Wrestler of the Year - Madison Birth

Bel Air's top-ranked junior Madison Birth is a great wrestler, but the 17-year-old is much more than that.

A four-sport athlete who aspires to grapple or play soccer in college, Birth has also transitioned from playing lacrosse as a freshman to running the 100- and 200-meter dashes, relays and executing in the pole vault in track.

Birth transferred to Bel Air after two years at Havre de Grace, where as a freshman she starred as a striker and midfielder on the Warriors were Class 1A state title-winning girls soccer team.

"I plan on being a Forensic Science major in college," said Birth, who carries a 3.6 GPA and has 20 career goals and 12 assists in soccer. "We are still in the recruiting process, so I'm not sure yet where I would like to go to college."

Birth is also an athlete who is on pace to become the first girl to become a four-time state champion, a status which has earned honors among Legacy Wrestling's female Wrestlers Of The Year.

"The chance to become the first four-time girls' state champion is exciting," Birth said. "It feels amazing, but I’m not looking too far ahead. I try to stay grounded in it."

Wrestling against both males and females over the course of her career, Birth has compiled a record of 25-6 on the year that included 14 pins two technical falls to improve her three-year marks to 82-28 with 47 pins and four technical falls.

Birth's final three weeks comprised placing third against boys at 113 pounds in last month's Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference before winning her third straight titles in the North Region and Girls State Tournaments at 115 pounds. Birth went 4-1 with a pin and a major decision against boys in the UCBACs with her third-place finish being an improvement on her fifth-place effort as a freshman.

Among Birth's triumphs at UCBACs were a 4-3 decision over Harford Tech senior Brayden Pruski as well as a 6-5 decision over Patterson Mill freshman Gavin Jones in their third-place bout. Pruski was a Class 2A-1A South Region runner-up, and Jones, a fourth-place finisher in the Class 2A-1A South Region.

Birth's semifinal, 9-7, loss at UCBACs was to Havre de Grace freshman Isaiah Chase Washington, an UCBAC runner-up and Class 2A-1A South Region champion who placed sixth at states.

Birth followed that up by going 5-0 with four pins and a technical fall during her path for regional and state crowns, starting with a 47-second fall in her regional final against Eastern Tech freshman Josephine Gamero and culminating with her 19-3 state title match technical fall over third-ranked Perryville junior Saphira Hamill.

In succession during her run to her third consecutive state tournament crown, Birth earned falls in 1:56 over Tuscarora's eighth-ranked sophomore Ava Cruz, 2:33 against Arundel's 10th-ranked sophomore Olivia Cambio and 86 seconds with Richard Montgomery's fifth-ranked sophomore Laila Womack before defeating Hamill.

"Winning a third title is something I’m really proud of," Birth said. "But it also motivates me to keep improving."

Birth ranks as the most accomplished wrestler in a deep and rich family legacy that includes her male cousins as well as her father, Scott, and her uncles, Chris and Matt, a trio of Birth siblings who competed for Bel Air High.

At Bel Air, Madison's uncle, Chris, was a Class 2A-1A state champion in 1989 and placed third at the Class 4A-3A states as a senior in 1990. Her father, Scott finished third at Class 4A-3A states as a junior in 1991 before winning that classification as a senior in 1992. Matt graduated in 1995 as a Harford County Tournament title winner and a second-place finisher at regions.

Birth's two older brothers, Conner and Ethan, also wrestled for Havre de Grace. Ethan graduated in 2023, having placed second at states in Greco-Roman wrestling and third at states in freestyle. Conner graduated from Havre de Grace last spring with 108 victories after being a regional champion who placed second, third and fifth in the UCBACs.

Madison’s cousin, Max, completed this season as a 16th-ranked 190-pound junior at Walkersville who has placed first, second and third in three appearances at the Frederick County Tournament, and finished fifth twice in the Class 2A-1A West Regionals.

Max’s older brother, Jack, graduated from Walkersville last spring with 110 career victories after placing first, third and fourth in the Frederick County Tournament, and second and fifth in the Class 2A-1A West Regionals. Jack recently completed his season as the starting 184-pounder for Shenandoah University, an NCAA Division III program in Winchester, Virginia.

"A lot of hard work went into this—from my coaches, my teammates, and my family, so I see my success as a reflection of everyone who’s supported me, not just me," Birth said. "I know nothing is guaranteed in this sport, so my focus is on getting better every day, staying disciplined, and taking it one match at a time. If I keep doing the right things, hopefully everything else will take care of itself."