Going to the Mat

At just 9 years old, Upper St. Clair’s Maya Bhandari is finding success on the mat as part of the fastest-growing high school sport in the country—girls wrestling.

On wrestling mats across Pennsylvania and beyond, Maya Claire Bhandari is making her presence known—not just with wins, but with more confidence than the average elementary school student.

A fourth grader at Streams Elementary School in the Upper St. Clair School District, Maya is only 9 years old, but she already carries herself like a seasoned competitor. Wrestling is just one part of her busy life—she also plays club and travel soccer, studies piano and violin, loves to sing, and counts science as her favorite subject. At home, she’s supported by her parents, Atul Bhandari and Kristen Schneck, two older brothers—Trevor and Maxwell—and her “emotional support” dogs, Tucker and Delilah.

Maya’s path to wrestling began a bit out of the blue, and kind of by just being there. For years, she watched her brother Maxwell compete, but eventually, being on the sidelines wasn’t enough.

“When I was younger, I used to always go to Max’s wrestling tournaments and just sit there,” says Maya. “Then I started thinking, ‘Hey, if I am already here anyway, why not get on the mat and try it myself?’”

That moment of curiosity quickly turned into something more. With just a handful of basic moves—taught by Max on the family’s basement wrestling mat, of course—Maya entered her first tournament at age 7. What followed surprised everyone...including her parents.

“She somehow kept winning and winning,” they recall. “Before we knew it, we realized she might actually qualify for States!”

In her very first season, Maya placed at both the Keystone State Championships and the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling (PJW) State Championships. By her second year, she had climbed even higher—winning the PJW State Youth Championship and finishing second at Keystone, a goal she had set for herself all on her own.

However, for Maya, wrestling is about more than medals.

“I love being around my friends from wrestling,” she says. “When I am on the mat, I like that it is me against the other wrestler, and the best wrestler wins.

“A lot of girls don’t try wrestling because they think it’s a boys sport. I like that I can show that girls are strong and should be encouraged to wrestle too.”

As participation in girls wrestling continues to surge nationwide, Maya is growing up alongside the sport itself. She’s seen firsthand how opportunities have expanded in just a few short years.

That growth has meant fuller brackets, more competitive matches and new experiences—including Maya being a part of Team Pennsylvania at the Girls Mason-Dixon All-Star Duals, where she helped secure a championship victory.

“It felt great to contribute to a championship win for my state,” she says. “Not many people can say they’ve done that.”

Behind the scenes, her family has been deeply involved in the journey. Kristen has driven countless miles to camps, practices and private lessons, while Max has taken on the role of coach and training partner.

“I teach Maya moves, do conditioning workouts with her, and analyze videos of her matches,” Max explains. “It’s cool to see her keep getting better.”

Maya is also grateful to Coaches Tarr, Smith, Willoughby and Myers of USC Youth Wrestling, Coaches Kocher, Cipriani, Green and Allemang of South Hills Wrestling Club, and Coaches Lebec and Betz. All have had a hand in her success.

In early 2025, the family faced one of its greatest challenges when Atul was diagnosed with cancer. Throughout his recovery, Maya emerged as a quiet source of strength, pouring her emotions into both wrestling and writing. That spring, before winning States, she shared a school poem that closed with three powerful words: “I am COMMITTED.”

Now training up to four times a week and learning both folkstyle and freestyle wrestling—the collegiate style for women—Maya is already thinking big.

“In the future, I want to be an Olympic wrestler and win gold for my country.”

And what does Maya have to say to the girls watching from the bleachers, just like she once did?

“Don’t give up on your first try, even if it seems hard,” she says. “Keep trying and you will get better. Just work hard. As my dad always says to me, if you fall, always get back up.”