[2] At a 2009 transtasman swimming meet, Ashwood beat Kiwi Phoebe Williams to finish first in the 800-metre freestyle event.

[5] At the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival, she lost to Kelly Marquenie in the women's 800-metre freestyle event.

[10] At the 2011 World Swimming Championships, in her national team debut, she did not make it out of the semifinals in the 1,500-metre.

[13] At the 2012 Australian National Championships, she finished second in the women's 800-metre freestyle with a time of 8:27.97.

[14] As an 18-year-old,[3] she was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 800-metre freestyle event[2][15] in what were her first Games.