Flavin inspiring growth, building legacy as Life Women’s Wrestling continues success

In honor of Women’s History Month, USA Wrestling celebrates the remarkable achievements of individuals that have made a direct impact on the success and development of women’s wrestling.

Ashley Flavin, the head coach of Life University’s Women’s Wrestling team, continues to break barriers and inspire future generations of female athletes on and off the wrestling mat.

Flavin, who took over as head coach at Life in the 2017-18 school year after serving as a volunteer assistant coach from 2015 to 2017, has transformed the program into one of the most successful and respected teams in women’s collegiate wrestling.

This year, Flavin led her team to new levels of success, winning the team title for the first time at the 2025 NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Championships. Under her guidance, the Running Eagles produced three individual national champions in Zaynah McBryde, Latifah McBryde and Savannah Isaac. Three more athletes finished second in the tournament at their respective weight classes.

Flavin became just the second female coach in NAIA history to lead a women’s college wrestling team to a national team championship. Prior to the creation of an NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Championship tournament, Flavin led her team to a National Duals title.

In 2021, Flavin was named the Captain’s Cup Honorary Coach of the year and was the first woman to win the NWCA Coach of the Year. That same year, she cemented her name in history books being the first woman to lead a collegiate wrestling team to a national title of any kind.

Before her coaching career, Flavin was an accomplished wrestler in her own right. Competitively, she was a 2019 Beach World Team member, securing an eighth place finish at the Beach World Championships. In 2010, Flavin placed third at the U.S. Open.

A few years prior, Flavin qualified to compete at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, and was named the 2008 NWCA National Duals Outstanding Wrestler. Flavin was also a 2007 WCWA National Runner-Up for Oklahoma City University, and a 2007 Senior Pan American bronze medalist.

She was also a Resident Athlete at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for five years before transitioning into coaching.

At the helm of the Life program, Flavin is building a legacy of growth and support that she hopes will improve the lives and futures of every athlete she coaches. “There’s some suffering, there’s some pain that has to come, but you don’t have to suffer just for the sake of suffering, and it doesn’t have to be hard just for the sake of hard,” she explains.

It should have a purpose. We don’t have to do what we’ve always done; we can grow and be better. I hope that every year I’m better and I’m growing for my athletes, and I hope my athletes carry that on and they leave it better than they got from me.”

Through her leadership, she has not only led her team to unprecedented success but has also paved the way for future generations of female athletes to excel in wrestling and in life.