LebCo Athlete of the Week: Maddie Shanfelder (Week Ending February 16, 2025)

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Maddie Shanfelder

With the rise of Girls’ Wrestling across Pennsylvania over the past few years, there has also been an acceleration in the number of talented individuals emerging within the ranks. Among those has been Maddie Shanfelder, the Cedar Crest freshman who finished as the 136-pound runner-up at the Lancaster Lebanon League Championships in January. After Shanfelder’s silver medal-winning performance, she went on to take bronze at Sectionals. At that tournament, she went 3-1, pinning her opponents in each win. Following that series of medal winning performances, Shanfelder was voted as a LebCo Athlete of the Week.

The third place finished at Sectional qualified her for Regionals, where she saw her season come to an end. While she would have liked to make States, the fact that as a freshman, she was able to collect multiple postseason medals and finish with a record of 27-9 is beyond impressive.

Shanfelder’s performance this year puts her in a group of talented female wrestlers that includes ELCO’s Kylee Trostle, Northern Lebanon’s Dakota Dengler, and Cedar Crest teammate Lily Harchuska. All four young women are underclassmen who will continue to drive up the level of competition for years to come. Trostle and Dengler finished their season this past weekend at States, while Shanfelder and Harchuska have a good chance at joining them at the Giant Center next March.

One reason Shanfelder will continue to progress is her skill as a technical wrestler. Her willingness to improve was revealed when asked about her goals for the season, when she responded, “My goal this season was to try and get better offensively. I feel I have gotten a lot more confident and better at it, but I still have a long way to go.”

Cedar Crest Coach Ben Stum confirmed the mentality of Shanfelder, who is focused on getting better and not just winning, stating, “Maddie has big goals in the sport of wrestling and has a great desire to be the best. She is extremely coachable and not only wants to succeed herself but also wants her teammates to be successful as well.”

Speaking of teammates, this was the first year that Cedar Crest had a girls’ wrestling team. Shanfelder saw her work this season as trying to grow the program further, saying that she hoped to “inspire more girls to wrestle.” In doing so, Shanfelder hopes to see Cedar Crest start to make a name for itself in the sport. In order to support that goal, Shanfelder said, “I have helped achieve this by trying my best at tournaments and by talking to girls to convince them to wrestle next season.”

Stum has seen Shanfelder embrace her role as a teammate, stating: “Being the first year of our wrestling program, Maddie has shown a natural ability to lead our team. She has bought into the family culture that we have tried to establish on our team. She spends time bonding with the younger girls and finds ways to reward the girls when they succeed. She leads through example in the way that she practices and encourages others to do the same. Maddie is a kind person but is fierce and physical on the mat.”

“Maddie is a friend to all, and I often see her talking with girls on other teams,” Stum added.

Much of Shanfelder’s mentality can be credited to the foundational support that she receives from her teammates and family. She said that they all work “support me, push me, encourage me, and to always being there to boost my mood after a tough match.” This is especially important, as Shanfelder has worked to overcome the nervousness she often felt before competitions, and the support she receives helps make it easier for her to go out and perform at her best.

Shanfelder would like to eventually wrestle in college, but not before placing at States and having a positive impact on the growth of Cedar Crest Girls Wrestling. She has also had a dream of someday competing at the Olympics and works hard every day to improve towards that goal. That said, Shanfelder has other passions beyond wrestling, including dance, ice skating, and soccer. As if she was not busy enough, she is considering taking up rugby in the near future.

When Shanfelder is not busy doing something in the athletic realm, you might find her trying to score some winning deals while thrifting with her mom. Other times, she is hanging with friends, out hiking, or finally is finally sedentary reading a good book. She also fuels all of her activity through her love of tacos and Dunkin’ (Maybe together? We won’t judge).

While the curtains have closed on her rookie season of varsity wrestling, it is safe to say that you have not heard the last from Shanfelder. If she has her way, you’ll also be hearing a lot more from all over her fellow Falcons in the next few years. We congratulate her on a great season and wish her all the best in improving herself while continuing to recruit her peers to the wrestling team.

To conclude, we turn over to Coach Stum who said it best: “Maddie’s career has just begun but her future looks bright.”

Photo Credits: Susan Dengler (Owlcatraz Photography)

For a full list of recent nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting: February 10 – 16

This Season’s Previous Female Winners

Mya Doster (Week of December 2nd)

Olivia Shutter (Week of December 2nd)

Kaila Francis (Week of December 9th)

Liliana Harrison (Week of December 9th)

Lily Harchuska (Holidays)

Maddie Stout (Holidays)

Qynne Demler (Week of January 6th)

Hayley Sheroky (Week of January 6th)

Susie Hoffman (Week of January 13th)

Dakota Dengler (Week of January 20th)

Kenzie Eckhart (Week of January 20th)

Kailah Correa (Week of January 27th)

Riley Hatzfeld (Week of January 27th)

Elaina Potter (Week of February 3rd)