University of Maine Female Athlete of the Year: Maddie Ripley, Oceanside

Oceanside’s Maddie Ripley has been named Maine University Girls Athlete of the Year. Daryn Slover/Sunday Diary

Maddie Ripley made history during her wrestling career at Oceanside High in Rockland, graduating as a pioneer in Maine high school sports.

Ripley broke the barrier in 2023 by 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 by defeating Noah Parenteau of Belfast 6-3 to win the 113-pound title at the Class B championships in Rumford. She was the 2023 106-pound champion.

Her impact on the sport, however, transcends historical titles. Ripley’s legacy can be seen 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 a successful field of athletes across Maine.

Ripley helped advance the sport for girls in the state. A total of 97 wrestlers competed at the Maine girls wrestling state championships at Winslow High School on Feb. 20, nearly double the 50 who competed in 2023. Wrestlers and coaches alike praised Ripley and her performance — which has garnered local and national attention over the past two years — as a factor in the rise of girls wrestling participation.

“I think she’s had a big impact on the younger girls that look up to her,” Skowhegan wrestler Sophie Noyes said. “Going to tournaments and there’s always little girls 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.”

“Her beating the boys gives us a nice goal,” added Belfast wrestler Zady Paige, a girls state champion in the 165-pound division. “I think she’s motivated a lot of girls to get into wrestling.”

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

“I’ve been seeing all these articles on Facebook and stuff about how women’s wrestling is the fastest growing sport right now,” Ripley said. “It feels good that I’ve had an impact on that in Maine.”

The number of female wrestlers competing is increasing dramatically. According to statistics from the National Federation of State High School Associations, the number of female wrestlers has increased from 31,654 in 2021-22 to 49,127 last year.

Ripley is leaving high school sports at a pivotal time in Maine. There is a belief that girls wrestling could soon become its own 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 varsity programs.

Ripley hopes this process will be completed as soon as possible.

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 Diary

“It’s really great (that the numbers are increasing), it’s on par with other girls’ sports,” Ripley said.

Ripley captured her first state title at the 2023 Class B championships at Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln, defeating Wells’ Nick Allen 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 against a boy was in 2005, when Marshwood’s Deanna Rix lost a 2-1 decision to Sanford’s Shane Leadbetter at the Class A championships.

Ripley had her share of ups and downs before winning her second state title this year. She bulked up coming into the season, dropping from 106 pounds to 113. She lost 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 to 106 for the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championships, but lost 15-4 to Dominic Simpson of Belfast in the championship round.

Ripley regained her confidence by winning the 113-pound title at the Class B South championships with a 1-0 victory over Keygan Boucher of Mountain Valley. At the state meet, Ripley defeated Asher Bishop of Woodland by pin. In the finals, Parenteau let Ripley escape twice, helping her secure the title.

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

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

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

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