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Hutchison named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week
Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
02/08/2006
Michaela Hutchison (Soldotna, Alaska/Skyline High School) has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for the week of January 31 – February 6.
Hutchison became the first girl to ever win a state high school wrestling championship competing against boys. A sophomore at Skyview High School, Hutchison captured the 103-pound title in the Alaska state championships held in Anchorage, Feb. 5
She qualified for the state finals this year, where she beat Aaron Boss of Colony High School, 1-0. The difference in the match was an escape with 16 seconds left in the bout. She finished the year with a 45-4 record, including 33 pins.
It was the second straight year that Hutchison was a state finalist. In 2005, she placed second in the state meet as a freshman. Hutchison became one of just three high school girls to place second in a state championships competing against boys, joining Erica Dye of West Virginia and Deanna Rix of Maine with that achievement.
It was a great day for the Hutchison family, as her brother Eli also won the state title at 135 pounds that day and is a nationally-ranked prep athlete. She has another brother, Zeb, who also won a state high school title. Her older sister Melina was also a nationally-ranked women’s wrestler, competing in both age-group and Senior-level competitions. Her father Mike serves as USA Wrestling’s state chairperson for Alaska, and has been active in the organization for many years.
Michaela Hutchison is already considered one of the top high school female wrestlers in the nation. She was a member of TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American First Team last year, which recognizes the nation’s top prep female wrestlers.
In 2005, Hutchison won a gold medal at USA Wrestling’s Body Bar Women’s FILA Cadet Nationals in El Cajon, Calif. at 108 pounds. She captured a silver medal at the 2005 ASICS Women’s Junior Nationals at 110 pounds.
Each week, TheMat.com will select an Athlete of the Week, based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level. The announcement will be made each week on Wednesday.
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Female wrestler wins state title in Alaska
columbian.com 2/8/06
Michaela Hutchison became the first girl in the nation to win a state high school wrestling title while competing against boys.
Hutchison won the final of the 103-pound weight class during Alaska's big school wrestling championships. The sophomore from Skyview High School of Anchorage entered the state tournament ranked No. 1 in her weight class.
Amid chants of "C'mon Michaela" and "Girl Power," Hutchison earned a 1-0 victory Saturday over Colony High School's Aaron Boss.
She scored an escape with 16 seconds left to beat Boss for the second time in as many weeks. Family and friends mobbed Hutchison as she walked away from the mat with a bloody nose, while the crowd rose in a standing ovation.
She finished the season with a 45-4 record that included 33 pins, one shy of the state single-season record. Hutchison is the third in her family of 10 children to win a state title, joining brothers Zeb and Eli.
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MICHAEL OSIPOFF COLUMN: Alaskan girl first to win state title in wrestling
Feb. 8, 2006
In less than two weeks, 14 Indiana wrestlers will win state titles at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Some will come from the region, others probably from the Indianapolis area, others perhaps from the Evansville area.
None will be girls.
Though it probably will happen sooner rather than later.
This past weekend, Michaela Hutchison won the 103-pound championship in Alaska, becoming the first girl in the country to win a state wrestling title competing against boys.
She is the third of a family of 10 children to win a state title.
Scoff, if you must, at the fact that Hutchison, just a sophomore, won in Alaska. Question the quality of competition in that state.
But from any angle, her accomplishment still is very impressive.
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Terra Nova Lady Tiger Wrestlers finish second at State Championships
Pacifica Tribune Staff 2/8/06
The Terra Nova Lady Tiger Wrestlers continued their impressive performance on the map as the team placed in the top 4 in 3 tournaments in the last 4 weeks, culminating with a second place finish in the California State Girls Invitational. The Lady Tiger team consists of Jaimie Marchetti (103 pounds), Lisa Szczepaniak (126), Rebecca Kaplan (126), Jenny Watt (126), Ivy Bier (132), Marina Piccolotti (146) and Monica Kirkpatrick (154).
On January 13-14, the TN team wrestled in the Asics Napa Valley Girls Classic at Vintage High School in Napa. The Lady Tigers finished 3rd, with 5 girls medaling. Lisa Szczepaniak led the team with a first place finish pinning Samantha Stych of Oxnard. Ivy Bier also made it to the finals but lost in a close match to rival Emily Espana in what attendees and coaches said was the most exciting match of the tournament. Marina Piccolotti placed 3rd, Jaimie Marchetti finished 5th and Monica Kirkpatrick took 6th.
The following weekend the girls wrestled in the inaugural CIF Northern California Regional Tournament at Whitney High School in Rocklin. The Team placed 4th, point behind the third place team. Three Terra Nova wrestlers made it to the championship match, tied for the most from any school. Lisa Szczepaniak wrestling first lost a close match by points to Samantha Phillips of Manteca. Ivy Bier wrestled next and beat rival Emily Espana claiming the Northern California title. The third TN finalist was Marina Piccolotti who wrestled top seeded Angie Miller of Vallejo. After falling behind on points Piccolotti came back with a pin to take the title and become the second TN wrestler to place first.
On Feb. 3 - 4, at the State Championships held at Hanford West High School in Hanford the TN team, comprised of seven wrestlers competed against over 600 girls representing over 100 high schools throughout the state. The tournament got off to a slow start after a delay of 3 hours. At one point during the delay the girls entertained themselves and spectators alike when over 200 wrestlers started line dancing on the mats.
Rebecca Kaplan and Jenny Watt wrestled hard but did not make it to the second day. Jaimie Marchetti went 1-1 on the first day. On the second day she pinned her first opponent and then lost on points to drop her out of medal contention.
Freshman Monica Kirkpatrick advanced to the second day and won her first match placing her in the medal round. She lost her next two matched resulting in her taking 8th place.
Marina Piccolotti won her first match pinning her opponent. She lost her first match on Saturday but dug down deep and won the next two matches earning her third place. Lisa Szczepaniak won her first match on Friday but sustained a back injury. She lost her second match dropping her out of the championship bracket. She had to wrestle four matches on Saturday to earn third place. Szczepaniak wrestled through the injury and won all four matches, 3 on pins, and finished third.
Ivy Bier was the only Lady Tiger to make it to the Championship Match. For the third time in four weeks she faced rival (and good friend) Emily Espana, this time with the State title on the line. Bier fought hard but lost to Espana. They look forward to seeing each other at the USGWA nationals held this April in Michigan.
Throughout the night as the team scores were announce the Lady Tigers kept moving up. When the final results were announced the Terra Nova team had finished in second place, behind only Vallejo whose team was twice as large as the Tigers. The Lady Tigers will be recruiting for next year's team.
Prior to the start of the wrestling on Saturday morning, officials of the California Women's Wrestling Association honored all the seniors who have participated in women's tournaments all four years. These women are among the pioneers of girls wrestling in California. The Terra Nova seniors honored were Ivy Bier, Lisa Szczepaniak and Jenny Watt. The goal of all three women is to come back to Terra Nova next near to coach the Terra Nova Lady Tigers as they continue to compete on the mat.
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Women's Wrestling Weekly Notebook
goboxers.com 2/9/06
Summary:
After a successful weekend with two dual victories, the Boxers enter the championship season with their first voyage into the Canada West Championship meet
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS SEASON BEGINS: All of the preparation in dual meets and open tournaments is about to pay off for the Pacific women's wrestling team as the championship season begins. The first of the title tournaments is this weekend, as the Boxers compete in their first Canada West Championships in Burnaby, B.C.
ABOUT THE CANADA WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Boxers are provisional members of the Canada West Conference this season and will compete in their first conference championship this weekend. The tournament is held in a dual format, where each team will compete against each other once. The University of Calgary is the defending conference champion, beating out Simon Fraser last year by three points. Ali Bernard of Regina was last year's Conference Wrestler of the Meet and the conference's Rookie of the Year. Competitors in the tournament will include Simon Fraser, Regina, Calgary, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
LASSEN DUALS: A little more than a month after their first scheduled dual was cancelled due to flooding, Pacific was able to get matches in against Lassen and picked up a pair of dual meet victories at the Northwest Open Saturday at the Pacific Athletic Center.
The Boxers knocked off the Cougars in the first dual by a 23-10 margin before Lassen made it closer in the second dual as the Boxers won 15-11. A forfeit by the Cougars of their scheduled match with the Boxers on Jan. 27 runs Pacific's dual meet record to an all-time best 8-2 on the season.
Stacey Martell (Jr., Hillsboro, Ore.) and Teresa Ayala (Jr., Pacifica, Calif.) were the big winners for the Boxers, each winning two matches. Martell, the No. 3 ranked wrestler in the U.S. at 72 kg., knocked off Juana Juarez in two rounds, then moved up one weight class in the second dual and came back from a scoreless second round to knock off Andrea Hale at 67 kg.
Ayala scored her first fall of the season at 55 kg., knocking off Molly Bouwer in just over a minute in the day's second dual. She added her second win in the exhibition matches, blanking Oregon State's Andrea Watson in a pair of 6-0 rounds.
MILLER'S MOMENTS: Quotes From Head Coach Scott Miller
On The Lassen Duals: "I thought our women wrestled very well this past weekend. We were able to wrestle a lot of people in the doubleheader and they showed marked improvement in their transition offense. We look like a team that's ready for postseason action."'
On The Canada West Championships: "Simon Fraser will obviously be favored and both Calgary and Saskatchewan have excellent squads, so our hands will be full. We're relatively healthy going in and looking forward to testing ourselves against the best from North America."
AND A FORFEIT FOR NO. 8: Pacific's scheduled Jan. 27 match against Lassen in Susanville, Calif. Was declared a forfeit in favor of the Boxers. That gives Pacific a total of eight dual meet victories, a single-season record.
STEINER'S VISIT A SUCCESS: U.S. National Team Coach Terry Steiner spent three days with the Boxers last weekend, teaching Pacific's wrestlers a number of techniques that have been successful at the international level. Steiner focused on working with transition offense and par terre (top) offense, two spots that the Boxers have struggled with this season. Steiner's visit was part of a tour of three college programs for the national team coach, who continues to mentor former Pacific grapplers Tela O'Donnell and Sally Roberts.
TORRES HONORED AT OREGON SPORTS AWARDS: Double national champion Kapua Torres (Jr., Kahuku, Hawaii) was one of five females honored as finalists for the Ad Rutschman Award at the Oregon Sports Awards. The award, presented to the male and female small college athlete in Oregon, was part of the
awards ceremony at the Nike World Campus in Beaverton on Sunday and went to fellow Pacific athlete DeeDee Arnall. Torres was named a finalist based on her double national championship at the collegiate and junior nationals last year and her 22-8 record, the best single season record ever for a Pacific women's wrestler. Torres, who spent most of January at home in Hawaii, has been unable to compete this season with a nerve injury in her neck.
U.S. COLLEGE POLL: Pacific saw 12 of their wrestlers ranked in the latest U.S. College Poll, as conducted by TheMat.com, which was released on Jan. 24. The 12 ranked athletes are the most ever for the Boxers in the four-year history of the program. Titilope Lawani (So., Rialto, Calif.) led the Boxers with her No. 2 ranking at 63 kg. Michelle Ludwig (Jr., San Diego, Calif.), Stacey Martell (Jr., Hillsboro, Ore.) and Megan Richardson (Fr., Santa Paula, Calif.) all earned No. 3 ranking in their respective classes. Pacific remained ranked third in the team poll, earning 24 of a possible 30 votes. Cumberlands (Ky.) earned all 30 votes to remain first on the poll, while Missouri Valley is ranked second.
NORTH AMERICAN POLL: Pacific has slipped one spot in TheMat.com's North American College Poll, dropping from eighth to ninth in the poll released on 12/20/05. Simon Fraser, whom the Boxers face on Friday, regained the No. 1 spot after losing it earlier in the season to Cumberland. Pacific boasts two ranked individuals. Kapua Torres is currently No. 4 at 55 kg. and Titilope Lwani is ranked seventh at 63 kg.
PROJECTED STARTERS
48 kg.: Valerie Prise
51 kg.: Teresa Ayala
55 kg.: Alenna Nilsen
59 kg.: Michelle Ludwig and Dana LaMonica
63 kg.: Titilope Lawani and Brenna Larkin
67 kg.: Leila Maloff
72 kg.: Stacey Martell
80 kg.: Megan Richardson and Kelly Nardiello
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Third-place finishes for Napa wrestlers at state meet
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 1:12 AM PST
From Register Staff
Napa High School seniors Lauren Philipps and Devery Mitchell placed third in their respective weight classes at the California State Girls Wrestling Championships, which were held last Friday and Saturday in Hanford.
Philipps, the No. 1 seed at 138 pounds due to her first-place finish at the regional qualifying event two weeks ago in Rocklin, had to battle back from an early round loss to the eventual second-place finisher. She posted a 5-1 record with two pins in a bracket of 20 wrestlers.
Mitchell, competing in her first state tournament, posted a 4-1 record with two pins in the 165-pound weight class. Her only loss was a close decision to the eventual first-place finisher.
Coming off a team championship the previous weekend at the South City Invitational in South San Francisco, members of the Vintage girls wrestling team competed in the California State Girls Wrestling Championships this past weekend at Hanford West High School.
Michele Querin led the way for Vintage with a strong 5-2 record and a fourth-place finish. Querin, the team captain, won all five of her matches by pin, and wrestled extremely well in her other two matches.
Querin was ranked sixth in the state and ninth in the nation to start the season, and with this past weekend’s performance has moved up to fourth and sixth overall, respectively.
“Michele could easily move up another notch or two in the national rankings before it’s all said and done,” said Vintage coach Jim Lanterman. “She’s wrestling at a higher level right now, and is putting in the time and effort she’ll need to get herself ready for the national championships. A number of schools are talking to her about collegiate wrestling.”
Nastassia Michalek, a senior wrestling in her first season for Vintage, finished ninth overall in a weight class featuring 24 wrestlers.
“Most people didn’t believe us when we told them she was a senior in her first year,” said Lanterman. “She competes like a much more experienced wrestler than she really is.”
Michalek spent much of the season nursing an injured knee, and competed in her first tournament just three weeks ago. She has medaled in each of the three tournaments leading up to the state event, and was also approached about continuing her wrestling career in college.
Sophomores Chelsi Aguayo and Heather Farace and junior Danni Beltran all performed well in their first state championship, as did freshman Mariah Phelps.
“It’s a learning experience for them,” said Querin. “You have to bring a different intensity level to state. I think the girls saw that this weekend and they’ll be better prepared for it next season. It should also help them with the national championship tournament.”
The U.S. Girls Wrestling Association national championships are next in line for Vintage. This annual event will be held in Lake Orion, Mich., April 1-2.
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Wrestlers bring extra effort to extra time
Article published on Tuesday, February 7th, 2006
By DREW HERMAN
Special Sections Editor
The Kodiak High School wrestling team’s finish at state last weekend set the record straight in a year when some observers underrated the Bears.
“We thought that on a good day, that’s where we should be,” coach Pat Costello said.
Kodiak’s tie for fifth with Skyview knocked Lathrop and Colony out of the top five and put the Bears into that group for the first time this season.
In the top two slots, the continued domination of Wasilla and South Anchorage came as no surprise, Costello said. Chugiak — the only team to beat Kodiak during the regular season — made full use of the home-field advantage to take third.
“If they went to a neutral gym, it might not have been that way,” Costello said.
A cheering section of more than 30 current and former Kodiakans helped the Bears along. And if not for bonus points West Valley earned in a match with Skyview, Kodiak would have shared in a three-way tie for fourth place.
Talent, training, concentration and Augustine Volcano all had a part in the Bears’ state meet experience, a road trip that seemed to never end. The team spent 11 days in Anchorage because of flight cancellations following regionals the week before. Before organizers decided to keep the athletes on Mainland, back-and-forth trips to the Anchorage airport took a toll.
The first three days really hurt us,” Costello said.
Some of the Kodiakans started getting sick, and teammates kept their distance. But once they decided to stay, training discipline kicked in. They got in a little extra sleep before the hotel’s continental breakfast and at around 2:30 p.m. they started practice at Service High School.
“That kind of became our routine,” Costello said. “They were doing homework off and on all day and night.”
When it came to the competition, the Bears showed they could finish the season in style, despite the challenging lead-up. Jimmy Eggemeyer came within one point of championship, and like their team, wrestlers Lucas Fried and Steven Guana also showed they deserved higher rank, breaking into the top five.
Costello praised the focus his athletes used to maintain competition weight all week. They didn’t gorge even during dinner at a favorite pizza restaurant.
“The wrestlers were a great group to travel with,” he said. “The seniors did a really good job of leading the young kids, and the young kids were just as serious,” Costello said.
While most of the team thinks about lacing up baseball cleats or other sports, one Kodiak wrestler’s season is still ongoing. Michelle Canete heads for the state girls wrestling championship in Sitka this weekend, and was asked to represent Alaska at the upcoming Arctic Winter Games.
Soldotna Skyview wrestler Michaela Hutchison garnered national attention after winning the state title competing against boys in the 103-pound class last weekend. The champion could be a factor for Canete in Sitka.
“She might be the same weight as Michaela,” Costello said. “That’s not good.”
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Buena Vista's Schwab uses patience as coach
By DAN McCOOL
REGISTER STAFF WRITER February 8, 2006
WHO'S NEXT? Michaela Hutchison made national high school wrestling history last weekend by winning a 103-pound state championship in the Alaska state wrestling tournament.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, Hutchison's 1-0 victory - an escape with 15 seconds remaining - made her the first girl to win a state title while competing against boys.
In Iowa, Heather Morley of Urbandale became the first female to compete in either state wrestling tournament when she wrestled in the dual-meet state meet last season.
Cindy Johnson of West Burlington Notre Dame was one victory shy of qualifying for the traditional state meet in 2004.
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Michael Sudhalter
Record Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, Feb 8, 2006
Lincoln senior Emily Espana, who won the California Girls Wrestling Association 130-pound title on Saturday at Hanford West High School, is The Record Girls Athlete of the Week.
Espana finished 5-0. She avenged a loss from the previous week to Terra Nova's Ivy Bier and then defeated Jade Anderson, who was the top-ranked 130-pound girls wrestler in the state.
"I'm just really excited - all of this hard work paid off," Espana said. "It's pretty awesome. Now, I have to work extra hard for nationals."
The United States Girls Wrestling Association national tournament will take place April 1-2 in Lake Orion, Mich.
» Tokay senior guard Michael Caffese scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half last week as the Tigers (17-7) swept Edison in the regular season.
Caffese is The Record Boys Athlete of the Week for his efforts, which Tokay coach Dustin Lanz called "phenomenal."
Tokay meets St. Mary's at 2 p.m. Saturday at Delta College in a game that likely will decide the inaugural Tri-City Athletic League championship. The teams split their two previous meetings.
Athletes Of The Week
Emily Espana
Lincoln, wrestling
Highlight: Won the California Girls Wrestling Association state title at 130 pounds on Saturday in Hanford.
Etc.: Espana has a goal of the 2008 Olympics.
Top performers
Jacki Gemelos, St. Mary's girls basketball: Finished with 44 points, 11 steals and nine rebounds in an 89-61 win over Carondelet.
Samantha Phillips, Manteca wrestling: Took second at 126 pounds at the girls state tournament.
Osbaldo Hernandez, Stockton Christian boys basketball: Scored a career-high 38 points in a win over Rite of Passage.
Aaron Wilson, Lodi boys basketball: Finished with 45 points in two games as the Flames continue to cruise in San Joaquin Athletic Association play.
Sylvonia Moore, Tokay girls basketball: Scored 19 points in an upset of second-ranked Edison.
Lawanna Griffin, Edison girls basketball: Scored 25 points in a win over Bear Creek.
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