Madelyn Hartman thrives under pressure

Oakdale sophomore Madelyn Hartman is a compassionate soul with aspirations of becoming a flight nurse one day.

“I want to be a flight nurse because I have a passion for helping people during their most critical moments,” Hartman said. “I work well under pressure and while making quick decisions. Wrestling plays a huge role in that.”

But Hartman for now is a third-ranked 110-pounder whose skillful malevolence for her opposition has resulted in the 15-year-old’s record of 15-3 with 12 pins and two technical falls.

The most recent example of that was last weekend’s Lady Husky Open at Patterson Mill High, where Hartman’s run comprised first-period falls in 14 and 57 seconds to go with a third in 2:27 of her championship bout with Catoctin sophomore Christiana Smith.

“The large majority of my wins come from pinning my opponent, which typically comes from an arm bar series,” said Hartman, whose 23-6 record of a year ago ended with a fourth-place finish at the Girls State Championships.

“This stems from my goal and confidence of securing a pin every time I step onto the mat. Not only do I have the personal drive to pin, but my coach, Mike Swank, always tells me ‘Alright, let’s go pin this girl,’ which gives me an extra boost of motivation.”

Hartman described her finishing touch in last weekend’s Husky Open with Smith, against whom she had built a comfortable lead before lowering the boom for the fall.

“Going into the second period, I knew I needed to wrestle smart and stay patient despite being up 7-0. I was watching out for a headlock since she attempted one in the 1st period, and she went for it again,” said Hartman, who won the Husky Open for the second straight year.

“When she threw a headlock, I used that momentum. I rolled through it, kept my hips up, caught her on her back and pinned her. It felt really good to win the Girls Husky Open for the second year in a row.”

Hartman wrestled in the 115-pound class at last year’s state tournament, where her record in that event was 4-2 with all her victories coming by falls in 2:14, 3:22, 5:31 and 5:58.

At states, Hartman lost her semifinal by 5-0 decision to Brunswick’s Katherine Virgilio, the eventual champion who is currently a second-ranked sophomore at 115 pounds. Hartman lost another decision, 6-5, to graduated Annapolis senior Liv Goldinger in their third-place match.

“This season I have the honor of being captain of the girls varsity team. This role has brought both challenges and growth, both as a leader and a wrestler. Being captain of a team with many girls who are new to the sport pushes me. Each and every day I try to set a positive example, both on and off the mat,” said Hartman, who carries a 4.3 weighted grade point average.

“Watching my teammates learn and improve everyday on a sport I am so passionate about is a very rewarding experience. It brings a feeling of pride, not just for my team, but for all of the girls wrestling as it continues to grow. I want to continue to build on my wrestling and leadership skills. My academic success is a direct reflection of my strong work ethic and strive to perform well in all aspects of my life.”

Hartman is a versatile athlete who competes year-round in flag football, track and wrestling, the latter after following her younger sibling into the junior leagues.

“I started wrestling as an 8-year-old with my younger brother on the Louyaa Predators. They were looking for a female partner for a girl who had signed up. I decided I would give it a try. Ironically, the girl only showed up to practice once or twice, but I fell in love with the sport, so that didn't matter to me. I went through the next years of youth wrestling being coached by Mike Swank,” said Hartman of Swank, who is an assistant on the Bears’ staff.

“I won three state titles and placed at MAWA Regionals and Eastern Nationals every year. Going into freshman year, I was super excited to wrestle at the high school level and about competing for Oakdale’s wrestling team. [co-Ed coach] Tim Tao and [girls’ coach] Jay Bollinger have supported me from the day that I walked in. They have big goals for me, and they’ve been providing feedback to get me closer to reaching those goals.”

Among Hartman’s ambitions is to be a presence in the medical field, a career which is likely to be up in the air.

“My future goals include pursuing a career as a flight nurse. I want to make a difference in peoples’ lives when it matters most,” Hartman said. “I first became interested in a career as a flight nurse when I watched a helicopter land and medevac a child out of my neighborhood. My first thought was ‘I wanna do that.’”

Until then, however, look for Hartman to remain in the hurt business as a wrestler whose fixation continues to be on planting her opponents’ shoulders onto the mats.

“Pinning all three girls came from staying focused,” said Hartman of her Husky Open performance. “I was just trusting all of my years of training that I’ve put in along with having a lot of support from my team.”

Hartman entered the Husky Open a week after having placed third at the Jan. 9-10 War On The Shore Tournament, where her record of 4-1 included pins in 49, 58 and 73 seconds to go with another in 2:09.

Hartman lost her War On The Shore semifinal by 8-0 decision to Archbishop Spalding’s top-ranked sophomore Summer Mutschler, a repeat title-winner in the tournament.

A week later, Mutschler earned her second-consecutive Who’s No. 1 Tournament with a fall in 4:55 over Randallstown senior Wura Idowu, a returning state champion who is ranked second at 110 pounds ahead of Hartman.

Hartman credits the support of her mother, Amy, a volunteer assistant with the girls’ team, as well as her extended family.

“A large part of my success comes from the support I have from my family, especially my Mom. She has always been my biggest supporter in life through everything I do. She has spent countless hours at practices as a coach for the Louyaa Predators and Oakdale’s Girls team,” Hartman said.

“Whether she is sitting at tournaments or learning wrestling, she is my biggest role model in life. I am so grateful for the love and support she gives me everyday, on and off the mat. I am also greatly supported by my two younger brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. All of them try to come to meets and tournaments to cheer me on as much as possible.”