The Carleton Ravens powerlifting team competed in the College and University Challenge held at Seneca College on Feb. 7, where they took home the title of strongest school for the second year in a row.
Of the 13 lifters competing for Carleton, 11 of them won medals.
For nine members of the team, it was their first time competing in a powerlifting meet.
The Ravens’ Maggie Morgan came in first place in the 72-kilogam weight class, while her teammates Mallory Rowan and Elizabeth MacKenzie came in second and fourth, respectively.
Despite it being her first meet, Rowan won best female squat, with 115 kg.
“This meet was really exciting because there were so many team members competing, and it was the first time for most of us, so it was really fun altogether,” she said.
“Even the guys who weren’t competing volunteered, so they were up there spotting us, and it was nice just to have them around you. It felt like we were just at home in the Carleton gym.”
Rowan said the women at the meet inspired her.
“It was such a great experience to stand next to such incredibly strong women all trying something new together for themselves,” she said.
“Sports like powerlifting are by no means reserved for men, and training with the other girls on the team is an experience I will always remember, and one that I hope other women get to experience as well.”
Bilal Elbarrani and Neal Balaberda took home second and third place medals in the 83-kg weight class in their first powerlifting meet.
The 93-kg weight class was dominated by the Ravens, with Andrew Jajo-Yacoub winning the gold medal and Nathan Van Noy winning silver
The 120-kg weight class was won by Erik Willis, while his teammate Anthony Singeris came in second.
Willis also won awards for best squat, best deadlift, and best male lifter at the event.
“We had by far the biggest showing in terms of lifters competing,” team co-president Justin Reeson said. “In terms of powerlifting, Carleton is the biggest program going on in Ontario right now.”
The team’s season is not over yet, as Willis and his teammates Phil Brougham, Kerry Dennison, and Jackson Spencer will be competing in the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) Nationals in Newfoundland and Labrador in the beginning of April.
Others from the team will be competing in various meets throughout the summer, such as the Ottawa Open on July 25, in preparation for Ontario provincials in November.
Although some current members of the team will be graduating this year, Willis said there are some big lifters that are staying around.
“There has been a lot of people that have stepped up and made a large amount of progress over the few short months they have been part of the club,” Willis said. “The entire team is capable of putting up insane numbers.”
Reeson said it is great to see his team active in helping the sport continue to grow.
“We just hope that what we’re doing can inspire other schools to start doing the same thing,” he said. “We’d love to see this become a more universally recognized sport in university programs.”
Reeson said the season for the team overall was a success.
“Wherever we go, we’re winning things, and I don’t know how that could ever be bad—that sounds like a successful season to me,” he said.
