Campus Recreation Newsroom

The WVU Powerlifting Club clinched the Co-Ed Championship at the USPA Collegiate Nationals on February 23rd at Ohio University. 25 Mountaineers competed out of 120 total lifters for this title from colleges including West Point, TCU, Michigan State University, and Old Dominion. With three men and three women placing for medals in their respective weight classes, including first prizes for Michaela Piendel and Jordan Rodriguez, WVU returned to Morgantown as Co-ed Collegiate Nationals Champions. This victory for the Mountaineers was their first national title, and was done in only their second season of competing.

To win a team title in a powerlifting competition, a team must have the highest combined “wilks” score taken from the team’s top six lifters. Wilks is a score calculated by a lifter’s weight class, gender and total amount lifted from their best squat, bench press and deadlift. With the two first placements for Piendel and Rodriguez as well as a third place achievement by Madison Eichstadt, WVU took the co-ed title with 2nd place finishes for Tony Perry and Matthew Maloney and 3rd place for Grant Judy for the male lifters. WVU also placed second for best men’s team, losing out only to West Point.

The newly formed WVU Women’s Hockey team is preparing for their inaugural season this fall. Founded in March by WVU Junior Ashley Osborne, the team held their first Prospect Skate on the 23rd and now sports 15 skaters on the roster. With team members actively pursuing off-season work and an executive board planning events and fundraisers, all that’s left for an exciting first year is filling the roles of goaltender and head coach.

The team looks to enter the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference where they’d face off against teams including Saint Joseph’s University, Lafayette College, and the University of Virginia. Their first season is slated to open in November, with 5 home and 5 away games that could stretch into March with additional tournaments.