BRUIN SWIMMER ASHYLNN TAYLOR WINS STATEWIDE JIM THORPE AWARD
Graduating Bartlesville Bruin Ashlynn Taylor will be recognized next month as the Jim Thorpe High School Player of the Year in Girls Swimming.
Courtesy photo
By Stephanie J. Lief
June 18, 2026
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
The accolades continue to shine on the Bartlesville Bruin swimming program.
Graduating Bartlesville Lady Bruin swimmer Ashlynn Taylor has been selected as this year’s Jim Thorpe High School Player of the Year in Girls Swimming by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
Recipients are chosen based on exceptional athletic accomplishments, academic success and good character in the spirit of legendary athlete Jim Thorpe. She will be honored at the annual All-Sports and Scholar Athlete Awards Ceremony on June 25 in Oklahoma City.
Taylor has been a part of the Bartlesville Bruins swim team for her entire high school career and a member of the Bartlesville Splash Club for seven years. She excels at short-distance swimming, specifically the breaststroke, and leaves her high school career as the 2026 100-yard breaststroke Oklahoma Class 6A state champion.
She has received many athletic accolades and personal bests along with high-achieving academic awards, including graduating with distinction and Advanced Placement honors. She was also recently named the Bartlesville Bruins Senior Female Athlete of the Year. After the Splash Club’s summer season ends, Taylor will continue her academic and athletic career this fall at Valparaiso University in Indiana.
“I am so thankful to have the honor of receiving the Jim Thorpe award," Taylor said. "I am forever grateful to Bartlesville swimming and my wonderful coaches, teammates, and community who have supported me and guided me to become the athlete and human I am today.”
The award is named in honor of Jim Thorpe, a Sac and Fox Nation member born in Indian Territory who is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-around athletes in history. Thorpe achieved international fame by winning two Olympic gold medals in 1912. He later became a pioneer in professional sports, playing football, baseball, and basketball. The Associated Press named him the most outstanding athlete of the first half of the 20th century.
Graduating Bartlesville Bruin Ashlynn Taylor will be recognized next month as the Jim Thorpe High School Player of the Year in Girls Swimming.
Courtesy photo