Wrestling
Favorite athlete: Kylie Welker
Favorite team: Penn State wrestling
Favorite memory competing in sports: Qualifying for states my senior year.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: When one of my teammates got onto the wrong bus.
Music on playlist: Rap/pop songs
Future plans: Go to East Tennessee State and major in psychology/social work.
Words to live by: “Just do it”
One goal before turning 30: Owning my own house.
One thing people don’t know about me: My favorite fruit is green grapes.
By GORDON GLANTZ
Wherever she goes and whatever she does, North Penn senior Ella Maxwell will always be able to lay claim to being the first female wrestler in her school.
Entering the state meet in Hershey, Maxwell has amassed 92 career victories, with an astounding 80 coming by fall.
After finishing just below .500 as a freshman, she has over 30 wins this season.
“It is crazy, when you think about how much the sport has grown and how much better I have become,” said Maxwell, who wrestles in the 148-pound weight class.
However, the senior’s legacy will not be measured by her record.
“Ella’s impact on North Penn wrestling — and girls wrestling in our community — goes far beyond wins and losses,” said her coach, Richard O’Neill. “She represents leadership, initiative, perseverance, and a genuine commitment to creating opportunities for others.”
Finding a Place
Maxwell played and soccer and was also a competitive swimmer before first trying wrestling. She was partly inspired by watching female wrestlers at the collegiate and Olympic levels when in seventh grade.
“I wanted to do it, and then I saw all these other people,” she said. “It did make me want to do it more, after seeing people like that.
“My cousin also wrestled. When I was little, we would go to those tournaments. I thought it was interesting. In seventh grade, it was an option as a sport you could do, so I tried it.”
Maxwell admitted that it took some getting used to.
“I liked it, and I wanted to keep on doing it, so I stopped doing soccer and swimming, just to focus more on wrestling,” she said. “I played soccer my whole life up until then. In the moment, I didn’t think I was as good.
“Looking back, though, I think I was starting it at a good time, because it was just starting to get huge and everything.”
A year later, as an eighth grader, Maxwell approached the North Penn coaching staff about the idea of launching a program at the high school.
“I just wanted to wrestle, and I didn’t want to wrestle against the boys anymore,” said Maxwell. “I didn’t mind it, but I definitely wanted to wrestle against other girls. A couple schools in Pennsylvania had teams, and I wanted us to have one.
“All you needed was one girl. I was, like, ‘I guess I’ll be that one then.’”
Leading the Way
Fast forward to the present, and Maxwell is a four-year varsity wrestler and three-year captain of the North Penn girls’ wrestling team.
“It was clear she was not just participating,” said O’Neill, who took over as coach of the fledgling girls’ team. “She was invested in growing the sport. “Because of her initiative, North Penn applied to the district and became the 66th school in Pennsylvania to sponsor girls wrestling by her freshman year. That first season, the team consisted of just three girls. By her sophomore year, the roster had grown to 11 athletes.”
Added Maxwell, now the only senior on the team who has formed a bond with teammate and practice partner Joyce Youssef: “It feels good. It’s super cool to see. Going into it, I didn’t think the team was going to grow to be as big as it is now. I was very surprised by it, and I’m very happy about it. It makes it better when you have a good team around you.”
North Penn now not only has a successful high school girls’ team, but also a middle school program with more than 30 girls participating this season.
“What started with one student asking a question has grown into a sustainable and thriving program that will benefit athletes for years to come,” said O’Neill.
Early Impact
During her sophomore season, Maxwell became one of the first female wrestlers to compete in the official PIAA girls’ postseason after the sport was formally recognized.
That year, she finished as the District 1 runner-up and South East Regional runner-up, qualifying for the PIAA State Championships held alongside the boys in Hershey.
“Ella was one of the first girls ever to compete at the Giant Center — a historic and meaningful milestone for girls wrestling in Pennsylvania,” said O’Neill.
Maxwell still remembers the feeling of entering the arena as a sophomore in the first year that the PIAA officially recognized girls’ wrestling as a sport.
“It was very nerve-racking,” she said. “I remember they filmed us coming out to warm up, and we all had to stand behind this gate. It was crazy, just standing there. It was this big arena, and there are, like, six different mats. I am just standing there, behind this gate, with some of the best girls in the state. I was just kind of taking it all in.
“I’m really happy to be back, so that I can see it all again.”
The Final Round
Because she will not be wrestling in college at East Tennessee State, as she is not a fan of the way it is done for females at the NCAA level, Maxwell is determined to make the most of her last chance.
While she is hoping for the best, just getting back to states, after missing out a year ago, equated to achieving a major milestone.
“Obviously, I want to place,” she said. “But, since I didn’t get to go to states last year, my main goal of the season was just getting back to states.
“And, now that I’m back at states, I’ll see what happens.”
Looking back at a year ago, Maxwell believes she was her own worst enemy.
“I got second in districts and went to regionals,” she said. “I got to the semifinals, and I lost and then I just could not get it out of my head. I was in the consolation semis. If you won, you went to states. If you lost, you didn’t. I went into overtime and I lost to this girl. I took a bad shot, and I got stuck and lost.”
Just missing out ate away at Maxwell for a while, but she now believes it made her better in the long run as a more determined senior.
“It was very upsetting, because I had gone to states the year before and I was so close to going again,” said Maxwell, who wrestles in national tournaments in the offseason. “But, looking back now, I think it was better. It made me so much better for this year and want to work harder over the summer so that it wouldn’t happen again.”
O’Neill is proud of her resiliency in getting back to the states.
“Her success is a reflection of her work ethic, preparation, and competitive mindset,” said O’Neill. “As she prepared for her senior postseason run, her goal was not only to return to Hershey, but to stand on the podium.”
Maxwell had her first chance to check out the unofficial brackets on Sunday, but she knew better than to dwell on them too much.
“Obviously, there are a lot of good girls there,” she said. “It’s going to be the Top 16 girls in the state, so I don’t think it’s going to be super easy to place, but I also don’t think it will be impossible.
“It’ll come down to how I feel, and how I wrestle, but it’s my last year and I’m just going to go out and give it my all.”
Hitting the Books
Maxwell brings the same intensity from the wrestling room to the classroom, where she maintains 3.89 GPA.
As a senior with good grades, she gets out of school at noon each day, leaving several hours of study time before practice.
“If I have to, I’ll wake up early to get something done right before class,” she said. “It’s just all about finding a way to get it all in. It can be stressful sometimes, but I actually like the stress of having to balance sports and school.
“I’m just happy to be able to be doing a sport.”
O’Neill is not the least bit surprised that Maxwell epitomizes the definition of a student-athlete.
“She consistently demonstrates discipline and accountability in everything she does,” said O’Neill. “Ella Maxwell is more than an accomplished athlete. She is a leader who saw an opportunity to make a difference and acted on it. Her character, initiative, and commitment have permanently strengthened the North Penn wrestling community.”
Although her career is not yet complete, the daughter of Jill and Mark Maxwell is starting to get a sense of her place in history.
“I am really surprised by how much it has grown, not only all over the country but just within our school,” said Maxwell, who wanted to thank her family, coaches, teammates and friends for their support. “It’s very cool to see how many more girls are doing it now.”
She went on to add that, while she will miss wrestling, she will likely stay involved with it.
“I’m definitely going to come back from college next year and help with the girls, and maybe do some coaching and stuff this summer,” she said. “Just because I’m not going to be wrestling, I’m still going to be around it.
“I’m definitely going to miss it a little bit. It was a big part of my life for the last 4-5 years.”
