National Championship Results: Day 1 | Day 2
ARLINGTON, Texas – It was another first for Concordia University Lifting Sports as four members of the powerlifting portion of the program competed at the 2023 USA Powerlifting Collegiate National Championships held at the Arlington Expo Center in Arlington, Texas, April 13-14. The national championships included more than 1,200 athletes in 10 weight classes from all divisions of collegiate competition. The Bulldogs were represented at nationals by four freshmen in Dax Davis, Kenzie Houser, Rylee Ladd and Emma Singer.
The outing marked the conclusion to the 2022-23 inaugural season for Head Coach Freddie Myles’ squad. The experience at nationals will serve the program well as it aspires for growth moving into 2023-24. Said Myles, “I was pleased with how we did. They’re all freshmen and it was their first time at nationals. It’s a big deal to be able to make it there and will be a good steppingstone for next year.”
Collegiate powerlifting features the squat, bench press and deadlift. A native of Chetek, Wis., Ladd placed 19th out of 49 lifters in the 56kg category. Her top lifts were 117.5kg in squat, 82.5kg in bench and 142.5kg in deadlift. Her total came in at 302.5kg. Meanwhile, Davis placed 28th out of 55 individuals in the men’s 67.5kg class, Kenzie Houser placed 50th out of 70 athletes in the women’s 60kg class and Emma Singer placed 56th out of 70 competitors in the women’s 60kg class. As Myles noted, Davis and Singer set new personal bests in all three lifts and Houser recorded PRs in bench and squat.
Compared to the beginning of the season, Ladd improved nine percent, Davis improved 15 percent and Singer improved 12 percent. As a team, Concordia Powerlifting has competed in three previous meets in 2022-23: the Midland Warrior Open (Oct. 8), the Midwest Regionals (Nov. 19-20) and the Nebraska State Championships (Jan. 28).
Concordia National Championship results
· Dax Davis, 67.5kg – placed 28th / 55 (527.5)
· Kenzie Houser, 60kg – placed 50th / 70 (302.5)
· Rylee Ladd, 56kg – placed 19th / 49 (327.5)
· Emma Singer, 60kg – placed 56th / 70 (295)
Team winners from the collegiate national championships can be found HERE.
Myles and the program now enter the offseason as the spring semester nears the finish line. Official competitions will resume in the fall of 2023. For more information on Concordia Lifting Sports, check out the program’s homepage HERE.