BRISTOL, Tenn. – King University head women's wrestling coach
Jason Moorman announced the hire of alum
Ashlynn Ortega as an assistant coach.
"Over the past five years Ashlynn has showed tremendous leadership as a student-athlete and captain of our program," Moorman said. "She has done this on and off the mat, and I am excited to see her take that leadership to another level in her new role. She clearly understands the principles and culture that has made King wrestling what it is today, and we are excited to get to work."
Ortega was a member of the Tornado women's wrestling team for the last five years, helping King to a pair of National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals championships. In her time on campus, Ortega was a five-time All-American and won her lone national championship in 2022. The team captain is also the career leader with 51 technical falls.
"Joining King's women's wrestling team as a coach is a full circle moment for me to give back the lessons I've learned from my alma mater," Ortega said. "Developing a craft like wrestling takes a lot of discipline, mentally and physically, but the benefits from training in such a tough room is extremely rewarding."
In international competitions, Ortega finished runner-up at the Grand Prix in Madrid, Spain earlier this year and was a U23 World Team Member, competing in Belgrade, Serbia in 2021. She was a Junior Pan American Team member in 2019 and a two-time Cadet World Team member.
"As a competitor, I was always extremely grateful for the best people around the country joining the team as they pushed me everyday, which translated on to the biggest stages around the world," continued Ortega. "Guiding these young women to fall in love with the pursuit of the goal is what is meaningful to me."
While on campus, Ortega was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and was appointed treasurer of the Student Government Association. She graduated in 2021 with a degree in security and intelligence and a minor in psychology before earning her Master of Business Administration in 2022.
