Tyler Keane didn’t waste a second to give his thoughts on the potential of Maddie Ripley.

“That’s not tough at all: National champ, world champ and Olympian. I have a straight face when I say that … The sky is the limit. I’m just excited to be in her corner.”

That’s the level of confidence Ripley — the Oceanside High School graduate who made national headlines in 2023 by becoming Maine’s first girl to win a state title while wrestling boys —has earned from her head coach in her first season of college wrestling. Ripley is a freshman at Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts.

“When you have an athlete like Maddie, it makes coaching easy,” Keane said. “She does all the right things when it comes to nutrition, work ethic, being a role model, on the mat and off. It’s very special to have someone like that — especially a freshman — who is that mature and that ready to get after it.”

Wrestling at 117 pounds this year, Ripley captured an NCAA regional championship last month in Elmira, New York, which qualified her for the inaugural national championships in Coralville, Iowa. The national meet included wrestlers from every NCAA division competing for one championship in each weight class.

In the regional tournament, Ripley won her first two matches by technical fall (in women’s college wrestling, a tech fall comes from a lead of 10 points or more) before beating Nohea Moniz of Sacred Heart University by a 6-1 decision.

“It’s really just the beginning, honestly,” Ripley said. “I was confident (entering the tournament), just because I was a freshman with nothing to lose. But I also train all summer for this, so there’s no real reason not to be confident.”

Western New England — a Division III program which started a women’s wrestling program in 2022 — had eight qualifiers for nationals. The Golden Bears finished runner-up for the regional team title.

Ripley was the No. 9 seed in her weight class entering the national tournament. She beat Gable Hemann of Wartberg (Iowa) and Leianna Landreth of Fort Hays State (Kansas) before falling to the eventual champion, Yu Skamoto of McKendree (Illinois), in the quarterfinals. Ripley then lost to Carleigh Czerneski of Adrian (Michigan) in the consolation bracket.

Keane pointed out that Ripley is still new to freestyle wrestling, which emphasizes throws and rapid-speed moves. Maine high school wrestling is folkstyle, which focuses on control, top and bottom positioning, and riding.

“Maddie has really just scratched the surface in freestyle,” Keane said. “It really shows. We just started, and her ceiling is amazing. You’re about to see a lot more of Maddie Ripley on that big stage in the near future.”

Women’s wrestling was recognized as the NCAA’s 91st championship sport in January 2025. At Western New England, Ripley has a coaching staff of six working with her, led by Keane, a former two-time New England champion at Springfield College, and Jennah Brennan, an eight-time All-American.

“What we’re building here is something special,” Ripley said. “The recruits that are coming in are just as good and just as hard-working as people like us with that work ethic and are good students, on and off the mat.”

Ripley had success beyond the postseason, winning her weight class at multiple open tournaments, including the New Standard Invitational in York, Pennsylvania, in December and the Will Abele Open in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, in January.

“I don’t think I was that surprised (by the early success), just because we work on certain (situations) in practice,” Ripley said. “I just went into those matches confident every time.”

Ripley’s wrestling season is not yet over. She’ll compete from April 22-26 in Las Vegas in the U.S. Open Wrestling Championships, which showcases some of the top female wrestlers in the country.

Ripley was recruited to Western New England after a successful year at Wyoming Seminary in Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, one of the top-ranked girls wrestling programs in the nation, according to USA Wrestling. She helped lead the team to its third consecutive team title at the National Prep Wrestling Championships last year.

Ripley is also a member of the Western New England field hockey team. A forward/midfielder, she scored two goals in 14 games last fall for the Golden Bears, who finished 12-9.

Despite juggling multiple sports and a college classes, Ripley is having fun away from athletics. She has an Instagram account (ripley.unleashed) that, along with her wrestling accomplishments, explores destinations around the Springfield area.

“That’s all I do (away from the mat),” Ripley said with a laugh. “On a Saturday night, you might find me out at Crumbl Cookies, or the movies. We go to stores. Everything, really.”