PLAINWELL, Mich. — “When I started I only wrestled boys because there wasn’t that many girls but now you can choose to wrestle boys or girls,” said Plainwell Freshman wrestler Madison Nieuwenhuis.
Madison Nieuwenhuis has been a wrestler since she was four. Watching her older cousin compete in Wisconsin and has been on the mat ever since.
“My dad started a club here in Vicksburg and I was always wrestling with my little brother,” said Madison.
Since middle school, Madison has been traveling the country to compete. Now as a freshman at Plainwell, she’s helping grow the newly emerging girls division in Michigan.
“The culture that she brings into the room as far as her work ethic goes upgrades our team as well, especially those smaller weight classes where she’s wrestling. Which makes everyone motivated to do better better because of the competition it brings to the room,” says Head wrestling Coach Rodd Leonard.
While she does compete at girls only tournaments in the 100 pound weight class, Madison doesn’t shy away from wrestling boys on her team or tourneys. Even though she says it’s been challenging at the high school level.
“Now it’s very difficult because they’re a lot stronger than me now so it’s more difficult to wrestle boys usually.
“She comes in 99.9 (pounds) or 102.2 (pounds) so she’s right at the end of the smaller girls, it doesn’t help that she’s less than five feet tall but she’s pound for pound very strong and tough, even against the boys in that weight class,” said Leonard.
“She’s got the most wins on our team halfway through the season and she’s probably one of the candidates right now for most valuable wrestler,” said Leonard.
As a girl in a boy dominated sport, she’s faced her fair share of doubters on the mat but it doesn’t bother her anymore.
“Sometimes people do think that because I’m a girl I’m not going to be as good but I don’t really care anymore because it’s happened a lot. I just work as hard as I can and do my best out there,” said Madison.
“So far everyone has been surprised by her size compared to her technique. When she wrestles on the mat, the boys come off the mat and say ‘wow I can’t believe she’s that strong’,” said Leonard.
Madison has a 27-7 record this year and is ranked number 2 in the state. She’s also ranked 14th nationally and still has room to grow.
“I’m hoping to make it to the finals at state and win state. I want to be a four time state champ, that’s my goal. And then after high school I want to go to Iowa for college,” said Madison.
“I look forward to her wrestling the girls tournament, the girls regional. Making a run at the state tournament. She’s got one heck of a shot to make some things happen so I look forward to having her the next three years as a senior in a few years and seeing where we go from there,” said Leonard.
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