Born to Kevin and Susan Hutson in Terre Haute, Indiana, she attended Terre Haute North Vigo High School and took part in diving, volleyball and track and field while there. She began to study exercise science at Indiana State University in 2006 and competed collegiately in the pole vault for the Indiana State Sycamores. In her freshman year she won both Missouri Valley Conference titles indoors and outdoors and reached the NCAA Championships. She repeated her regional double in 2008, setting a new personal record of in the process. She was a finalist indoors and outdoors at the NCAA meets and also competed in qualifying at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials.