#40Strong

As a school record holder, multiple conference champion and All-American, Kalleen Madden-Zamzow relished her time at Texas A&M between athletic success in track and field along with numerous hours studying. Now she and her husband, James “Stacy” Zamzow, also an Aggie All-American in track and field, get to experience Aggieland as proud parents with their daughter Ashtin starting her freshman season with the A&M track and field program during the 2014-15 school year.

“I really enjoyed going through the recruiting process all over again with my daughter being recruited,” said Madden-Zamzow. “I saw the changes at Texas A&M and couldn’t believe how far our track team had come in making a name nationally. It’s hard to believe we have been national champions so many years now.”

Ashtin, the second oldest of their six children, competes in same multi-event Kalleen excelled in. Her first competition for the Aggies resulted in a score of 3,536 points in the pentathlon at the Reveille Invitational held in mid-December.

“I had been, and think I still am the conference highest point scoring female in A&M history,” noted Madden-Zamzow. “My heptathlon record was broken 18 years after I set it, but my daughter is now a freshman heptathlete at A&M, and I am hoping she will return it someday to the family.

“My oldest daughter, Avery, is a heptathlete at Sam Houston. She is more of a novice at the heptathlon, but I know she will give her sister a good race.”

Ashtin and Avery were teammates at Goliad High School where they were coached by their dad in track and field. In 2013 Goliad placed fourth in the State 2A meet as the sisters teamed up on a silver medal performance 4x100 relay along with a bronze medal effort in the 4x200 relay.

During Ashtin’s senior season in 2014 Goliad repeated its fourth place team finish as she swept the State 2A 100 and 300 hurdle titles while also anchoring a fourth-place 4x400 relay.

A state champion from Yoakum, Madden-Zamzow knew her own choice of schools started and ended with Texas A&M given her family association with the university.

“I chose A&M primarily for the school and the traditions,” she explained. “I was raised an Aggie and I knew from a child that is where I wanted to go to school. My dad took care of Reveille when he was at A&M. 

“My biggest thrill came when Texas A&M was the first school to contact me my senior year. I initially found the school to be exactly the way I thought it would be. I came from a small country town and I enjoyed the feeling that even though I was in a big university, I felt like I belonged. The spirit of Aggieland was alive every football game.” 

In reflecting on her athletic and academic career on the Texas A&M campus, Madden-Zamzow reminisces on how much of her time was spent amid her daily schedule.

“My normal day included studying, eating, studying, track practice from 3-6:00, then eating supper and studying at Cain Hall with tutors till around 9:00,” she recalled. “Then studying some more. My coach thought I was a little weird, because I studied so much. 

“Studying late was always a must because I was very stressed about becoming a physical therapist and I needed the grades to get into grad school. I was always studying.”

Competing for the Aggies, though, provided Madden-Zamzow with her fondest recollection of Texas A&M. She set a school record of 5,642 points in the heptathlon during the 1993 Southwest Conference meet, which remained the Aggie standard until 2011 when Daphne Saunders eclipsed the mark with a score of 5,811.

“My favorite memory was winning the high-point award my senior year in the SWC outdoor meet,” stated Madden-Zamzow. “I had won the high-point award indoors, but for some reason the outdoor trophy meant more because I had just a phenomenal meet, in my opinion. I won the high jump, heptathlon, finished third in the hurdles, placed in the javelin and the 4x4 relay. Everything fell into place. Plus, I beat a tu girl by one point or less for the trophy. Whoop! I achieved All-American honors later that year, even though my last heptathlon at nationals was the worst ever.

“I was able to win the SWC heptathlon title three years straight, and break the school record. I placed a couple of thirds and seconds in the hurdles, and placed third once in the long jump. I qualified for nationals in the open high jump, hurdles and the heptathlon. I also ran on the sprint and mile relay and threw the open javelin.”

Her time in Aggieland as a student-athlete was also the place where she met her future husband during her sophomore season. As a member of the Aggie 4x400 relay Stacy Zamzow won a NCAA title in 1994 as the squad broke the school record.

“We had just been married with him having one more year of eligibility left, and soon after I graduated, I became pregnant with our first of six children,” noted Madden-Zamzow. “We have taken them to A&M football games and other A&M sporting events, and enjoyed keeping in touch with the track coaches, officials, and team members we grew up with. My track buddies are my closest friends still today. Shortly after we were married, we both became lifetime members of the letterman's association. Ten years later I was humbled to be inducted into the legends museum at A&M.

“Right after I finished competing, my little brother, Kendall Madden, was coming in as a decathlete for A&M. He managed to achieve two All-American honors in the decathlon. My dad says we are the only brother-sister combo in A&M history to be all Americans. I think that is pretty special, too.” 

Visits to the campus now offer a mix of visuals for Madden-Zamzow as she sees familiar faces along with upgraded facilities and hears talk of venues to come.

“I feel at home every time I go back to College Station,” she noted. “Even though it has been over 25 years, I still see the same officials, the same Glen Johnson taking pictures at the big events, and hearing the same announcer at the football games as well as seeing many teammates, trainers and coaches from the past. 

“The track team no longer shares the same weight room with all the other sports. Now they have their own state of the art weight room facility. Awesome! I cannot wait to see the new stadium they are going to build. I hear it will be the best in the country, and I believe it.”

The talent on the current Aggie track and field team impresses her as well. The Texas A&M women claimed three consecutive NCAA Outdoor team championships along with the men from 2009 to 2011. The Aggie men added a fourth title in 2012 while the A&M women achieved a fourth national championship in 2013.

“There is no way I would have made the sprint relay and the 4x4 relay in this time,” stated Madden-Zamzow. “They have over 100 athletes on the track team now, and the female athletes running track are the best in the nation. The coaches continue to be the best ever, and the university has really supported our program to make it what it is today.”

Having grown up in an Aggie family, Madden-Zamzow has experienced the benefit of the school’s network, the association between former students and the binding ties with her teammates.

“Being an Aggie was a life changing experience for me,” she said. “I meet Aggies on a daily basis, work with Aggies, and am surrounded by young people aspiring to be an Aggie someday. This school holds a special place in my heart and I could not be more proud to be called an Aggie. Gig’em Aggies!”