Kansas girls wrestling has a new phenom in Derby freshman Presley Beard
Over nearly two decades with the Derby wrestling program, coach Kelly Heincker has seen plenty of champions and tough kids over the years.
But when he talks about freshman Presley Beard, his voice shifts to bordering on disbelief.
Not because the freshman is currently undefeated and ranked as the best 120-pound girls wrestler in Kansas, but because of how she operates on a day-to-day basis.
“She’s got the mindset of a 24-year-old professional,” Heincker said. “That’s where it really gets hard at times to remember that we’re still working with a 14-year-old freshman in high school.”
Beard arrived at Derby already carrying national credentials and has somehow exceeded the hype. She won her second national championship last spring with the 14-under, 105-pound title at the USA Wrestling Women’s National Championships in Spokane, Washington. Years earlier, she captured a national title as a 6-year-old while competing against boys.
Now in her first high school season, she’s a perfect 24-0 and ranked No. 1 entering the postseason that begins Saturday with the Class 6A West regional tournament at Wichita South, where she will try to punch her ticket to the state tournament in Overland Park on Feb. 27-28.
Her dominance comes in the methodical form, as she is capable of picking apart veteran wrestlers with her relentless leg attacks.
At Newton’s Tournament of Champions in January, Beard ran straight through elite competition. She pinned Garden City’s Julissa Rodriguez, the No. 2-ranked wrestler in 6A behind her, then followed with a 6-3 decision over Tonganoxie’s Autumn Wilson, the No. 2 all-class wrestler at the weight. She has also beaten Wichita North’s Reese Anderson, the defending state champion at 120, and Wichita Heights’ Jada Reed, last year’s third-place finisher at the weight.
Those wins weren’t accidental. They were intentional targets.
When Beard entered high school, she didn’t scan the rankings looking for a clearest path to a title. She studied them to choose the most difficult route, jumping up to a loaded 6A 120-pound division that returned the top three state finishers.
“Most kids would look at the rankings and try to figure out where it’s easiest,” Heincker said. “Presley looked at the rankings to see where it was the hardest. Her goals go so far past high school wrestling. She understands you have to wrestle the best and you can’t be afraid to lose. Some kids would have nerves in these big moments. But to her, these aren’t big moments. They’re just stepping stones to even bigger goals.”
Beard puts it more simply.
“I just want to compete,” Beard said. “I always want to wrestle the best.”
After competing years primarily as an individual, Beard has enjoyed the team aspect of high school wrestling. It has also helped she walked into a room with plenty of veteran leadership, as seniors Brooke Downs (140), Dacia Root (145), Chloe Spears (170) and Analicia Lopez (190) have all embraced Beard.
“It’s been kind of different, but I have a great team with me now,” Beard said. “The seniors are such great leaders. They’ve welcomed everyone on the team. So that’s made it really fun.”
Even though she’s not much of a talker, Beard’s work ethic alone has helped change the entire room’s standards in her first year on the team.
“It’s great when you get elite-level wrestlers like her to come into your program because it spreads,” Heincker said. “Negativity can spread, positivity can spread. Her attitude has spread like wildfire in our program. Kids are excited to wrestle the best now. They’re excited to work hard. They’re training outside of the room. She’s come in and it’s immediately been like, ‘You want to be elite? This is the way, follow me.’”
Beard’s excellence has made for a different kind of coaching challenge for Heincker. When a wrestler is dominating with relative ease, improvement has to be hunted in the margins — hand position, angles, transitions, mat awareness.
Those little things are what keeps Beard hungry every day in practice.
“There’s so many intricacies in the sport, so there are always little things we can work on,” Heincker said. “A big part is just helping her hold herself accountable on those little things. Making sure in the room she’s not just winning, but she’s working on those details. It’s pretty easy because that’s what she wants. So it’s really kind of held us coaches to a higher standard because we want to make sure we’re supporting her and building her up the best we can.”
In some matches, Heincker admits there’s almost nothing to say. There are stretches where Beard’s mat IQ and tactical command are so sharp that she doesn’t need much instruction. The coach said there are times he simply enjoys having the best seat in the gym, watching Beard operate like a surgeon on the mat.
Despite the national accolades and the spotless record, Heincker says what stands out the most about Beard is what you don’t see: ego.
“It’s been a dream working with her,” Heincker said. “She’s come in and said I want to wrestle the best competition possible and be worked as hard as you can work me. She keeps her head down, works hard and she’s as humble as they come.”
For Beard, wrestling in high school is far from the final destination. Her goals stretch far beyond Kansas. That’s why she chose the hardest bracket. That’s why she trains like a veteran. That’s why it’s easy to forget she’s just 14.
The wins are piling up now. But the real pursuit, in her mind, is still so far ahead.
“The season has been great so far,” Beard said. “I’ve had a lot of fun and I’m really excited to show everyone what I’ve been working on these next couple of weeks and just get out there and compete.”
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