Hanging Up The Cleats pt1 Nick ‘Superman’ Hutton
By Jezalyn Hyzer
With the end of the 2024 Ultimate season, there are 4 different players from our Indy AlleyCats that have decided to enter into retirement.
Nick Hutton, otherwise referred to as Superman on the field, is one of the new AlleyCats alumni and we decided to debrief with him to discover what he is going to miss, but also what he is looking forward to in the next stages of his life.
Nick and I first discussed how his nickname came to be. He did not quite recall the specific picture or from which game (‘the Superman play’ happened) but does remember that it was very early on in his professional career when his teammates started referring to him as Superman. An Instagram post had been made of him diving for a play on the field and he stated that he somewhat resembles Superman when he lays out, one arm is forward, and one is more towards his side.
Nick explained that no one outside of Ultimate Frisbee or the Cats refer to him as Superman, so it is special that he shares that nickname with just his teammates and fans.
When asked what his favorite memory was from his career and what he is going to miss the most about being around the team, Nick described that one of his favorite wins was over the Madison Radicals in Madison, Wisconsin back in 2019.
“Madison is one of the most difficult opponents to play and I was proud of how the team came out on top, especially with a full Madison crowd in the stands.” he said.
“It was an ultimate career goal for me to be featured on SportsCenter with one of my well-known Superman grabs (watch here on the official UFA YouTube channel). It was awesome for that highlight to be so early on in his career and is one of my proudest accomplishments of his career.”
“I will certainly miss the tight knit community of the team and seeing Travis Carpenter and Levi Jacobs”, two of his closest friends and AlleyCats teammates, “on a regular basis.”
However, one thing that Nick is thrilled about is being able to travel more often with his wife. This fall they are looking forward to a vacation to Iceland and Scotland.
There will also be more time for him to enjoy new hobbies and spend more time with his family.
When asked about the future of the team and which young players our Cats fans should be on the lookout for, Nick is a big believer in all his teammates but said to keep an eye out for William Wettengel. According to Nick, Wettengel has a lot of potential and could possibly be a key player in the future.
Lastly, Nick would like to personally thank his parents, Cheryl and Michael, as well as his siblings, Courtney and Ryan. Others that Nick would like to personally thank are Tom & Tim Held, Derek Tow, John “JR” Rempel, Matthew Broadwell, Eric Leonard,
Jared “Gravy” Payne, Drew Sheppard, Kyle Cox, Katie Dyer, and Will Drumright. Last but not least, the biggest thank you from Nick goes to his beautiful wife Lauren Hutton. These people and all the other coaches, staff, and sponsors have had a hand in helping create the memories of a lifetime during his career on the Indy AlleyCats!