Max Gallagher’s success extends beyond Penn wrestling

Picture this: a freshman, still recovering from a torn labrum and the ensuing surgery, steps onto the mat. Across from him stands Nico Provo, formerly the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class and still a formidable foe. In the opening period, Provo secures two takedowns and jumps to a 6-1 lead.

He’s an All-American veteran. His opponent is just a year out of high school.

And somehow, some way — through grit and grind — Penn’s now-sophomore Max Gallagher (125) kept fighting.

“It was looking ugly,” Gallagher said. “But then, in the second period, I scored on him. In the third, I scored late to tie it up and take it to overtime. And then, I beat him in overtime, and our whole crowd was just going crazy. It was the biggest comeback win I’ve ever had.”

That harrowing match serves as a fitting metaphor for Gallagher’s wrestling career: an uphill battle marked by setbacks, resilience, and immense triumphs. But, before Gallagher was beating All-Americans, he was wrestling with his brothers and being coached by his father.

“I actually started when I was about four years old,” Gallagher said. “My dad … was the youth coach at the school in the district I grew up in. I have two older brothers, so he put them in during elementary school, and he just put me in right with them.”

Gallagher’s father Joseph was a Division III wrestler and turned wrestling into a family sport, inspiring competition between his three sons. To this day, Joseph remains an inspiration for his son. Max said that growing up, his father “really got behind me and gave me the extra confidence I needed.” 

Eventually, Gallagher proved to be something special in his own right. When he was in middle school, he faced a wrestler much older than himself in the podium match of a regional tournament — and won. 

His victories and accolades only continued to accumulate from there. 

“In eighth grade, I made the state tournament and placed third,” Gallagher said. “Then, in ninth grade, I made it to the finals. My goal was to be a four or five-time state champion … but I lost that match by one point, which was really heartbreaking. I was like, ‘All right, I’ll just get it next year.’ And then COVID hit.”

The pandemic put a temporary hold on Gallagher’s state tournament plans. Still, throughout his sophomore year of high school, he trained relentlessly. Wrestling at 125 pounds — the lowest weight class in collegiate wrestling — is notoriously grueling. The depth of competition is intense, and the weight-cutting demands are brutal.

Luckily, Gallagher’s favorite off-season hobby helps mitigate this issue. 

“I really enjoy cooking, which is a little tough as a wrestler because I don’t always get to eat. But yeah … I spent a lot of time cooking with my family.” When asked about his best dish, he said, “I make steak a lot, so probably steak and sweet potatoes. Or desserts — like banana bread and cookies.”

Eventually, pandemic restrictions lifted, and Gallagher achieved his first major goal — winning a New York state title as a junior.

After his success at the state level, Gallagher broke through nationally, placing at three major tournaments in a row. He earned All-American honors at Fargo, Super 32, and Iron Man. But the road to Fargo was anything but smooth.

“Going into Fargo, I was having shoulder pain, and then at Fargo, I tore my labrum in the middle of the tournament,” Gallagher said. 

He pushed through the pain to finish fifth at Fargo. After the tournament, though, his doctor said that Gallagher would need surgery to repair his shoulder. He was faced with a dilemma: undergo surgery immediately and miss out on the following tournaments, or keep competing and risk further injury? He chose the latter. 

“So, I wrestled the rest of those months at Super 32 and Iron Man with a torn labrum,” he said.

Eventually, Gallagher had to sacrifice another shot at state championships in order to get surgery. Delaying the procedure any longer might have jeopardized his first collegiate season.

And what a debut year that was. 

Gallagher went 20-10 during the 2023-24 campaign, notching wins over All-Americans like Virginia Tech’s Eddie Ventresca and Provo. After the NCAA season, he earned a spot on the U.S. team at the U23 World Championships after a standout performance at the U23 Nationals — a rare international opportunity for a collegiate freshman.

“That was a cool experience,” Gallagher said. “I had never wrestled internationally before … I trained throughout the whole summer, and it was kind of tricky because the World Championships were two weeks before our first college competition — and they’re completely different styles. So I was balancing a lot.”

With the help of his coaches, Gallagher built his own training plan ahead of his trip to Albania, where he competed internationally for the first time. Winning his first match there gave him confidence.

Gallagher went on to place fifth at the U23 World Championships before jumping straight into his sophomore season of collegiate wrestling. Despite his success on the international stage, Gallagher has always had his eyes on one goal: becoming an NCAA Champion.

“My goal ever since I was about ten years old has been to be an NCAA Division I champion,” Gallagher said. “That’s always been the pinnacle of wrestling in the U.S., and I’ve always known how difficult it is … the goal is to be on top of that podium.”

While Gallagher’s long-term sights remain fixed on becoming an NCAA champion, his sophomore campaign still offered plenty of takeaways — both individually and for Penn wrestling as a whole.

“Overall, I couldn’t be more proud of our team’s performance,” Gallagher said. “We’ve always been on the cusp for a handful of years, and this year we started to see a lot of progress — and then we finally broke through.”

Penn wrestling finished 16th out of 60 teams in this year's championships, with senior CJ Composto (141) placing 4th and earning All-American honors. 

Gallagher himself advanced to the second round of the consolation bracket before being knocked out of the tournament. 

“It was a little tough because personally, I had high expectations for myself,” he said. “I’ve beaten All-Americans before and I planned on being on that podium. I did not get anywhere near the results I wanted, but just seeing the success that my teammates had gave me a lot of confidence and belief that I could get there as well.” 

Now begins another offseason, as Gallagher looks to grow, improve, and chase the goal he’s held since childhood — standing atop the NCAA podium — with two more years to make it happen.