Max McEnelly

National Wrestling Hall of Fame Announces State Winners of Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Thursday announced the state winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (DSHSEA).

The DSHSEA was established in 1996 to honor Olympic and World champion Dave Schultz, whose career was cut short when he was murdered in January 1996. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997 and as a member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.

The DSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior male wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.

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Shakopee’s Joel Makem Ratzinger and Waconia’s Max McEnelly Recognized as MWCA Ms. and Mr. MN Wrestlers of the Year

The Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association annually presents the Mr. Minnesota High School Wrestler award to the senior that best exemplifies the highest ideals of high school wrestling in Minnesota. Starting in 2022, the MWCA partnered with MN Women’s Wrestling to also recognize the Ms. Minnesota High School Wrestler award. Judging is based on past performances, citizenship, academics, leadership, and adherence to MSHSL rules. This year the committees are proud to recognize Shakopee’s two-time girls’ state champion Joel Makem Ratzinger and Waconia’s four-time boys state champion Max McEnelly.

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U.S. men’s freestyle makes history with first U17 World Championship team title

Waconia’s Max McEnelly wins Bronze

ROME, Italy – U.S. men’s freestyle won a team title for the first time in history at the U17 World Championships in Rome after going 4-0 in the medal rounds on Sunday.

Team USA put the title out of reach with 190 points. Following in second was India with 126 and Azerbaijan with 122. Continue reading at teamusa.org →

A two-time state champ going for three, Max McEnelly keeps it simple: ‘I love to dominate’

The Waconia junior heads into the state meet having not lost a match in more than two years.

Max McEnelly still wasn’t quite sure what he was getting into when he ventured to Fargo last summer.

The idea of wrestling on the national stage appealed to McEnelly, who had completed an undefeated high school season for Waconia as a sophomore en route to his second consecutive state championship.

He was good, no doubt. But he was about to compete in the USA 16U Nationals in North Dakota in July, a high level of competition with a style of wrestling, freestyle, that he hadn’t tried much to that point. “I’d only been wrestling freestyle for two or three months,” McEnelly said.

He swept through the 195-pound weight class, beating highly regarded Pennsylvanian Sonny Sasso 11-8 in the finals. Continue reading at mnwrestlinghub.com →

The Guillotine – February 17, 2022

The February 17, 2022 issue of The Guillotine has arrived! Content in this issue includes: Building a Family Atmosphere - Travis Holt and Becker Wrestling | Finding Balance - Max McEnelly | Lace ‘Em Up | MWCA Report | High School Rankings | Where Have They Gone? - Dan Stifter | View From The Matbird Seat | Performance Nutrition - Good Choices | Ask The Doc | State Tournament Schedule | Officially Speaking.

View this issue below.

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Finding Balance – Max McEnelly

By Brian Jerzak

The sports world is littered with stories of athletes who focus so much on their sport that everything else takes a back seat. The media loves to champion how focused elite athletes like Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback Tom Brady is. Waconia two-time state champion Max McEnelly is one of those rare athletes who is an elite athlete who strives not to be laser-focused on one thing but who strives for balance in his life.

"I have to have a balanced life. Wrestling can't be the only thing I think about," McEnelly said. "I try to have fun outside of wrestling, so it is not the thing I am thinking of all the time. When it is time to do my work, I do my work, but when it is time to hang out, relax and be a teenager, I can do that too. I think you should have a balanced life with wrestling."

Make no mistake, McEnelly strives for balance in his life but is also focused on results.

"The goal is to be a four-time state champion," McEnelly said. "No one has ever done it at my school. It would mean a lot for my hometown and my family. I go out there with the mentality that I am going to win every match, but I have to stay humble."

McEnelly's wrestling career started humbly.

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