits her team in the preparation for a competition that had such a strong meaning for her, specifically thanking her teammate, Olivia Klein, for being out there to get her prepared and Head Coach Anibal Nieves for holding practices and encouraging the team to support Foufas.

"Just having a whole team of girls around me to support me in college has been a great experience, and I haven't had support like this," Foufas emphasized. "The whole team supporting me was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and it was just great."

While it would make sense that having almost 50 of your peers cheering you on as you compete against the world's best wrestlers in their class would bring more pressure and nerves than anything before, it was the complete opposite for Foufas. Instead, she found something to take into the upcoming season.

"It gave me a sense of not to take things too seriously because I didn't take anything this tournament too seriously," Foufas said. "I didn't put too much pressure on myself, whereas usually on the mat, I put so much pressure on myself. At the end of the day, it's all wrestling."

The meaning behind this tournament and how much she has been able to take away from it has led to Foufas confirming she wants to compete for the world championship for at least one more year.  World tournaments aren't the only thing on her mind, though. Foufas is excited for the 2026-27 season as it brings something that competing internationally couldn't fulfill for her.

"It's not the same when you go to [international] tournaments, and you don't know as many people," Foufas said. "When you have a whole team, you're best friends, and you're just screaming your head off for everybody to perform their best, it's great, and it's a lot of fun."

Foufas and the women's wrestling team kick off their season with the ESU Open from Koehler Fieldhouse, with competition set to begin at 9 a.m. on Nov. 1.