One thing @bear112 to remember - just because someone is at an Ivy doesn’t mean they are motivated, etc. There are plenty of lesser effort kids at top schools - or kids that do their academics and not much else.
And UMD is hard - both my kids got Scholars (neither chose it) but had they gotten Honors, FIRE, or nothing, they’d still be the same kids, pursuing their interests. Maybe they wouldn’t be as readily available - but all things (research, strong relations with Profs) are avail to all at most schools - but one needs to advocate for themselves.
You will find both kinds of kids at top schools and at your flagships including UMD. Sure, more percentage wise might be “research” focused at top schools but on the other hand, at the state flagships, that may open up more opportunity for you.