“It is only a disability if you let it keep you down.” 

Those are the words of Matt Olauson, a tremendously successful wrestler who happens to be deaf. 

When Matt came to Queen Anne’s County High, he was very quiet and didn’t say a whole lot. But Matt was willing to do more and go beyond what the normal athlete would do. 

He wrestled almost year-round. After high school practice, he would go to practice with a club team as well, just so he could perfect his skills. He ran extra sprints, and worked extra hours. All of that hard work paid off.

Over time, he became a vocal leader on the team and a three-year captain. With a career record of 157-15, he broke his high school's record for career wins and he set the county record for wins as well. He became a three-time Bayside Champion, three-time regional champion, two-time state champion, and multiple-time All-American. During his senior year in high school, he was ranked as high as No. 10 in the nation. 

He went on to wrestle for four years at Campbell University and even qualified for the United States Deaf Olympic team. 

Matt amassed accolades and achievements during his wrestling career. He did all this without the ability to hear, needing to communicate with his coaches through sign language. This was obviously a disadvantage, but he saw it as a challenge to be defeated.

“Matt is the type of person and wrestler that you will always remember”, said his high school coach, David Stricker.