I started thinking,‘ Hey, if I am already here anyway, why not get on the mat and try it myself?’”
That moment of curiosity quickly turned into something more. With just a handful of basic moves— taught by Max on the family’ s basement wrestling mat, of course— Maya entered her first tournament at age 7. What followed surprised everyone... including her parents.
“ She somehow kept winning and winning,” they recall.“ Before we knew it, we realized she might actually qualify for States!”
In her very first season, Maya placed at both the Keystone State Championships and the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling( PJW) State Championships. By her second year, she had climbed even higher— winning the PJW State Youth Championship and finishing second at Keystone, a goal she had set for herself all on her own. However, for Maya, wrestling is about more than medals.“ I love being around my friends from wrestling,” she says.“ When I am on the mat, I like that it is me against the other wrestler, and the best wrestler wins.
“ A lot of girls don’ t try wrestling because they think it’ s a boys sport. I like that I can show that girls are strong and should be encouraged to wrestle too.”
As participation in girls wrestling continues to surge nationwide, Maya is growing up alongside the sport itself. She’ s seen firsthand how opportunities have expanded in just a few short years.
That growth has meant fuller brackets, more competitive matches and new experiences— including Maya being a part of Team Pennsylvania at the Girls Mason-Dixon All-Star Duals, where she helped secure a championship victory.
“ It felt great to contribute to a championship win for my state,” she says.“ Not many people can say they’ ve done that.”
Behind the scenes, her family has been deeply involved in the journey. Kristen has driven countless miles to camps, practices and private lessons, while Max has taken on the role of coach and training partner.
“ I teach Maya moves, do conditioning workouts with her, and analyze videos of her matches,” Max explains.“ It’ s cool to see her keep getting better.”
Maya is also grateful to Coaches Tarr, Smith, Willoughby and Myers of USC Youth Wrestling, Coaches Kocher, Cipriani, Green and Allemang of South Hills Wrestling Club, and Coaches Lebec and Betz. All have had a hand in her success.
In early 2025, the family faced one of its greatest challenges when Atul was diagnosed with cancer. Throughout his recovery, Maya emerged as a quiet source of strength, pouring her emotions into both wrestling and writing. That spring, before winning States, she shared a school poem that closed with three powerful words:“ I am COMMITTED.”
Now training up to four times a week and learning both folkstyle and freestyle wrestling— the collegiate style for women— Maya is already thinking big.
“ In the future, I want to be an Olympic wrestler and win gold for my country.”
And what does Maya have to say to the girls watching from the bleachers, just like she once did?
“ Don’ t give up on your first try, even if it seems hard,” she says.“ Keep trying and you will get better. Just work hard. As my dad always says to me, if you fall, always get back up.” n
UPPER ST. CLAIR | SPRING 2026 11