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 1386. 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.
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.”
