SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Powerlifting team continued to make strides as it competed in its third competition as a young program. The Bulldogs were represented by 10 lifters at the Nebraska State Championships held at Midland in Fremont, Neb., this past Saturday (Jan. 28) and came away with four first-place finishes. The event featured a combined 87 collegiate, high school and adult athletes who competed in the standard powerlifting disciplines of squat, bench press and deadlift.
Every single Bulldog improved compared to the team’s most recent outing, the Midwest Regionals on Nov. 19. First place claims were made by Dax Davis (67.5kg), Adrian Hernandez (110kg), Hunter Powers (75kg) and Emma Singer (60kg). Between powerlifting and weightlifting, Head Coach Freddie Myles has led the Bulldogs into a total of six competitions in the program’s inaugural 2022-23 season.
“It was a really good meet,” Myles said. “Everyone improved their total from the last meet in November. For those who are done with their seasons, they did a great job of working hard and getting stronger in the room. For those who made nationals, it’s a great accomplishment. We’re going to take five athletes from powerlifting to nationals. We had three on the men’s side that were really close, and I think they’ll make it next year. This was a meet where we saw high placements and a lot of our kids added a good 10 to 15 kilos to their totals compared to our last meet.”
Highlights from the meet for each individual are detailed below. Not only did four Bulldogs win four titles, Rylee Ladd, Garret Reimche and Jacob Wagoner placed second and Kenzie Houser placed third (within their respective weight classes). In addition, Abigail Velten also managed to eclipse the national qualifying total and Wagoner went a perfect 9-for-9 on his lifts.
Highlights from Nebraska State Championships – Jan. 28
--Noted improvements are compared to the previous outing at the Midwest Regionals on Nov. 19.
· Dax Davis – Improved by 20kg; placed first in the 67.5kg class.
· Adrian Hernandez – Improved by 15kg; placed first in the 110kg class.
· Jack Hedke – Competed in first career college competition and placed third in an open across weights class.
· Kenzie Houser – Stepped down a weight class and improved her total by 12.5kg; placed third.
· Rylee Ladd – Improved by 12.5kg and placed second in the state.
· Hunter Powers – Improved by 10kg and placed first in the 75kg class.
· Garrett Reimche – Improved by 12.5kg and placed second in the 75kg class.
· Emma Singer – Placed first in the 60kg class while improving from the last meet.
· Jacob Wagoner – Went 9-for-9 on his lifts, improved 20kg and placed second in the 82.5kg class.
· Abigail Velten – Made the national qualifying total and went 8-for-9 on her lifts.
Next up for the Concordia Powerlifters are the Collegiate Powerlifting Nationals scheduled for April 13-16 in Arlington, Texas. That meet will conclude the 2022-23 season for the Bulldogs, who also competed at the Midland Warrior Open (Oct. 8) and Midwest Regionals (Nov. 19).