Around the Hill: Helen Maroulis

Annually, the Washington D.C. area produces elite level athletes.  By the time these athletes graduate high school, they have already earned a large quantity of awards and even national recognition. Year in and year out, these players go off to various colleges across the country and accomplish a great deal.  From here on out, however, much of what these athletes accomplish seems to go unnoticed.  Every Wednesday, tune in to alloverthehill.com as I spotlight local area athletes that have flourished in their respective sports. This segment will highlight how the careers of local products have progressed and what their next step will be.  It is my pleasure to open the newest Around the Hill segment, profiling wrestler Helen Maroulis.

Since the creation of title nine, the sports world has tried its hardest to provide equal opportunities for both men and women.  Most fans may be oblivious to their female counter-parts, but there’s one female athlete that, since her youth, has stood tall among the men.  In one of Maryland’s more unknown sports, wrestling, Helen Maroulis has made quite the name for herself.

A former Magruder High School student, Helen, grew up wrestling for a popular club under Coach Michael Desarno.  Maroulis developed and eventually placed sixth her junior year of high school in the prestigious MPSSAA State Wrestling Tournament.  In doing so, she became the first woman to ever place in the event’s long history.  Her passion for the sport grew and she decided to finish her high school career at Marquette high school in Michigan. Maroulis went on to attend Missouri Baptist College and Simon Fraser College, where she captured two WCWA National titles.  Already a long way from her home in Rockville, MD, Maroulis decided she wanted to dedicate her life to the sports she loves. In recent years, she has trained with the New York Athletic Club, one of the premier club teams in the country, hoping to expand her success to a more national level.

Since college, Helen has become one of the more decorated and well-known wrestlers.  Maroulis has captured numerous titles ranging from The Dave Shultz Memorial to U.S. Open.

For a sport that’s at risk of losing its spot in the Olympics, wrestling is in dire need of stars and Maroulis seems to be a perfect fit.  Beyond Helen’s success, her personality, appearance, and passion for the sport seem to make her an obvious choice.  Helen Maroulis’s next step will be capturing her first Women’s Freestyle World Championship. Maroulis will represent our nation in the world tournament this September in Budapest, Hungary.  Helen should be a top competitor as she will be wrestling at 55 kgs/121lbs.  No matter what happens in Hungary, we no for sure that Helen Maroulis’s name will be one to remember come 2016.

Maroulis(red) looks to secure a takedown.