At the Highland Park Invitational, the Jesuit Powerlifting team had a great outing with seven top five finishes. Nico Rodriguez ’15 and Ryan Brooks ’16 led the way with first place finishes in the 220 lb. weight class and the 242 lb. weight class.

Nico placed first in the 220 lb. weight class with a score of 1415, squatting 530 lbs., benching 345 lbs., and dead lifting 540 lbs. Ryan won the 242 lb. weight class with a total score of 1445, squatting an incredible 600 lb., benching 345 lb., and dead lifting 500 lb.

Nico said that the meet, “was a great success. We introduced some more guys to the sport and how competitions are conducted plus our older guys had the opportunity to work on getting stronger. Ryan was incredible and exemplified great promise for the team’s future leadership next year and performed at an all time best on his squat.”

Elliot Stone ’15 and Fletcher Kerr ’15 both had notable performances finishing second and third in their weight classes. Elliot competed in the 123 lb. weight class, and placed second with a total score of 805. Fletcher placed third in the 148 lb. weight class with a total score of 900. Fellow senior Matt Hever ’15 placed fifth in the 220 lb. weight class with a total score of 1150.

Nico went on to say, “Our seniors had a great final meet. Fletcher and Elliot were new to the sport, but always have pushed themselves to be better and it showed with all their progress during this final meet. I wish they had joined sooner. All the guys did great and we have set a strong foundation for this year’s regional meet and for next year’s powerlifting team. It’s been a privilege to work alongside each member of the team and with the coaches.”

Juniors Christian Nelson ’16 and Joeseph Stautner ’16 also had a great meet, placing third and fourth in the 198 lb. weight class, both with total scores of 1120. Ryan Brooks said that, “The HP meet has always been a personal favorite of mine. Despite being at Highland Park, the meet is ran at a fast pace, there’s a high level of competition, and there’s a Whataburger about two miles down the road. Overall, I think our team did an awesome job and it was great to see that many guys competing for Jesuit.”

The Jesuit Powerlifting team looks forward to continues their success at the regional competition on March 7th and will hopefully get some guys to qualify for state.