With the 2024-25 wrestling season now concluded, there are a lot of big shoes to fill in the Ames High Wrestling Program. From key leaders to spark plugs, the search to find who’s next starts now. But for now–and while we still have them here–it’s time to take a minute to recognize those who previously filled those shoes. 

New Kid in Town Brings High Levels of Both Wrestling and Positivity

Christian Castillo and his family arrived in Ames during the summer, following his commitment to Iowa State University. Castillo brought with him a pedigree unlike anything the program had ever seen before. Castillo is a World Silver Medalist and a U.S. Open Champion and has won multiple All-America honors at the 16U/Junior National Championships up in Fargo, North Dakota.

But Castillo refuses to let his success get to his head, wanting to stay as humble as possible.

“It’s been pretty cool to travel all over the state of Iowa this year, seeing all the small towns and different ways people live out here is pretty cool,” Castillo said. “I’ve always been a firm believer in hard work goes a long way, but I think many people forget that you got to do the right work. If you’re busting your butt doing the wrong work you aren’t getting anywhere.”

Castillo’s flair and technique mastery is something that isn’t common in the sport of wrestling, many guys are quick with their shots and have good footwork, but Castillo does most of his work with his hands, creating a hybrid of American and International styles of wrestling.

“I’ve always had people always tell me I’m quick but I don’t really think I’m too quick. I’ve seen guys that are fast. I don’t feel fast, I feel as if it’s just happening,” Castillo said. Castillo has rarely had hardships come by in his career, but he’s experienced them like all other wrestlers have.

“Not in a cocky way or anything, but I don’t lose a lot, so I haven’t had many breaking points,” Castillo said. And this is crazy, but there was a time when I had a girlfriend and then I split up with her. After we split up for some reason I started losing and I started having bad practices, so after a while, I ended up having a girlfriend again, and all of a sudden I started winning again! It’s crazy, but there’s got to be something there.”

Castillo didn’t have a hard time meshing with the team at all this season, he credits that largely to his ability to stay positive about things and the “melting pot” of different personalities in the program.

“It’s a very welcoming community here, so my family and I are very appreciative of that,” Castillo said. 

Duos Building the Program

For some seniors, especially those who have formed close bonds with others in the program, the idea of leaving is hard to imagine. 

“It’s been weird,” senior Greta Goodman said. “It often felt like there was more pressure on us and for Brooklyn and I, as the last two people of the original girl’s wrestlers, so it’ll just be weird. It’s always been the same people there.”

Seniors Brooklyn Greenlee and Greta Goodman were among some of the first girls wrestlers here at Ames High. They spent their first year of high school wrestling mostly boys instead of girls because girl’s wrestling was unsanctioned during their freshman year. The two often traded off wrestling at 106 either to take a forfeit or go out and put their best foot forward against boys. 

“It’s been really cool to watch, considering Greta and I started together in a room full of boys,” senior Brooklyn Greenlee said. “Watching it go from only us two pretty much to then 20 girls, to then having a real state tournament, and the quality of wrestling has gotten so much better.”

Greenlee understood that being one of the first girl’s wrestlers meant taking on a leadership role. 

“Showing the new girls to the program and the sport itself has been fun. The growth of the sport not only just here at the school but all across the state as well, really makes me happy,” Greenlee said.

Goodman and Greenlee concluded their careers this past February by narrowly missing out on state tournament qualification, but they both know their impact goes far beyond the record books.

“It’s more exciting because you’re seeing how much the sport is growing. There’s a lot more people in the room than there ever was in the beginning,” Goodman said. 

The dynamic duo has had plenty of hardships over the past four years. Both of them had elbow injuries with Greenlee injuring both of her elbows within the past two years, even having surgery on one of them. Goodman injured her elbow as well but also battled concussion complications the year after her sophomore campaign that saw her take sixth at the inaugural Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) State Championships.

“My junior year when I missed out on qualifying for state my elbow really gave out, but as I was running out of the place Greta was trailing me making sure I was okay,” Greenlee said. “Knowing that it was coming to an end this year brought us closer together and we’ve always been there for each other, no matter what we went through we always had each other.”

Another two peas in a pod in the Ames High Wrestling program are Seniors Cole Martin and Jackson Winkey.

“Oh Cole, this kid man, comes in our freshman year wrestling 120 pounds, he was skinny and fat at the same time it really confused me,” senior Jackson Winkey joked “It’s been unreal to see him go from a 5-foot-6 120 pounder to a 6-foot tall 190 pounder, he’s really grown up and it’s been awesome to be by his side for it.”

The growth for Martin has been unreal not just physically, but in his skillset and mentality on the mat as well. Martin credits his partners such as Winkey with helping him improve.

“Well, Jackson and Jabari would always kick my butt in the room and that pushed me to strive for that level. It built me up and really helped me get better,” senior Cole Martin said.

“I just wanted to be at the level of the great guys around me, I mean there would be days I would just get dominated the entire practice as a freshman. To go from a scrawny kid that had a below .500 varsity record to a state medalist up 70 pounds in weight is something I can be truly proud of, and a large credit to that goes to the guys around me,” Martin said. 

Winkey and Martin, similar to Goodman and Greenlee, started in the sport together as sixth graders. It had initially been Winkey who had the more high-level wrestling experience and skill, beating Martin at local weekend tournaments they would be at. Martin’s favorite sport had initially been football and Winkey had a love for wrestling at the time, but as they grew older, those desires flipped.

“As we got older our interests sort of switched, Jackson started to switch his love toward football and I had grown a large love and desire to get better at wrestling,” Martin said. “It’s been awesome to see everyone get better, I think as I’ve improved, so has everyone else around me and that’s been a privilege to be around.”

Winkey wrapped his career up as a three-time state qualifier with Martin finishing as a one-time medalist and a two-time qualifier. Martin hopes to create an impact beyond the record books. 

“I hope I can be a model for the fact that hard work really does pay off. To go from a losing record to being on the podium on Saturday night is a special thing and it should be a reminder for those kids in a similar position I was in to keep working as hard as they possibly can,” Martin said.

For Winkey, it is the community that has gotten him through the hardships of his career.

“Relying on the community around me helped me out a lot through all of my injuries and the days I did not want to practice at all. Cole helped me lock in and pushed me when there were times I didn’t really want anything to do with the sport, and I’ve helped Cole stay calm and composed out on the mat,” Winkey said.

He hopes that younger wrestlers will learn to rely on their teammates and have fun with the program.

“Having someone to rely on like that and to see each other grow as people and wrestlers has been one of the coolest things about it and that would be something I’d want younger guys and gals to take away from us–and just have fun and enjoy the moment, seriously,” Winkey said.

Looking Forward

The seniors departing from the program are leaving big shoes to fill, but many of the underclassmen have already stepped up to the plate.

“There’s so many kids on the team with sky-high potential, if some of those kids step up and start doing the hard work they’re gonna do great things here,” Cole Martin said.

Although this star-studded class is leaving, there is still a lot for the program to look forward to. Sophomore Braxton Winkey has continued to show a lot of promise in his first two campaigns at Ames High.

“We all know he should’ve been on the podium with us,” Christian Castillo said. “I’m sure he’ll step up this next year and work as hard as he possibly can to get himself where he wants to be.”

Along with Braxton Winkey, youngsters on the girls’ side such as Jaya Theilen and Kate Badding have the potential to fill the shoes as well, according to Goodman and Greenlee.

“Kate and Jaya are starting to be like the duo Greta and I were, they’re always working hard and pushing each other in the room, and they’re seemingly always with each other during the season,” Greenlee said. “If they can stick with it and stay working as hard as they can, they’ll be great for each other and the program.”

With all the leaders leaving it’s up to the returning wrestlers with the pedigree at the highest levels to find a voice in the room, keeping the ship steered in the right direction.

“I think if Lexa [Rozevink] were to find a voice–she’s the most accomplished one and the best one in there, she’s been doing things on the national stage and has plenty of experience–that would be really good,” Goodman said. “If everyone else wants to be good they’ll listen to the successful people in the room, so Lexa would be great for that.”

There are plenty of candidates to step up, but it’ll be up to them to assume those responsibilities. If there were to be an early prediction for the program motto for next season, Who’s Next? would be a great one.