Hijabs, hurdles & chasing history: How 3 sisters are changing collegiate wrestling

ATLANTA (InvestigateTV) - A lot has changed for the McBryde sisters in the last year.

The three sisters, Zaynah, Jamilah and Latifah, whose refusal to wrestle without their hijabs helped spark a national change in collegiate wrestling uniform rules, are now trying to break another record in what their final act is almost certainly together on the mat.

“Three siblings all winning it in the same year,” Jamilah said.

“That’s the goal,” Latifah added. “That’s the dream.”

In April 2024, Gray Media’s Atlanta News First shared the story of the sisters and their attempts to wrestle internationally.

Hailing from Buffalo, New York, the three represent different weight classes: 138, 160 and 145 pounds. All three are Muslim and in their final year of eligibility at Life University, having helped lead the school to its first-ever Women’s Wrestling National Championship in 2024.

However, their journey to collegiate wrestling was not without significant hurdles. For a long time, their hijabs prevented them from competing outside of practice.

“We could practice, but we were not going to be able to compete,” Jamilah said. “So, it was just going to practice before we were ever able to compete.”

A national push for inclusion

In 2022, the sisters made national headlines when Life University spearheaded a successful initiative to change uniform rules, allowing them to wrestle in college with their hijabs.

Since that rule change, each sister has gone on to win an individual national title, but not in the same year.

Now, it’s about all three winning in 2025.

Embraced by their team

As they pursue this ambitious goal in their final year, the sisters are part of a team that has embraced them wholeheartedly.

“We were homeschooled, so we never really had any friendships, I’d say,” Zaynah said about their experiences before attending Life University.

Their supportive coach, Ashley Flavin, relentlessly pushes them, celebrating their unwavering commitment to their beliefs.

“There is no apology from them. They’re like, ‘No, this is what it is,’ and we have to be ok with it,” Flavin said. “I think that’s something very inspiring, not apologizing for what you believe in.”

The end of an era, the continuation of a legacy

Regardless of what the future holds on the international scene, this marks their last year wrestling together.

“I have to enjoy this last one before it’s all gone,” Zaynah said.

But whatever happens, they’ll do it with each other.

“If it hadn’t been together, it would have been meaningless,” Zaynah said.