Snell set the 15-16-year-old/9th-10th-grade JV Junior Varsity Division state record in the squat and deadlift. Even more, she was the 152-pound All-Around State Champion, and was the JV-aged Top Overall Female.

The weight class just below 152 was 138.75 pounds. Snell gave up 10 pounds lifting in the higher class, but it didn’t phase her. Snell began the competition with the squat event. The current state record for that weight class for squat was 270 pounds. Snell’s beginning weight was 275, breaking the meet record on her very first lift.

For her second squat lift, she bumped up to 300. In powerlifting, you have three judges. If you get a majority of white lights, it is a successful lift. If you get a majority of red lights, the lift is deemed unsuccessful. Madison’s second lift had red lights showing and it was communicated that they decided she wasn’t low enough on the squat.

“We were all extremely disappointed and confused that the judges didn’t accept her second lift, but the reality was that she had already beat the record and we needed to focus on the technique of the third one,” said Jason Snell, Maddy’s uncle and high school track and field coach. “I told Maddy in front of the judges, ‘if you have to sit on the floor to get white lights showing, do what you gotta do girl.”

Photo submitted

Madison nailed her third and final squat of 300 pounds with ease to finish out that state meet record-setting event.

Madison’s opening bench was 110 pounds. After the opener, she bumped her second lift up to 125 and had similar results of success with ease. For her third and final bench press, it was decision time. The state record for the 9th-10th-grade 152 class was 135 pounds, also Maddy’s personal best.

“After discussing it with her dad, Justin, it was decided that Maddy would go for 140 pounds and her second state record of the morning,” said Jason Snell. “I didn’t expect for a second Maddy would back down. I knew she would go for it because that is the athlete she is.”

Snell attempted the 140-pound bench on her third and final attempt and she was unable to complete the press. “Disappointed at first, she realized how proud we all were of her for her bravery for going for it,” he said, “and that 125 was a great solid number for her final total combined score at the end.”

She opened at 275 pounds in deadlift and never blinked in the first attempt. For her second attempt, she was back in the 300 club in her favorite event. Once again, Snell locked out the deadlift successfully and would be in decision mode for her third and final lift (and her last lift of the day).

Sheffield’s Madison Snell receives her gold medal in powerlifting. Submitted Photo

The 152-pound weight class JV-age 9th-and-10th-grade division state record was 315 pounds. Madison’s PR previously stood at 325 pounds.

After the bench state record attempt, Snell decided to be conservative and go for 320 and break the record.

As she approached the platform, the announcer said Snell would be attempting to break her second state record of the day with the bar is loaded at 320 pounds.

“With that being announced and the whole packed gymnasium with eyes on her, I have seen time and time again, athletes fold under the extreme humongous stage pressure, but I knew my niece’s seek-and-destroy mentality was going to keep her as cool as a cucumber,” said Coach Snell. “She has been in similar situations in Metal Militia (powerlifting) events in terms of pressure, but nothing like this.”

Snell successfully locked out her lift with everything she had and set her second state record of the day.

“The crowd may have erupted, but I know we didn’t hear them over the sound of our family’s applause and jubilation,” said Coach Snell. “Was such a proud, proud moment for her. We were so ecstatic.”

Now it was time for the awards ceremony in the Jim Thorpe High School auditorium.

“Once the official results were posted, it was revealed that even though the JV-aged division goes up to a 185-pound class that had participants in, Madison had the highest JV Raw division squat by 55 pounds, she had the highest deadlift of any JV competitor by over by 40 pounds, and had she gotten the 140 bench, she would have had the highest JV Raw bench as well,” said Coach Snell. “Madison’s three-event grand total of 745 pounds was 125 pounds higher than the overall female JV Raw second-place finisher, Abington Height’s Mariah McClendon.”

Snell was then brought to the stage and given her 152-pound weight class state gold medal and her 2025 Pennsylvania Top Overall JV Division Female lifter award.

“For her to barely be over the 140-pound mark and still almost break all three 152 state records is unheard of,” said Coach Snell. “If she was in the weight class she was only a few pounds from, she would have totally crushed all three records. But to be just barely over 140 and out-lift every other girl competitor in that age group by over 125 pounds — some outweighing her by almost 45 pounds — is just crazy. I promise you one thing, if that place never had known of Madison Snell or Sheffield, Pennsylvania, before Saturday, I bet they do now.”

“The Viking Princess, as her powerlifting coach Alex Shaw calls her, was greeted back in her hometown by a firetruck escort into town by Cherry Grove, Clarendon, and Sheffield volunteer fire departments, where tons of family, friends, teammates, and community members greeted her with hugs and handshakes. Maybe one of the most special moments of the night was Cherry Grove Fire Chief, Sheffield High School Football Coach, and former esteemed powerlifter himself Michael Barr gave her a special gift. Mike had competed and broken a state record in Jim Thorpe, in his own words, “many moons ago,” and his father… Ray Barr had given him a weightlifting gold pin when Mike had broken his state record. Mike told Madison that Ray would have wanted him to pass it along to her, according to Coach Snell.

“It was such a special moment that sparked a lot of tears,” said Jason.

Madison’s grandfather, John Fleck, from North East, also spent the weekend cheering her on as he had done many times before all over the North Eastern US. “We told him, you are about to witness the small-town love that you have never seen or felt before,” said Jason. “You already know how special Sheffield is, but you are about to feel it like never before. Between the crowd, sirens, and Mike’s special gesture, he knew real quick what we had meant.”