Coming to this country from the Dominican Republic, Ashlie Montano Giron admitted that high school wrestling was an unknown concept.

“I never really saw wrestling growing up,” reflected Montano Giron. “I decided to give it a try, and I’m glad I did.”

Now, a few years later, Montano Giron took fifth place in the 155-pound weight class at the Southeast Regional Tournament at Quakertown High School. A week earlier, Montano Giron placed fourth at the District 11 Class 2A Tournament.

Montano Giron began her wrestling career after playing football for the first time. Even though she may have had some doubts, Montano-Giron was encouraged by her friends to stay the course.

“My coaches said it was a great way to stay in shape during the offseason,” said Montano Giron. “I decided to try it, especially since one of my friends was already doing it, and I ended up really liking it.

“I’ve stuck with it ever since.”

Yet, there was a time when her career was in doubt.

“Yes, it’s always been in the back of my mind since eighth grade,” admitted Montano Giron. “But every time I’ve talked to my coaches about it, they’re very supportive and insightful.

“They tell me that they see a bright future for me in the sport, seeing how I picked it up so fast.”

Head coach Mike Rusnock has seen Montano Giron create plenty of peaks and also overcome some valleys in her career.

“Ashlie is one of our restorers that actually came up through the junior high program where she did have some success at that level,” said Rusnock. “Last year as a freshman on the girls high school team was a bit of adjustment as she did not find success right away in the beginning of the season.”

Like she did in the past, Montano Giron came to the crossroads.

“At one point, she was even contemplating giving up wrestling,” noted Rusnock. “The whole coaching staff encouraged her to continue wrestling because we all knew the potential that she had this year.

She came in this year with the attitude of working hard and doing whatever is best for the team during dual meets. She listens and drills hard in the wrestling room. She is great in the top position, but we are adding to her skills in neutral, and have more work to do from bottom.”

Last season, Montano Giron experienced an experimental stage to the high school level, but she adapted well this season. She went from a 10-7 season last year to 19-7 with 15 pins.

“Last year was my first year wrestling girls,” said Montano Giron. “I was mostly practicing with newer girls, so it definitely took some time to adjust and figure things out.”

It was adjusting in all phases for her.

“This year I really wanted to focus on improving my stamina, strength, and technique. Mental health is just as important as physical and faith as well is important to me,” she said. “I did feel comfortable coming into this year although I did start in a slump, barely motivated to show up, but I had made a decision to stick with it and lock in for my team. Wrestling is mostly individual, but there still is a team aspect.”

Montano Giron will continue to ponder her next move, but she certainly has learned from her past.

“At districts, I think I wrestled pretty well overall,” emphasized Montano Giron. “Of course, there were moments where I know I could’ve done better, but that’s part of the sport. I’m not sure what I’ll do in the future regarding wrestling. There is talk among my teammates to head to a wrestling club, but nothing is concrete yet.

“Whether you win or lose, there’s always something to learn, and I’m just focused on getting better and improving each season.”

Rusnock doesn’t have any doubts about her future.

“She had a successful season,” boasted Rusnock. “We all believe she is only going to continue to get better and the sky is the limit.”