2024-25 (Sophomore): In her second season with the Hawks, Maddy Barton continued to improve on the mat. She had a first-place finish at the Luther College Open, winning every match by fall or technicality with four tech falls and one fall on her way to the 138 championship title, where she only allowed her opponents just five total points over her five matches. She also had a fourth-place finish at the Missouri Valley Open in the 138 division, a third-place finish in the Missouri Baptist Open, and clinched her second consecutive trip to the national stage with a deep tournament run at the NCWWC Region VI Tournament. In the national tournament, Barton picked up a pair of wins before making a third-round consolation exit.
Overall Record: 32-15
Falls: 11
Tech Falls: 13
-Â Â NWCA Scholar All-American
2023-24 (Freshman): Barton put together a great campaign as a freshman, finishing in first place in the 136-pound division at the Luther Open and Spire Classic. She also had third-place finishes in the 136-pound division at the MBU Open and the silver division at the Grand View Open. Barton also qualified for the national stage as a freshman, finishing in third place during the NCWWC Region V Tournament. On the national stage, Maddy went 1-2 with a tech fall victory in her second match.
Her 44 wins led the team along with her 22 falls, and her 16 tech falls were second on the team, one behind teammate Trinity Pendergrass.
Overall Record: 44-12
Falls: 22
Tech Falls: 16
Personal: Madeline "Maddy" Barton, a Ballwin, MO native, attended Marquette High School, where she excelled in both academics and athletics. She is the daughter of Ben and Anna Barton and has three siblings: Samuel, Jacob, and Lucas. Sports run in the family—her grandfather, Tom Smith, wrestled at Southeast Missouri State (1975-1978) and later served as Athletics Director at Missouri Baptist. Her uncle, Jon Smith, wrestled at Missouri Baptist (2000-2004), and her second cousin, Koryn VanGilder, played basketball at Concordia, Nebraska.
A dedicated athlete, Madeline was a four-year member of both the Cross-Country and Varsity Wrestling teams at Marquette. She served as Wrestling Team Captain (2021-2023), earned over 100 Varsity wins, and led her team to a 2nd place finish at the 2023 Class 2 Girls' State Wrestling Championships. Individually, she placed 6th at State in 2022 and 3rd in 2023 at 130 pounds, making history as one of the first girls from Marquette to place at State. She also won multiple awards, including Marquette Girls Wrestler of the Year (2021), the Heart of the Mustang (2022), and the Workhorse Award (2023).
Academically, she maintained Honor Roll status throughout high school (2019-2023) and was active in the National Honor Society, Orchestra, and AFJROTC. She was named Student of the Quarter in Fall 2020 and received the Marquette Winners Circle Award in Spring 2022.
Beyond school, Madeline has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and annually volunteers at Camp Chic-A-Wa, mentoring younger Scouts. She also served as President of Venture Crew 2319 from 2021-2023.
In her free time, she enjoys running and spending time with her family. Her favorite athletes include Gabby Douglas, Helen Maroulis, David Taylor, Kyle Dake, and Simone Biles. She supports the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues and was a 2022 Team Missouri member, qualifying for and attending Fargo Nationals.
Why QU?
I chose QU because it felt like home to me. Everyone is super welcoming and friendly. It is the right distance from home, and I like that it is a smaller school.
