High School Sports

Photos: 2014 123A State Wrestling Preliminaries

The toughness of Alaska's women has never been in dispute, and the ability of females from the 49th state to "kick ass" is more than just a popular bumper sticker -- it's a fact. From pioneering Iditarod champions to Olympians to record-breaking high school athletes, Alaska women have long excelled in some of the most demanding sports.

Nowhere has that toughness been on better display than the sport of wrestling, where for the past decade Alaskans have been among the nation's leaders in pushing girls wrestling into the mainstream. Homer's Tela O'Donnell was an Olympian in 2004, and two years later Skyview High's Michaela Hutchison became the first girl in the United States to win a boys high school state championship.

Read more: Alaska girls now have their own state tournament

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