Samantha Massey has been honored as Friends of Section 3 Wrestling’s Girls Wrestler of the Year, a well-deserved recognition for wrestling’s rising star. She’s the first Girls NYSPHSAA Wrestling State Champion, the first wrestling state champion at Mount Markham, and a Section 3 champion—all achieved in her first season on varsity.  Massey is the youngest member of her team and the only girl, which can be intimidating for a seventh grader, but she knows how to hold her own amongst her peers. To be the best, she trains three to four times a week and visits a private club to enhance her skills. This dedication is what led her to a historic victory at the New York State Wrestling Championship, and Friends of Section 3 Wrestling’s Girls Wrestler of the Year.

Female wrestlers competed in the very first Girls State Championship at Albany’s MVP Arena on February 27th, 2025. This was also the first year that athletes were able to compete using freestyle rules, the same style used in college wrestling. With 212 athletes in the girl’s division, 13 weight classes, and 16 brackets, Sam Massey had tough competition ahead of her. But if her regular season stats were anything to go by, (40-2 overall, 13-0 against girls), she was a force to be reckoned with.

After conquering the regular season, Massey was ready to take on the competition at the State Championship. She breezed through each round eliminating opponents one by one and there was no stopping her once she got to the semi-finals. She was able to pin her opponent in under two minutes and in even less time in the final match. Massey won by tech fall over her opponent, securing her place as the very first Girls NYSPHSAA Wrestling Champ. Not only was her win historic for girls’ wrestling but for Mount Markham as well. Samantha Massey is also the first wrestling state champion in the school’s history. But the wins haven’t stopped there. Her successful debut season on varsity has culminated in her receiving the recognition of Girls Wrestler of the Year from Friends of Section 3 Wrestling.

Massey became interested in the sport after attending a wrestling tournament for her cousin. While the other kids her age were off playing under the bleachers during the tournament, she was captivated by the action on the mat. At one point, Massey turned to her parents and asked, “Can I go to a practice like this? I don’t even know what this is, but I wanna do it.” Convinced she would hate it; her parents reluctantly took her to her first practice. To their surprise, she fell in love with wrestling. What started as mere curiosity quickly blossomed into a passion for the sport. As she began to see improvements in her skills, Massey decided it was time to take her sport more seriously and started attending club wrestling sessions. She credits many of her accomplishments to her club wrestling training, especially her club coach, Laken Cook. “He’s put so many hours of training and dedication into me,” Massey acknowledges, “he wants the best for me and really made me into the wrestler that I am today. I would not have won states if I had never met him.”

Samantha Massey had the training necessary for varsity wrestling, but she had to climb a few hurdles before being placed on the varsity team. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy coming into varsity, being a seventh grader and a girl. I just trained and wrestled as hard as I possibly could,” she recalls. Since she was only in middle school, she had to pass the physical tests, which proved to be easier than she expected. The next challenge was being the youngest member of the team and the only girl.  However, being surrounded by athletes who shared her passion proved to be a positive experience for Massey.  “It’s really nice to have a wrestling community,” she shares. When asked about her older teammates, she has nothing but respect for them. “They have a lot of pride and put a lot of effort into what they do,” she mentions, “they were supportive and made it their duty to treat me like their little sister.” She also appreciates the endless support she’s had from her coaches, J.J. Hoke and Brandon Yager, “they’ve made a lot of sacrifices for me. I appreciate them.”

Before starting the season, she was uncertain about whether she would be wrestling boys or girls. If she was to only wrestle boys, as she always had, her goal was simply to qualify for states. However, if she was to wrestle in the girls' division, she wanted to win states—and she did. Next year she wants to wrestle boys in the 101-pound division, “I think I will do well next year with another year of training,” she adds. And with her enthusiasm and dedication to wrestling, she just might continue to surpass each milestone.