CHANUTE — Chanute senior Kiley Dillow didn’t grow up dreaming of state titles or win streaks.
Most nights, she was the little sister on the gym floor — coloring in the corner, wandering the bleachers, or watching her two older brothers wrestle.
Now, the same gyms she once roamed have become stages for history.
Dillow enters the heart of her senior season as a two-time state champion, the No. 1-ranked wrestler in Kansas across all classes at 170 pounds, and the owner of a remarkable 105-match winning streak — a run that began nearly three years ago and continues to grow with every whistle.
“She’s built something that’s almost unheard of,” Chanute head coach Nick Northern said. “Winning 100 matches in a row is almost unheard of — especially in a sport like wrestling where every match is different and the competition is tough. It’s a huge testament to her consistency and mindset.”
Dillow hasn’t lost a match since the state tournament her freshman year, when she placed third. Since then, the defeats stopped, the confidence grew and the medals began piling up. She won her first state championship as a sophomore at 170 pounds, defended the title as a junior, and is now chasing a third straight crown in the same weight class.
Along the way, she has become one of the most dominant wrestlers the state has seen.
Her current season record stands at 14-0, and her career mark is 138-6. In late December, she captured the 170-pound title at the Wonder Women Tournament of Wrestling in Columbia, Mo., prior to that she won the LadyCat Classic at Basehor-Linwood for the third straight year.
Chanute's Kiley Dillow
At Basehor, Dillow earned a 5-0 decision over Shawnee Mission South’s Siobhan Flanner — the No. 2-ranked wrestler in all classes — and was named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler.
“I am proud of my record,” Dillow said. “I have worked really hard since freshman year, and it is fun to see the rewards. That being said, I try to not make it my entire purpose in wrestling. I do not wrestle for my record, I wrestle because I love the sport and environment.”
That love developed slowly. Dillow spent most of her childhood playing basketball and didn’t try wrestling until her freshman year of high school. Even then, she wasn’t fully sold.
“I was not completely bought in after that year,” Dillow said. “But my brother dragged me to everything in the summer. I was not that good, but it was something my brother and I could do together.”
What followed was a transformation she couldn’t have fathomed.
“She is a student of the sport,” Northern said. “She’s always watching her matches, watching other people’s matches, and seeking out coaching. I think what’s made Kiley so dominant is her work ethic and mental toughness.”
That approach has helped Dillow climb into rare territory. The Kansas girls wrestling record for consecutive wins is held by Clay Center’s Gabi Koppes, who finished her career 126-0. With 105 straight victories and the postseason ahead, Dillow is steadily closing in.
Still, her focus remains forward, not backward.
“I want to be the best,” Dillow said. “I think the success I have seen just gives me reassurance that I can be really good if I put the work in. Even if the result is not what I wanted, it just adds fuel to the fire before my next competition.”
The next chapter is already written. Dillow has committed to wrestle at Fort Hays State University next season, where she will continue her career at the collegiate level.
“Oh my gosh, I am so excited to go to Hays next year,” she said. “Their program has such a special culture and the group of girls are amazing. I cannot wait to jump to the next level of competition.”
For now, though, she’s savoring every moment of her final high school run — one that started as a little sister in the corner of a gym and has grown into one of the most dominant careers in Kansas high school girls wrestling.
“Coaching her has been a real privilege,” Northern said. “She’s always been coachable and driven. I’m just so happy she chose to go out for wrestling her freshman year.”
SHAWNEE MISSION SOUTH’S KIRK HOLDS OFF FAMILIAR FOE MARTY FOR LADYCAT TITLE
(By Rick Peterson, Jr.)
The 235-pound title match of the Basehor-Linwood LadyCat Classic featured a rematch of last year’s Class 6A state championship match.
Reigning state champion Lulu Kirk from Shawnee Mission South earned a 2-1 decision over Olathe North’s Molly Marty at the LadyCat on Dec. 20.
Last year, Kirk and Marty met up four times, going 2-2 against each other. Kirk pinned Marty in the second period of the state final to close her freshman season with a championship.
This season, Marty beat Kirk in the Wild West Kickoff Classic at Olathe West, winning by ultimate tiebreaker before Kirk avenged the loss two weeks later at Basehor.
Shawnee Mission South's Lulu Kirk
“It's always me and Molly, but it's always a fun time,” Kirk said. “It's one of those feelings where you're just like: This is a fun rival. It's always fun. It's never, like, beef.”
Kirk maintained a 2-1 lead in the closing moments of the match and held off Marty to move to 8-1 on the season.
“The final seconds, ‘I'm thinking, how can I do better?’ Kirk said. “What can I learn from this experience? Maybe there's an opening. Should I take it or should I leave it?’
“Because it's the last few seconds, we don't want to do anything major or risky so I just played it safe.”
Kirk knows there’s a good chance she’ll meet up again with Marty this season, a challenge she continues to welcome.
“I'm so excited to see her again,” Kirk said.
OLATHE EAST’S LENNARD CAPTURES HER FIRST LADYCAT TITLE
(By Rick Peterson, Jr.)
Olathe East senior Audrey Lennard outlasted Basehor-Linwood’s Makayla Faulkner in a matchup of the top two 145-pounders in the all-class rankings, securing her first LadyCat title.
Lennard scored first and maintained the lead the rest of the way, holding off a push from Faulkner in the third period to pull out a 9-7 decision.
“I wanted to score in the first period. It was big for me to get the first takedown and it set a good pace for me,” Lennard said.
Olathe East's Audrey Lennard
Lennard, the reigning Class 6A champion at 145, stayed undefeated, while Faulkner, who is ranked No. 1 in Class 5A and was a state runner-up last year, took her first loss to drop to 14-1.
“I knew it was going to be a dogfight and it was fun to go out there and wrestle,” Lennard said.
Last weekend, Lennard moved her record to 20-0 with the 145-pound title at the Joel Rios Invitational at Shawnee Mission South.
Other girls wresting standouts:
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Pittsburg’s Savannah Shires and Kaitlyn Allen won titles at the Topeka Seaman Invitational last Saturday. Shires, a senior, won the 115-pound title with three pins and a tech fall. Allen, a junior, won the 130-pound bracket in what was her first full tournament of the season with three pins.
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KC-Washington competed in a pair of tournaments in back-to-back days at Bonner Springs and Shawnee Mission North. Reddi Johnson (130 pounds) and Jaida Hawkins (170) each won titles at Bonner Springs. Johnson defeated Wellsville’s Kynlie Stevenson in the finals, who is raked No. 2 in 4A. Hawkins, beat a pair of ranked wrestlers in De Soto’s Carbon Frazier and Turner’s Isabella Brown to win her crown last Friday. Both Johnson and Hawkins went on to finish second at Shawnee Mission North. Hawkins beat two more ranked opponents at North as she earned four victories over ranked opponents in two days. Both wresters are currently ranked No. 2 in 5A in their respective weights.
Lawrence's Goldy Stephens