Michaela Hutchison, of Skyview, won the 103 pound Alaska State Wrestling Championship Feb. 4, 2006 at Chugiak High and got a big hug from her proud father Michael Hutchison. Hutchison defeated Aaron Boss of Colony High.
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Michaela Hutchison makes U.S. History February 4, 2006
Alaska State Wrestling Championships
Anchorage Daily News
By VAN WILLIAMS
Published: February 5, 2006
Last Modified: February 5, 2006 at 05:56 AM
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Michaela Hutchison, of Skyview, won the 103 pound Alaska State Wrestling Championship Feb. 4, 2006 at Chugiak High and got a big hug from her proud father Michael Hutchison. Hutchison defeated Aaron Boss of Colony High. |
girl's win makes U.S. history
WRESTLING: Hutchison's state title against the boys at 103 pounds is unprecedented.
Armed with cameras and video camcorders, nearly 2,000 people packed Chugiak High on Saturday night to watch Skyview's Michaela Hutchison make history.
Flash bulbs popped when Hutchison took the mat in the 103-pound final of Alaska's big school wrestling championships. When the wrestlers were introduced, Hutchison received a roaring applause.
But the best was yet to come.
Led by chants of "C'mon Michaela" and "Girl Power," Hutchison blew the roof off the place when she earned a thrilling 1-0 victory over Colony's Aaron Boss to become the first girl wrestler in the nation to win a state title against boys.
Hutchison, a sophomore who entered the state tournament ranked No. 1 in her weight class, completed her historic run by scoring an escape with 16 seconds left in the match to beat Boss for the second time in as many weeks.
As time wound down and Hutchison and Boss locked together in the middle, the crowd started counting down "3 ... 2 ... 1" before letting out a deafening roar. Hutchison didn't show much reaction -- she was more concerned with stopping her nose from bleeding.
Family and friends mobbed Hutchison after she walked off the mat while the crowd honored her accomplishment with a standing ovation.
"They were helping me," Hutchison said of the crowd's support. "It was awesome."
Hutchison was a crowd favorite before she even took the mat, in large part because she was trying to do what no girl had ever done -- beat the boys.
Skyview coach Neldon Gardner said Hutchison's victory was one of the highlights of his coaching career. He has coached countless state champions, but this one stood out.
"After 23 years of coaching you remember a lot of things. I'll never forget this one," he said. "I can't think of anybody more deserving than Michaela. She works as hard as any boy I've ever had."
Lathrop's Leah Bachert, a girl wrestler at 112 pounds, called Hutchison a role model.
"I look up to her because she's proving everybody wrong," Bachert said. "She's showing everybody that girls can be just as tough as guys."
Beating the boys has been something Hutchison has dreamed about since she started working out with the Skyview High as a seventh grader. She was close last year, losing in the 103-pound final.
Across the nation, other girls have been close too.
Last year, 17 girls nationwide qualified for high school state championships that included boys. One of them, Deanna Rix of Maine, finished second at 130 pounds. Michaela's sister, Melina, placed third at state six years ago.
Now Hutchison is in a class by herself.
"I don't care about (the significance) right now," she said. "I was excited to get done with the season. I'm been waiting for this for a while."
Hutchison's victory rivals other historic wins by women in male-dominated sports. Remember Libby Riddles? In 1985, she became the first female musher to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Riddles, along with four-time winner Susan Butcher, changed the rules of the game forever.
And Hutchison might do the same -- at least in Alaska.
Kent Bailo, director of the U.S. Girls Wresting Association, believes Hutchison's victory will help girls wrestling become a varsity sport. He estimates 4,000 to 5,000 girls wrestle in high schools nationwide. Yet, only Hawaii and Texas currently offer it as a girls sport. But Alaska might be next.
"I think coaches would want girls to have their own varsity sport," Bailo said. "Their boys would be so embarrassed if a girl won state. The coaches don't want girls taking away their medals."
Boss shouldn't feel embarrassed about losing to Hutchison. She's been No. 1-ranked at 103 all season. Hutchison finished the season with a 45-4 record that included 33 pins, one shy of the state single-season record.
Other boys who have wrestled against Hutchison said it was no big deal to lose to a girl, especially one as talented and tough as Hutchison. Kodiak's Tucker VanMatre was pinned by her in 47 seconds at the region championships two weeks ago.
"It was quick," VanMatre said. "She got me in an arm bar and turned me (over)."
Did she catch you by surprise?
"No," VanMatre added. "I expected it. She's good."
Hutchison was born to wrestle. She's one of 10 children and the third in her family to win a state title, joining brothers Zeb and Eli.
"They love the sport more than any other family I know," Gardner said. "This is a result of that dedication."
Michaela Hutchison, of Skyview, on top, won the 103 pound Alaska State Wrestling Championship Saturday February 4, 2006 at Chugiak High. Hutchison defeated Aaron Boss of Colony High.
As the tournament continues Michaela Hutchison, of Skyview is interviewed after winning the 103 pound Alaska State Wrestling Championship Feb. 4, 2006 at Chugiak High. Hutchison defeated Aaron Boss of Colony High.
Michaella Hutchison of Skyview prepares to take the mat against Chris Hernandez of West at 103 lbs in quarterfinal action at the state wrestling championships Friday at Chugiak. Hutchison pinned Hernandez to move on to the championship semifinals.
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Girl Beats Boys For State Wrestling Title
New Champ Wrestled In 103-Pound Class
UPDATED: 10:45 am EST February 7, 2006
Slideshow: Girl Beats Boys For State Wrestling Title
Video: Girl Wrestler Beats Boys For Title
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Michaela Hutchison has been dreaming about beating boys for years. And now she's done it.
Amid chants of "Girl Power," Michaela became the first girl to win a state high school wrestling title.
She did it by beating the best boys in her weight class at the Alaska state championships.
Michaela walked away from her title match with a bloody nose and said it was "awesome."
Michaela was also just one pin shy of setting a new record in the 103-pound class.
Skyview High coach Neldon Gardner said Michaela works as hard as any boy he's even coached.
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Woman succeeds at male-dominated sport
Monday, February 6, 2006 - by John Tracy • Watch the video...
Anchorage, Alaska - There are not many domains left exclusively to men, and another was at risk this weekend. Saturday night at Chugiak High School a modern battle of the sexes took place.
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Cumberlands Lady Wrestlers Face International Competition
www.cumberlandcollege.edu 2/7/06
The University of the Cumberlands (formerly Cumberland College) women’s wrestling team divided to participate in two tournaments on Saturday February 4, 2006.
Three UC ladies traveled to Colorado Springs, CO to compete in the Dave Schultz Memorial International. The ladies contended against some of the world’s finest wrestlers. Alaina Berube (Escanaba, MI) won a gold medal in the 63 kg weight division by pinning her opponent in the third period. Othella Lucas (San Diego, CA) wrestled in the 59 kg bracket, while Heather Martin (Wellington, OH) competed at 67 kg. Lucas and Martin each finished fifth in their respective weight classes.
Several other Patriot ladies competed in the Western Open in London, Ontario. Deseree Cazares (South Grand Prairie, TX) defeated teammate Melissa Girard (Norway, MI) to earn a gold medal in the 48 kg division. At 51 kg, Jessica Medina (Pomona, CA) finished fourth. Also finishing forth was Warry Woodard (Smithfield, VA) competing in the 55 kg brackets. Krisha Childress (Goddard, KS) earned a bronze medal at 63 kg. Tabetha Golt (Chesapeake, VA) and Clarissa Dalke (Amarillo, TX) finished fourth in their respective divisions of 67 kg and 72 kg. Theresa Fennell (Amarillo, TX) finished the tournament with a bronze medal.
The Patriot ladies will host the United States Girls Wrestling Association’s Kentucky State Championships on February 18, 2006. This tournament will feature top elementary, middle school and high school wrestlers from throughout the country.
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Warriors qualify seven wrestlers for state
Democratherald.com February 7, 2006
Lebanon High School freshman Amy Bloom made history Saturday.
In finishing second in the 103-pound weight class at the Midwestern League district wrestling meet, she became the first 4A freshman girl to qualify for the Oregon state tournament.
“She’s a good wrestler, a lot of experience,” Lebanon coach Jim Vandehey said of Bloom, who won a national title last year. “She just has great technique.
The top three finishers in each weight class advance to state, held Feb. 16 -18 at The Pavilion on the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem.
Bloom’s finish helped the Warriors take second with 233.5 points in the meet, held at Willamette High School in Eugene. Thurston ran away with the title with 430.
Lebanon had six other qualifiers.
Also finishing runner-up were James Phillips (152 pounds) and Kyle Bellon (275).
Lebanon’s third-place finishers were Robert Duran (103), Joel Aranda (125), Andrew Wallum (135) and Josh Parmenter (145).
Duran is also a freshman, giving the Warriors two ninth-graders in the same bracket at state.
Lebanon’s Isaac Salazar, the top seed at 125, was disqualifed because he didn’t make weight.
Midwestern district meet
Friday and Saturday
Willamette High School
Eugene
Team scores: Thurston 430, Lebanon 233.5, Springfield 213, Churchill 172, Marshfield 163.5, Sheldon 122, N. Eugene 111.5, Willamette 101, S. Eugene 84.5
Lebanon state qualifers
Seconds: Amy Bloom (103), James Phillips (152), Kyle Bellon (275)
Thirds: Robert Duran (103), Joel Aranda (125), Andrew Wallum (135), Joshua Parmenter (140)
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Jensen wrestlers to host regional
By DUNN NEUGEBAUER
Special to The Palm Beach Post
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
After claiming the 13-1A district crown at Jupiter last week, the Jensen Beach wrestling team gets to host the Region 4-1A tournament on Friday and Saturday.
"It'd be nice to win it in our building," coach Ben Tomes said.
Tomes has the depth to do it. Johnny Rivera (103), Jesse Brantman (112), Justin Browning (130) and Josh Delancy (275) all won last weekend. Browning was second in state last year and is 46-4; Delancy is 46-4.
Female wrestlers advance to regionals: Okeechobee and coach Bruce Jahner will head to Bayside after capturing the title. They did it with depth and a mixed squad that included two female wrestlers. The girls, as well as the guys, earned trips to the regional.
Mary Flores was third at 103 and Candi Rivero third at 119. Six boys won titles for Jahner.
"Everything just fell into place for us," Jahner said. "Even in the places where I subbed in, they all did well also."
Three at UTC: Wrestling is a family affair for Martin County senior Mark Rogers. Rogers is 28-1 and still hasn't lost this season on the mat — he had to default a match in the Jupiter Invitational because of a broken nose that is still bothering him.
"It's still a little fat," he said after winning the 145-pound District 14-2A title Saturday.
Rogers' older brother, Lloyd, wrestles at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Older brother, Eric, will transfer from Indian River College to UTC next year.
"Eric comes over every day and we work out," Mark said. "I go up to UTC every summer and wrestle against Lloyd. It's all about focus this year."
Next year, Mark hopes to join his brothers at UTC. First, however, he will continue his quest for a state title after finishing one match short of the medal rounds last season.
Looking for coaches: Last week, Martin County football coach Leroy Ryals announced he was leaving to become the head coach at Clarke Central in Athens, Ga., leaving a fourth Treasure Coast high school with a coaching vacancy. Jensen Beach, John Carroll, Martin County and the new Treasure Coast High School in Port St. Lucie are all searching.
Five-for-five: A team might not win a district title with only five wrestlers, but it has to be happy when all five earn trips to regionals. That's what happened Saturday with Jim Dailey's Port St. Lucie squad.
Kevin Casper won the 119-pound title in the District 14-2A tournament. Along with Casper, Roman Cummings (third in 140), Julio Gradaille (third in 145), Josh Kabat (third in 160) and Mike Pittman (fourth in 189) will travel to Palm Bay-Bayside for the 4-2A regionals Friday and Saturday.
"It was a really good day for us," Dailey said.
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By RICH RUPPRECHT
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT 2/7/06
Santa Rosa's Jacque Davis is hooked on wrestling.
Davis, a junior at Santa Rosa High, followed up her NorCal regional championship at 108 pounds with a third-place finish at the state championship in Hanford over the weekend. And she was mad at herself for losing a 5-4 semifinal match to Hogan's Jessica Ortiz.
Davis had defeated Ortiz by the same score in the semis at NorCal.
Ortiz took the lead in the final 10 seconds at state with a takedown.
"I wasn't angry that I lost," Davis said. "I just thought I could have done better."
Two other Empire girls placed at state (top eight): Monica Torrey of Lower Lake, who was sixth at 108 pounds; and Lauren Russet of Windsor, sixth at 146 pounds.
Next for Davis and other top girl wrestlers in the Empire is the North Coast Section tournament in a couple of weeks.
Davis, who regularly wrestles against boys in the Panthers' league dual meets, also hopes to compete in the national folkstyle meet at the end of March in Michigan.
Davis won two matches by pins after her defeat, giving her third place. She went 4-1 in her state matches with four pins.
She also stayed to watch the finals and was impressed with the crowd size and talent level. About 300 girls took part in the state meet, which is still a relatively new event.
"It's a chance to meet people and see different wrestling styles," Davis said.
Asked about her season, Davis said: "I'm excited. Last year was the first I really kind of got into it. Next year I want to push toward the next level."
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Kristen Esterheld: Girls prep of the week
Staff Report 2/7/06
Redwood, wrestling, junior
What she did: Esterheld captured the state wrestling heavyweight championship this weekend in Hanford, winning all three of her matches. She won the first two by pin and was leading 5-4 late in the finals when her opponent was disqualified for biting. After finishing second at state and 10th at nationals last season, Esterheld is looking to improve this year.
What she said: "It felt really good to win, but I would have liked to have won it wrestling instead of by DQ. That was my biggest win so far, but to win nationals would be the biggest. I've been wrestling for three years and some of them have been wrestling for seven or eight years. I feel like I've been able to accomplish so much in so few years because I've had such great coaching and support from my team. It is a great atmosphere to be around."
What's next: Esterheld is scheduled to go to U.S. Girls Wrestling Association regional and national tournaments next month. There is a NorCal regional March 5 in Vallejo. The West Coast Regional is March 26 in Reno. Nationals are April 1-2 in Michigan. She is 2-1 in matches against MCAL boys this season (along with three wins by forfeit), and 15-0 against girls. She will find out how well she stacks up against the boys at the MCAL meet on Feb. 18.
Off the mat: Esterheld loves many sports. She played JV football last season, but switched to water polo
this fall. She is a standout on the track in the shot put and discus. She hopes to compete in college in one of these sports, but isn't sure which one. She would like to give back to her sport by coaching after graduation, and often works with the younger boy and girl wrestlers on the Redwood team.
Trivial matter: She said that wrestling against the boys has helped her compete with the girls. "The boys are a lot stronger, but the girls are more flexible. You have to use different stuff to compete against the guys and girls. I might be able to get a single-leg takedown against a guy, but against a girl, I might need to use more technique."
Coach Pavan Gulati: "She has improved volumes as a wrestler. At some point the good wrestlers make that transition, like getting your sea legs, where they figure out how to balance their body and how to move, and more importantly, how to move another wrestler grappling with you. She has made that transition. At first she used little technique, but now she is putting together solid pinning combinations and stringing moves together."
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ATHLETE of the WEEK: Jennifer Fernandez
Fernandez strong at state
By BRAD KVEDERIS, Times-Herald sports writer 2/7/06
Jennifer Fernandez
Don't call Jennifer Fernandez a 98-pound weakling.
The Vallejo High sophomore may not break the century mark on a bathroom scale, but as of Saturday, she's the best female wrestler in the state. In the two-day California state championship tournament in Hanford, Fernandez went 5-0 with one pin to earn first place in the 98-pound weight class.
Her effort wasn't unique so much for the fact that she won a state title - the Apaches' Lauren Knight (138 pounds) and Monica Gonzalez (158) also won their divisions - as for how she did it.
In order to make it to the championship match, she had to get through last year's state runner-up, Gabby Solis, who she'd wrestled several times before but never beaten. In the finals, she took on defending state champion Michelle Jimenez - who she'd also never beaten - and overcame a huge first-round deficit to win on points, 12-8.
"It was one of the most amazing comebacks against one of the best opponents in the state," Vallejo coach Mike Minahen said on Monday. "It's the best comeback I've seen. Sometimes you see a kid make a comeback, but not at that level."
The match started out terribly for Fernandez, as Jimenez took her down to the mat immediately and almost pinned her. Jimenez completely dominated the first round and got out to an 8-0 lead, causing Minahen to have flashbacks of a bout two weeks earlier in which Fernandez lost to Jimenez 15-0 in just over two minutes.
But Fernandez got to start the second round on her feet, and within 15 seconds, she had her opponent on the ground and kept her on her back until the whistle blew. Still trailing 8-6, Fernandez came out for the third round and did exactly the same thing, putting the defending champ on her back right away and not letting up until the end.
The match might have been won in the third round, but Minahen said the second was the one that really decided things.
"After that round, Jimenez got up with tears in her eyes and rubbing her shoulder," Minahen said. "She obviously had been physically dominated ... after being put on her back twice, she really didn't want to wrestle that third round."
Although she'd never beaten either of the opponents she faced on Saturday, Fernandez said she came out for her first match against Solis believing it could be her turn this time. And in getting that first win, she finally proved to herself that she could compete on the same level as the state's elite wrestlers.
"The first win, it made me more confident in beating Jimenez. I'd been going 0-6 against Gabby, and it just changed everything,"
she said. "Right when I pinned her down with a 'cement mixer,' I just felt like I had a chance at this, and going into my finals match, that just helped me focus more."
For most of the meet, matches take place on several mats around the gym. But only one mat is used for the finals, and the bouts happen one at a time, with every other wrestler in the tournament watching. When Fernandez pulled off her comeback, Minahen said, hardly anyone could believe what they were seeing.
"The gym was almost silent and stunned," he said. "Except for the Vallejo High contingent and the Hogan contingent, who were going crazy."
As a sophomore, Fernandez still has two more years to compete - and since both Solis and Jimenez are underclassmen as well, a pair of developing rivalries may be on her hands unless someone changes weight classes. And now, she can set her sights on nationals - and maybe someday winning at a permanent, official state championship meet sponsored by the California Interscholastic Federation.
For the time being, such a meet doesn't exist, but becoming the state champion is no small feat, considering the growing number of girls who participate in wrestling. Fernandez would like to see the sport keep growing so that more people will become aware of what she and her teammates have worked to build.
"Most of my friends congratulated me, and most of my teachers said 'Good job,' " she said. "But most people are like, 'You're just 98 pounds. How could you win state?' "
In this case, by beating the best.
- E-mail Brad Kvederis at brad@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6822.
Other Nominees:
Alex Cowling, St. Patrick- St. Vincent girls basketball: Had 21 points in win vs. Albany for the Bruins,.
Monica Gonzalez, Vallejo Wrestling: Went 5-0 to win girls 158-pound state title.
Darnell Grier, Bethel boys basketball: Had 32 points in loss to Vallejo last Tuesday.
Lauren Knight, Vallejo wrestling: Went 5-0 with five pins to win girls 138-pound state title.
Kirby Vaughn, Vallejo boys basketball: Totaled 66 points in trio of victories last week for first-place Apaches.
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February 7, 2006
GIRLS' WRESTLING
Five wrestlers qualify for national tourney
Five area athletes qualified for the national high school girls'
wrestling championships by medaling in the California Girls State Invitational
Saturday in Hanford.
Cassandra Wolpe of Buena High finished third in the 235-pound weight
class with a 3-1 record. Agoura resident Megan Agajanian, who attends
Louisville High, was runner-up at 146 pounds. Royal's Jade Anderson (132) was 5-1
and finished third, Samantha Stych of Oxnard was fourth in the 126-pound
division and Rebecca Leigh-Polich of Agoura was fifth at 118.
The girls' national tournament will be held March 31-April 2 in Lake
Orion, Mich.
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Archambault ready for first national meet
By Dave Dyer
Staff Writer
Phillips Academy junior Kassie Archambault of Methuen is a little nervous, but she's hardly intimidated as she prepares for her first national wrestling tournament this weekend.
Of course, as a two-year starter wrestling against boys, Archambault is used to being an underdog. So it can't be any tougher when she competes at the Girls Wrestling Association Nationals at Lake Orion High School in Lake Orion, Mich.
"I know the competition is going to be tougher than what I've seen, but I'm hoping to place," said Archambault. "I think I have a pretty good chance of placing."
Archambault has good reason to be relatively confident, based on an excellent regular season for Phillips and an extraordinary postseason in girls competition.
For Phillips, Archambault was 13-11 against boys this year at 112 pounds, with four of her wins coming by forfeit. She had five pins on the season, one of which helped clinch a dramatic comeback win over archrival Phillips Exeter. She is 33-18 in two years for the Big Blue, having wrestled at 103 as a sophomore.
A runner-up in the New England girls tournament the last two years, Archambault has really stepped it this year against her own sex. She placed first at the New England girls tournament in Southbury, Conn., last weekend, going 4-0 on the day at 110 pounds (weight classes are different for girls).
That came one week after placing first in the New Jersey Girls Open with a 5-0 record. She has not lost against another girl this year.
"Kassie had a little trouble adjusting to the heavier weight (class) at the start of the season, but she's really come on strong," said Phillips coach Rich Gorham. "She is acknowledged by all of her teammates as one of the hardest working wrestlers in the room and has become a lot smarter wrestler."
Archambault, 17, admits that she is still not as strong as some of her foes, but said: "I think my technique is a lot better than it used to be. I'm getting better at takedowns and that's helped a lot."
In addition to her contributions on the mat, Archambault has become a role model for the Big Blue. Because of her leadership, according to Gorham, Phillips had five girls on the team this year, an increase of three. One of them, freshman Rachel Cohen from Pennsylvania, will join Archambault at the nationals, competing at 114 pounds.
"She has emerged as a team leader," said Gorham. "She has been key to the development of the other girls."
Also an excellent student, Archambault plays the bagpipes in the Clan MacPherson band and was recently named winner of the school's prestigious Lauraunt Fellowship for summer independent study. Last summer, she spent a month in a program in Russia.
Her exact plans for the upcoming summer are unclear but that's understandable. Her focus, for now, remains on the mat.
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Girls make inroad at Phillips, Pentucket
Eagle Tribune 2/7/06
Methuen's Kassie Archambault has certainly made an impact at Phillips
Academy.
A three-year varsity starter who was 17-14 last year and won her weight
class at the New England girls tournament, Archambault has not only
remained competitive (10-6, including 8-6 against boys) despite moving up to
119, but she's become a tremendous recruiter. Largely because of her, seven
girls are on the Phillips team this year.
A returnee from last year, sophomore Rachel Cohen from Philadelphia,
was 2-2 at the girls nationals last year (Archambault was 4-3). Also on the
team are junior Amy Fenstermacher of Andover, junior Thao Nguyen of Methuen,
freshman Cora Lewis from New York City, junior Alice Nam of North Andover and
junior Aliyah Bilal-Gore from Charlotte, N.C.
At the recent Girls Open at Brookline High, Archambault went 2-0 and
was awarded a gold medal, and Fenstermacher, Nguyen and Cohen were all 1-1.
Archambault is 41-24 against boys in her career and hasn't lost to a
girl in New England in two years.
At Pentucket, freshman Autumn Gadd has gotten varsity time at 112 and
has a pin to her credit. She basically replaced another girl, junior Melissa
Williams, who was also at 112 but left the team. Both girls are also
football cheerleaders.
The Massachusetts girls state meet and New England girls tournament are
scheduled for March 11 and March 18, respectively. The U.S. girls
nationals are April 1-2 in Lake Orion, Mich.