Baldwin senior wrestler Hutchison eyes PIAAs

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, December 19, 2017 | 10:57 PM

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Gehrig Hutchison has worked diligently in preparation for his senior year of wrestling at Baldwin.

Hutchison opened the 2017-18 season with a second-place finish at 182 pounds in the Eastern Area invitational tournament held at Gateway High School.

“I honestly thought I underperformed at Gateway. Although I did much better than last year, I felt like I could have been a lot more active,” Hutchison said. “There were positions I got in where I settled instead of looking to score. It ended up costing me in the finals, but I'm working to correct those mistakes in practice.”

Hutchison, one of two seniors in the Baldwin wrestling program, is a two-time All-American. Last season, he took first place in the 170-pound weight class at the Allegheny County championships.

“I have very high goals for myself this year,” Hutchison said. “I set a goal to qualify for states, and I fully expect to achieve that goal. I think as long as I continue to work hard and focus on the little things that I will be successful. I keep telling myself to just focus on the next match and not to get ahead of myself.

“I look forward to my hard work in the offseason paying off this year. I spent a lot of time practicing and going to as many tournaments as I could.”

Hutchison indeed had a busy and challenging offseason schedule, practicing and competing with Team Nauman Wrestling Club.

His schedule included the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Association Eastern National Championship Tournament (Salisbury, Md.) and National High School Coaches Association Duals (Virginia Beach, Va.) in May; the Tussle on the Turf Duals (Hershey) in July; and the North Allegheny Duals (North Allegheny High School), Boardman Kickoff Preseason Classic (Boardman, Ohio) and Super 32 (Greensburg, N.C.) in October.

Hutchison plans to wrestle in college, where he will study physical therapy and/or exercise science. He has been joined by only five other athletes on Baldwin's wrestling team.

They consist of freshmen Abdullah Makhoul (132) and Justin Bochter (145), senior Jamil Khalil (160), sophomore Christian Mulholland (170) and junior Connor Sidoruk (195).

“Despite low numbers this year and it being my final season at Baldwin, I have a lot of hope for the future of this program,” Hutchison said. “I volunteer with our youth program, and they're doing great with numbers. Harrison Middle School has around 20 wrestlers this year.”

Sidoruk and Khalil also competed at the MAWA Eastern National Championship Tournament in May.

Hutchison and Khalil wrestled in the elite division. Sidoruk competed in the advanced division.

Hutchison and Sidoruk earned all-county status last season.

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: Baldwin