Hutchison 5th at World Games (Wrestling)
The greatest women’s wrestler in the history of Alaska has gone global.
Soldotna’s Michaela Hutchison of Oklahoma City University was the lone American in the 121-pound weight class at the recent SportAccord World Combat Games in Beijing, just another one of her international stops.
She placed fifth out of eight women, finishing ahead of France, Azerbaijan and Poland while ending up behind Canada, Japan, Kazakhstan and China.
Hutchison, of Skyview High fame, finished 1-2 in pool play, including a loss to the eventual champion and 2008 World bronze medalist.
But she bounced back to prevail in her fifth-place match, taking down Tatiana Debien of France 4-1, 3-0.
Hutchison has won the WCWA Women’s College Nationals competing for Oklahoma City University for two consecutive years and has held a national ranking on the senior level in her weight class.
The Alaskan has been a household name in wrestling circles since 2006 when she became the first girl to ever win a state title against boys when she bagged the 103-pound ASAA championship.
But it wasn’t like she was a one-year wonder. Hutchison placed in the top five at state in each of her four years at Skyview, where she earned a total of 13 letters in wrestling, cross country, soccer and swimming.
