In the eyes of a collegiate coach, Maddie Scheier is a dream athlete.
“I tell my guys here, like, if you guys had the same drive and mentality that my daughter had, that you guys would have a better chance of making it to the league,” said her father, Adam Scheier, an assistant football coach at UNLV.
Aspiring to follow in the footsteps of her athletic family, Maddie picked up a basketball at only 3 years old, mirroring her basketball-loving older sister. Come junior high, her skills only continued to grow. She dreamed of playing Division I basketball, and with college programs showing interest, that dream was becoming a reality. But what was supposed to be her breakout season became a turning point in her athletic journey.
She suffered an ACL injury—an athlete’s worst fear—that ended her basketball career. A devastating blow, considering the years she’d spent working on her craft. Now forced to walk off the court and close one chapter of her life, she took what some would call it tragedy and she called it fate.
She walked off the court and onto the track.
With the palm trees swaying behind her, she is first on the track in Coral Gables with her dream now her reality as a Division I athlete. Her motivation is clear in her focused expression, and her positivity is clear as the first to hug and congratulate her teammates.
“I knew that in the long run it would be better for me and now I got to come to a beautiful place like Miami,” said Scheier, recalling her decision to pursue track and field. Her doctor had advised that, given her injury, the more linear nature of track and field would be more beneficial.
Her new coach, Amy Deem, recognized her work ethic immediately upon seeing her at practices.
“Maddie is feisty, she’s competitive, she brings it every single day. She doesn’t come to practice moping. She brings the same demeanor, the same work ethic every single day, and all she wants to do is get better,” said Deem.
Having worked in college athletics, her father understands the sacrifices that it took to be in her position.
“I don’t get surprised when I watch her have the success that she’s having, but it definitely fills me with pride and admiration,” he said.
So while the sport of choice may have changed, her values remain the same: Hard work, determination, and passion.
That same passion drives her beyond athletics—into her career in special education.
While sports shaped her resilience, working with students with special needs gives her space to slow down and connect. This work brings Scheier the greatest victory of all: motivating others the way she motivates herself.
“It’s not just about putting a smile on their face, it’s about how they make me feel,” she said. “They are so happy and positive, and just grateful for the friendship.”
A friendship dating back to middle school sparked her love for working in special education. She recalled a friend who looked to her for kindness and acceptance and she made a promise to deliver both. Now she continues building those meaningful connections and uplifting others every day.
And while finding her new path, Scheier has blazed through Miami, and the records have followed.
In the 2025 season, her performances have been worth highlighting at every competition. At the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, Scheier broke the school’s 20-year-old one mile record as she clocked a 4:45.82, besting Melanie Schultz’s time of 4:46.81 set on March 5, 2005. Scheier’s new mark bettered her personal-best by nearly three seconds.
In April, at the Wake Forest Invitation, Scheier broke the school record in the women’s 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:48.62. She bettered Bianca Banato’s 2022 record of 10:50.23.
By the end of the spring season her love of both community service and athletics were awarded with her earning the Indoor Track and Field All-ACC Academic Team and the Outstanding Community Service Student-Athlete Award.
The same determination that pushed her to break records on the track now fuels her work with Special Olympics athletes. Because for Scheier, success isn’t just about winning—it’s about helping others discover their own strength, just as she found hers.