"You could feel the energy in the building," said Lopes' Head Coach Jimmy Vasquez. "To have such great turnouts for our lifters at home is awesome."
The Grand Canyon University Powerlifting Club collaborated with the local Preacher Power Barbell Club yet again this semester, bringing the USPA Arizona State Championship meet to the Canyon Activity Center for the fourth time in 2021-22.
The one-day public event featured a wide variety of over 30 lifters whose ages ranged from 13 to 81 years old.
For many of GCU's lifters, the home meet was their first competition.
"It was amazing to see so many new lifters get out there and compete," said Vasquez. "We're proud of everyone."
Among the 30 lifters that participated in the meet, GCU had six men: Zach Davis, Dawson Aaron, Jeremiah Waller, Logan Wojtalewicz, Riley Oswald and Christian Kramer; and four women: Jacey Childress, Elizabeth Hsu, Lydia Ely and Angie Joy Francisco. The coaches for the Lopes were Vasquez, Abram Adams, Jacob Mares and Maddy Willis.
Wojtalewicz broke Arizona state records for squat, bench, and deadlift in the junior non-tested male category, lifting 242.4, 275.6, and 468.5 pounds, respectively.
Hsu broke records for her home state of Washington, benching 132.3, and deadlifting 270.1 pounds in the junior non-tested female category.
Waller was the most outstanding male lifter at the meet aged 18-19, earning the Junior Men Raw Best Lifter honors.
"Our team competes so well as a group," said GCU lifter Zach Davis. "This is an individual sport, but our team treats it like a group effort. This meet went so well for our lifters, I think many of them are looking to get back out there and compete again soon."
Vasquez and the team have collaborated with Preacher Power Barbell Club to bring powerlifting meets to the GCU campus frequently over the last year, beginning in August of 2021 with the United States Powerlifting Association Drug Tested Phoenix Rising event.
"Being able to partner with Preacher Power Barbell is so huge for our team," said Vasquez. "The equipment that they donate and the way they help run the meets, we couldn't do it without them."
The squad is hopeful that the continued presence of meets on campus will shed more light on powerlifting in the area.
"This all helps spread awareness for the sport," said Vasquez. "People can come in and see what it's like, and we can connect them with the club."
That wait to see GCU Powerlifting won't be too long as Preacher Power has already scheduled another meet on GCU's campus this month. On Saturday, May 14, the Drug-Tested USPA Iron Mayhem Meet will take place in the CAC.
