Going to
Maya Bhandari
THE MAT
At just 9 years old, Upper St. Clair’ s Maya Bhandari is finding success on the mat as part of the fastest-growing high school sport in the country— girls wrestling.
BY NICOLE TAFE
On wrestling mats across Pennsylvania and beyond, Maya Claire Bhandari is making her presence known— not just with wins, but with more confidence than the average elementary school student.
A fourth grader at Streams Elementary School in the Upper St. Clair School District, Maya is only 9 years old, but she already carries herself like a seasoned competitor. Wrestling is just one part of her busy life— she also plays club and travel soccer, studies piano and violin, loves to sing, and counts science as her favorite subject. At home, she’ s supported by her parents, Atul Bhandari and Kristen Schneck, two older brothers— Trevor and Maxwell— and her“ emotional support” dogs, Tucker and Delilah.
Maya’ s path to wrestling began a bit out of the blue, and kind of by just being there. For years, she watched her brother Maxwell compete, but eventually, being on the sidelines wasn’ t enough.
“ When I was younger, I used to always go to Max’ s wrestling tournaments and just sit there,” says Maya.“ Then
Photos by Juliana Van Slyke
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