The intensity started at age 5 for Grant Madl. 

And about 13 years later during his senior year of high school, the hard work on the mat finally paid off. He is now Elk Grove’s first wrestler in 40 years to make the podium at state, placing 5th in the 126 pound weight class.

Getting to the state finals didn’t come easy for Madl. In fact, he was on the brink of making state for three straight seasons. He lost in the “Blood Round” at Sectionals, meaning he was just one match short of making the trip to Champaign. 

“Making it to state finals was a dream of mine since coming into high school, so it was a great feeling to finally accomplish that goal,” Madl said. 

To achieve his goal of making it all the way to state, Madl spent numerous hours outside of the EG wrestling season to train with an outside club team. He did this during the off-season, a common thing for wrestlers looking for additional matches. 

“I wrestled for Izzy Style, and it was intense, but definitely worth it,” Madl said.

After spending countless hours with his club team, Madl almost didn’t believe it when he had achieved his long-awaited goal in the winter. 

“It took a while to let it set in, but I was very happy and couldn’t wait to see my family, friends, and others who came to support me,” Madl says. 

Along with having his family and friends to support him, Madl also had coaches who were there for him every step of the way. 

“My coaches took extra time to make me better, and they also taught me some great life lessons,” Madl said. “They really wanted me and the others to enjoy the time we had together by having fun but also seeing success on the mat.”

Having this support system led Madl to his decision to commit to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he will continue his academic and wrestling career.

“Wrestling is like any other sport or anything in life, in which you must work hard to accomplish your goals,” Madl says. “Sometimes success takes time, you have just to keep working and your time will eventually come.”