Maddie Ripley of Oceanside is the Varsity Maine Girls’ Athlete of the Year. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Maddie Ripley made history during her wrestling career at Oceanside High in Rockland. She graduated as a trailblazer in Maine high school sports.

Ripley broke a barrier in 2023, becoming the first girl in Maine to win an individual state wrestling championship while competing against boys.

She became a two-time state champion on Feb. 17, beating Noah Parenteau of Belfast 6-3 to win the 113-pound title at the Class B championships in Rumford. She was the 106-pound champion in 2023.

However, her impact on the sport far exceeds historic titles. Ripley’s legacy is witnessed in the growth of girls’ wrestling in Maine.

Ripley is our choice as the 2023-24 Varsity Maine Female Athlete of the Year. She was selected from an accomplished field of athletes across Maine.

Ripley helped move the sport forward for girls in the state. A total of 97 wrestlers participated in the Maine girls’ wrestling state championships at Winslow High School on Feb. 20, nearly double the 50 that participated in 2023. Wrestlers and coaches alike credited Ripley and her accomplishments – which garnered attention locally and nationally over the last two years – as a factor in the rise of girls’ wrestling participation.

“I think she has had a big impact on the younger girls looking up to her,” said Skowhegan wrestler Sophie Noyes. “Going to tournaments and, there’s always little girls there wearing ‘Ripley’ T-shirts or something. Last year at (the New England qualifier), there was a little girl in a singlet, running around (the gym) just to watch Maddie wrestle.”

“With her beating the guys, it sets a good goal for us,” added Belfast wrestler Zady Paige, a girls’ state champion in the 165-pound class. “I think she motivated a lot of girls to start wrestling.”

Ripley said she embraced her role as an ambassador for the sport in Maine.

“I’ve seen all these articles all over Facebook and stuff on how women’s wrestling is the fastest-growing sport right now,” Ripley said. “It feels pretty good that I impacted that in Maine.”

Girls’ wrestling participation numbers are climbing dramatically. According to statistics kept by the National Federation of State High School Associations, the number of female wrestlers jumped from 31,654 nationally in 2021-22 to 49,127 last year.

Ripley leaves the high school sport at a pivotal time in Maine. There is belief that girls’ wrestling could soon become its own standalone sport under the Maine Principals’ Association. Noble and Mt. Blue, two of the stronger wrestling programs in Class A, have both taken steps to have girls’ wrestling teams recognized as a varsity program.

It’s a process Ripley hopes comes to fruition sooner than later.

Oceanside High wrestler Maddie Ripley was a two-time Class B state champion, wrestling against boys. She is also credited with sparking the growth of girls’ wrestling in Maine. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“It’s really great (that numbers are climbing), it’s kind of getting up there with other girls’ sports,” Ripley said.

Ripley captured her first state title at the 2023 Class B championships at Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln, pinning Nick Allen of Wells in the first period for the 106-pound title. Before Ripley’s victory, the closest a Maine girl had come to winning a state wrestling title over a boy was in 2005, when Deanna Rix of Marshwood dropped a 2-1 decision to Shane Leadbetter of Sanford at the Class A championships.

Ripley had her share of ups and downs before capturing her second state title this year. She put on muscle entering the season, moving from 106 pounds to 113. She fell 12-0 to Evan Kowalsky of Mt. Ararat/Brunswick in the 113-pound championship round at the Westlake Tournament on Dec. 2. She then dropped back down to 106 for the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championships, but lost 15-4 to Dominic Simpson of Belfast in the championship round.

Ripley got her confidence back by winning the 113-pound title at the Class B South championships with a 1-0 victory over Mountain Valley’s Keygan Boucher. At the state meet, Ripley beat Asher Bishop of Woodland by pin. In the finals, Parenteau allowed Ripley to escape twice, which helped her secure the title.

“It still just doesn’t feel real,” Ripley said. “I’m more sad, (knowing) I can’t come back and wrestle in high school again.”

Ripley finished her high school career by winning the 107-pound title at both the Maine girls’ wrestling championship and the inaugural New England girls’ wrestling championship.

Ripley will wrestle next year at Wyoming Seminary, a prep school in Forty Fort, Pennsylvania. It’s considered the best prep wrestling program in the country, as both the boys’ and girls’ teams prevailed at the 2023-24 National Prep Wrestling Championships in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Her goals are to be recruited by a major college program, and one day to compete in the Olympics.

“Their program is just really good, and I feel like it will help me learn freestyle for the next step (in my career) in college,” Ripley said.