2025 Bishop Lynch High School Sports Hall of Fame

Join us on Sunday, April 27 at 4:00 p.m. as we honor four individuals and championship teams that left their mark on Bishop Lynch High School Athletics.

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Ash-Lee Michael James ‘04 

Ash-Lee Michael James '04 is one of the winningest all-around athletes in Bishop Lynch High School history, capturing state championships in three different sports for a total of five victories. As a sophomore, Ash-Lee scored the game-tying goal with less than a minute left in the TAPPS soccer state semi-final game in 2002. The team went on to bring home the state title, and Ash-Lee received the recognition of Second Team All-State. He played on the 2002 and 2003 TAPPS football state championship teams and was named Second Team All-State Wide Receiver and First Team All-State Defense in 2003. Ash-Lee was also the TAPPS 1-5A Male Athlete of the Year. In the 2003-2004 men’s soccer season, Ash-Lee was a key factor in another state championship victory, this time with a game-winning assist that earned him the designation of First Team All-State Midfield for the season. Later in his senior year, Ash-Lee took home TAPPS state championship gold medal in long jump and the 4x100 relay in the leadoff position along with bronze medals in high jump and 300m hurdles. This marked Bishop Lynch’s first track and field championship.   

Ash-Lee went on to receive All-Conference recognition at Northwestern State from 2005-2007 in the decathlon and heptathlon, both indoor and outdoor. He transferred to Eastern New Mexico University to play soccer and was named All-American, First Team All-Region, and All-Conference captain during his tenure.   

Following his university career, Ash-Lee was signed by the USL West Texas Sockers and the Houston Leones. He finished his soccer career in England with Alton F.C., where he scored in the FA Cup, and Camberley F.C. where he played in the FA Vase. 

Ash-Lee's athletic career was still far from over as he brought his American football experience to the British league to help the prestigious Farnham (Rushmoor) Knights win promotion to the premier division in 2015. His impressive performance with the Knights earned Ash-Lee a call up to train with Team Great Britain ahead of the European Championships to play Sweden while signing with the London Olympians in 2017. 

He is currently the managing director of Weystone Financial in Andover, England. In 2021, Ash-Lee was a finalist in the Black British Business Awards for the Financial Services Rising Stars category and received parliamentary recognition. 

 

Gretchen Gerken '10 

Gretchen Gerken ‘10 brought home five state championships during her career as a Friar student-athlete, three with the women’s basketball program and two with softball. During her three softball seasons at Bishop Lynch, she was named to the All-State team three times, All-Tournament team twice, District Defensive Player of the Year, District Offensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year. As a freshman in 2007, she was the team's starting pitcher for Bishop Lynch's first softball state championship in program history. Three years later she hit the game-winning grand slam to clinch the 2010 state championship. On the court, Gretchen was a key player in three state championship victories in a row with wins in 2008, 2009, and 2010. She received both All-State and Academic All-State recognitions in 2009 during her junior year along with being named to the All-Tournament teams during her junior and senior years.   

Gretchen went on to earn her degree in economics from Texas A&M University in 2014. She then joined the family business out of college and currently runs the Ashcraft Company providing commercial HVAC & Plumbing equipment to the North Texas region. In addition, she founded Garnet Dynamics as a project management firm for commercial mechanical and plumbing projects within the public sector. She has been selected to participate in the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses Program along with the SBA's Emerging Leaders program for rising small business owners. Since graduating, she has coached Dallas Parochial League (DPL) basketball teams at St. Pius, St. Thomas, and St. Patrick with multiple former Bishop Lynch teammates. 

 

1992-1993 Women's Basketball Team 
Head Coach: Andy Zihlman '72

The Bishop Lynch women’s basketball team won 34-3 to bring home its fifth-straight TAPPS state championship, achieving a perfect 10-0 district record. Andy Zihlman '72 was awarded Coach of the Year, and five players received special recognition for the season. All-State honorees included Kelly Ahrens ‘93, Cathy DeSalvo '94, and Amie Smith Bradley '93. Ahrens, DeSalvo, Smith, and Jennifer Jackson '94 received All-District and All-Tournament recognition, Yvette Gonzalez '93 was named Honorable Mention All-District, and both Ahrens and Smith were named All-Region players. All-Metro included DeSalvo and Bradley, and Jackson was Newcomer of the Year.  

In addition to these accolades, Smith was named Player of the Year, TABC All-State, and Academic All-State, and was the only private school player to participate in the TABC All-Star Game. She received the Texas Basketball Magazine’s All-State recognition and was a Kodak All-American nominee and Davey O’Brien nominee. The team was also a runner-up in the prestigious Duncanville Tournament.

 

2009-2010 Wrestling Team 
Head Coach: Tim Mathews '87

In 2010, the Bishop Lynch wrestling team secured the program's 13th state TAPPS title—the fourth in a row—and won first place in the Prep State tournament and third in Prep Nationals. Troy Silver '10 was a four-time National Prep All-American, one of just 31 athletes to have received the honor at the time. Individual winners at the TAPPS state tournament were Judson Preskitt '13, Jake Goodwin '12, Joey Vogelsberg '10, Case Garrison '12, Troy Silver '10, Trey Adamson '11, Tanner Eitel '10, Stephen McPeek '10, and TD Ikemenogo '11.