Goddard’s Ashlynn Goodwin ranked among nation’s best wrestlers

GODDARD, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) - When Ashlynn Goodwin first stepped in the wrestling room at Goddard High School, girls head coach Brian Means recalls the lofty goals she set for herself.

“Ashlynn had some big ambitions coming in, wanting to be a state champ,” Means said. “Ashlynn really changed the way I viewed girls wrestling. She came out, she competed with the boys, she worked hard. … When she did get to wrestle a girl, she didn’t treat it any different, she just came out and wrestled.”

Goodwin’s second season at Goddard resulted in a state title as a sophomore, becoming the first girl in the school’s history to win gold on the mat.

“It felt good. It meant a lot since I was the first girl from Goddard to win it,” Goodwin said.

As a junior, she came up just short with a bronze-medal finish, which has served as motivation for one of the state’s top girls competitors.

“Her dedication is even more now that she got third,” Means said. She never misses a summer workout. … She’s in the weight room every day.”

Goodwin’s hopes of wrestling in college appear to have the chance to come to fruition after her high school career. She won the coveted KC Stampede tournament last year and is set to face the nation’s No. 2 wrestler in the bracket.

Goodwin enters the season ranked No. 9 at 144 pounds by USA Wrestling, and she’s just one of nine Kansans ranked nationally. Wichita North’s Bilhah Bengi, Lakin’s Josiah Ortiz and Scott City’s MacKayla Miller are also ranked in their respective classes.

Goodwin hopes to end the year ranked even higher and with one more gold medal.

“I’m ready to win it this year. Just have to work to get there,” Goodwin said. “It has a lot of pressure to it, but just go out there and wrestle.”

Copyright 2022 Catch it Kansas. All rights reserved.