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Weightlifters Compete At International Level

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9 months ago

March 24, 2025

Weightlifters Compete At International Level

“It’s hard to put into words how proud and happy we are of George and all he has achieved this past year. Watching him do all these things in one year has been incredible,” Abby Upmeyer said of her son.

“Tony Grana, our coach, would teach us the basic form of lifting, and we’d do one meet at the end of the semester,” he said. “That’s how I learned to do it.”“Since I lift in specific weight classes, I have to eat as much as I can to stay in that weight class and have enough energy to lift, but not too much that I go over the weight,” he explained. “I eat a lot of meat, protein and carbs, but no processed foods, to fuel my training.”
Wendy Ludbrook said raising a weightlifter has been quite fun.Being the mom of a champion weightlifter takes a special person.While Upmeyer said he would love to try to make it to the Olympics, he said it would be difficult to qualify and require him to drop “literally everything in my life and focus on nothing but training just for a chance to go … and I don’t know if I would do that.”He is, however, attempting to qualify for the Senior World Championships, “which is the best in the world overall,” he said. “It’s the difference between college football and the NFL, and I’d like to qualify for that.Upmeyer followed that plan through his senior year at Kirkwood High School. He qualified for the Pan American Games in Palmira, Columbia, in June 2024. The event is a competition of the best athletes in North and South America. Upmeyer competed in the junior division, and took bronze medals in the snatch, clean and jerk, and overall. Then COVID-19 hit, and Ludbrook stopped weightlifting.In September 2024 at the age of 19, Upmeyer went to the Junior World Championships in Leon, Spain. There, he snatched 319 pounds, and went 385 pounds in the clean and jerk, taking 13th place overall.Right now, wrestling, weightlifting and homework occupy his “spare” time.Henry Ludbrook (left) and George Upmeyer (right) at the 2024 USA Weightlifting Nationals in Pittsburgh.Upmeyer, a 2023 graduate of Kirkwood High School, was in fourth grade at North Glendale Elementary School and doing CrossFit when his mom signed him up for a weightlifting class.Henry Ludbrook, 17, started weightlifting in sixth grade at Nipher Middle School, which had a weightlifting club that met twice a week.Henry Ludbrook lifting at a local competition at Strength Works in Brentwood.“I went every week after that, and it just snowballed from there,” he said.But Upmeyer kept training and, slowly but surely, got stronger.After a competition, Upmeyer takes about three weeks off from training and then follows a program his coach has for him which includes specific weights and exercises.

Ludbrook competed in the youth division at the Pan Am games, securing bronze in the snatch.

WILL EDMONDS

Even Bigger AspirationsUpmeyer, 20, lifted weights three days a week and trained at BARx CrossFit in Kirkwood two days a week until he was in eighth grade. He then suffered a back injury, which he attributes to “a few minor errors in my form.”Upmeyer not only made it into the top 10, he took gold in the snatch, clean and jerk, and overall at the USA Weightlifting Nationals in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in June 2024.“The USA weightlifting community is very positive and supportive, which may not be everyone’s first impression,” she said. “The kids that lift all cheer each other on. At the national events, you compete on the same stage as Olympians and American record holders. “It takes maybe a week for my body to recover after a meet,” he said. “It’s mainly the mind, and it takes a lot out of me, mentally.”
Upmeyer also follows a diet prescribed by his coach.Henry LudbrookThe MomsWhen he’s not training, Upmeyer works at Reclaim Renew in Kirkwood and enjoys doing carpentry in his spare time.It took Upmeyer two and a half years to prepare and qualify for his international meets, which involves attending a national competition and being in the top 10 in the U.S. “We have enjoyed watching him become dedicated to lifting and the increase in his work ethic and confidence,” she continued. “We’ve also had an immense increase in the amount of pasta and protein consumed at our house. The fact that he will continue to lift in college is a bonus.”

In December, he competed at the American Open Finals in Tucson, Arizona, where he placed third.

“I found Strength Works in Brentwood my middle year of high school. Then my coach, Zach Huse, told me he thought I could qualify for Junior Worlds, and it really surprised me,” he said. “I didn’t think I could be that good, but he put me on a program where I trained five days a week.”But he’s not going to Louisiana State just to lift. He’s considering a major in occupational physiology.Ludbrook, on the other hand, has the Olympics in his sights. He is set to graduate from Kirkwood High School in May, and plans to attend Louisiana State University.“Then, after a long break because of COVID, I came back and did that meet again in 2022. That’s when I actually started competing and I qualified for nationals,” he said. “I won my weight class (150 pounds) and was second for all youth.”“I had to do really well at a national meet to qualify (for the international meet),” he explained. “It’s how good of an athlete you are, how good you can do under pressure at these meets, and how much you can lift and get into the top 10.”Ludbrook, who is also coached by Huse, trains five days a week for about three to three and a half hours a day; follows a diet that includes beef, rice and pasta; takes ice baths and makes sure to get plenty of sleep.“Right now, I’m focusing on my longevity in the sport,” Upmeyer continued. “I pushed hard for those two and a half years and used every single ounce of my time on lifting and recovering. When I wasn’t doing that, I was working, so I didn’t have much time to do anything other than that. So right now, I’m taking a lighter approach to my training so I can stay in the sport long enough to qualify for that senior meet.”Two young men from Kirkwood are competing at the national and international levels of weightlifting, with both young men — George Upmeyer and Henry Ludbrook — having been involved in the sport from an early age.“And I do like to hang out with my friends,” he added. George Upmeyer, making his final clean and jerk at the Junior World Championships in Leon, Spain, on Sept. 25, 2024.“LSU offers a program in strength conditioning like coaching, so it will be one of those two,” he said. “I want to do something related to weightlifting for my career. I either want to become a coach or a physical therapist.”“In my freshman year (at Kirkwood High School), I started wrestling and thought that would help me get better with weightlifting, and I fell in love with it all over again,” he said.“As parents, knowing how hard he worked, the dedication, discipline, and mindset it took to reach this level —knowing what it meant to him and being able to see him compete on national and international stages in a USA singlet with ‘Upmeyer’ on it was amazing, inspiring and a bit emotional, honestly,” she continued. “He set his mind on a goal, worked his butt off and did it. We couldn’t be prouder and happier for him.”In the summer of 2024, Ludbrook attended the USA Weightlifting Nationals in Pittsburgh with Upmeyer. There, Ludbrook took gold in the snatch, bronze in the clean and jerk, and silver overall, qualifying for the Pan American Championships alongside Upmeyer.“I just signed to lift at LSU Shreveport. Hopefully, that will give me a good boost, then I can make a run for the 2032 Olympics after college,” Ludbrook said. Ludbrook’s first official competition was the Justin Thacker Meet in 2020 at the L.A.B. Gym in St. Louis, prior to the pandemic. George Upmeyer

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Dominique Brown Breaks Longstanding School Record As 31 Spartans Set PR’s at Visit Winston-Salem College Kick Off – University of South Carolina

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – USC Upstate track and field began the indoor season at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick Off today.
The first meet of the season was a successful one, highlighted by freshman Dominique Brown breaking the school record in the women’s 400m with her time of 57.51. The previous school record has stood for 10 years.

Head Coach Carson Blackwelder said, “This was a great start to the track season. We have a very talented team with a lot of potential ahead of us.” A total of 31different Spartans all set personal records in today’s meet.

In addition to Brown, Jenelda Aristhil earned a top finish in both the weight throw and shot put. Michael Moody placed third in the men’s long jump, going a distance of 7.00m.

Coach Blackwelder continued to praise his team, saying, “The 400m runners did a great job on Saturday, and we saw some of the fastest times in school history. The throwers hit some big marks and achieved PRs all around.”

Top Performances (Women):

Dominique Brown – 400m- 57.51 – fifth place (School Record)

Jenelda Aristhil – Weight Throw – 16.96m – fourth place (third all-time in school history)

Shot Put – 12.40m – seventh place (10th all-time in school history)

Paden Bell – 400m – 59.77 (eighth all-time in school history)

Ayla Osterkamp – 400m – 59.85 (ninth all-time in school history)

Aryanna Perez – High Jump – 1.49m (10th all-time in school history)

Jamyllah Handy – Triple Jump – 11.17m (seventh all-time in school history)

Personal Bests (Women)

Brittany Benson– 60m, 200m

Dominique Brown– 60m

Mya Jackson– 60m

Aryanna Perez– 60m Hurdles

Richard’ia Allen– 200m

Paden Bell– 400m

Ayla Osterkamp– 400m

Nia Glover– 400m

Emma Grace Kutilek– 800m

Aryanna Perez– High Jump, Long Jump

Jamyllah Handy– Long Jump, Triple Jump

Jenelda Aristhil– Shot Put, Weight

Saniyah Joyner– Shot Put

Top Performances (Men):

Michael Moody – Long Jump – 7.00m – third place (fifth all-time in school history )

Quintavius James – 60m – 6.83 – fourth place

Jalen Clark – Long Jump – 6.95m – fifth place (sixth all-time in school history)

Collin Bui-Hayes – 60m – 6.88 – seventh place (fourth all-time in school history)

Jeremiah Harris – 200m – 21.53 – seventh place (second all-time in school history)

Shriyaan Krishnaraj – 400m – 48.94 (second all-time in school history)

Elias Harrison – 800m -1:57.98 – 7th place

Pierce Mosley – Shot Put – 14.46m (sixth all-time in school history

Weight – 15.48m – sixth place

Joshua Sterling – Weight- 17.52m – 3rd place (fourth all-time in school history)

Shot Put – 13.68m (10th all-time in school history)

Hunter, Walston, Ruff, Krishnaraj – 4x400m – 2:22.12 – fifth place

Personal Bests

Collin Bui-Hayes– 60m

Evan Daniels– 60m

Jared Isley– 60m Hurdles

ZaCorian Johnson– 200m

Khalif Walston– 200m

Cason McKinney– 200m

Jeremiah Harris– 200m

Shriyaan Krishnaraj– 400m

Chandler Hunter– 400m

Jacob Ruff– 400m

Aidan Kenny– High Jump

Michael Moody– Long Jump

Pierce Mosley– Shot Put

Joshua Sterling– Shot Put

Sam Ketch– Shot Put

Nathaniel Bruce– Shot Put

Tristan Pressley– Triple Jump

Jaylen Pressley– Triple Jump

Up Next for the Spartans

The Spartans resume the season in January, competing at the Tryon International Classic held on the 16th and 17th.

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Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics

Twitter | @UpstateXCTrack @UpstateSpartans

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Where to stream Kansas State Wildcats vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament today

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers look to keep their impressive season going on Saturday night, as they get set to host the Kansas State Wildcats in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament.

Nebraska looked impressive in the first round of the tournament, vanquishing the Long Island Sharks in straight sets.

The Cornhuskers rolled toward another Big Ten championship. Nebraska has been dominant. Not only are they undefeated, but they have also been nearly untouchable. For two months, the team did not lose a set. The team then went on to win its final five matches in straight sets, clinching a third consecutive Big Ten Championship.

Now, the program that has played in every national tournament since the AIAW days has its sights set on advancing to the final four for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Nebraska looks to avenge last year’s disappointing semifinal exit at the hands of the eventual national champions, Penn State.

They take on a Kansas State that had to work hard to upset San Diego in the opening round, winning in straight sets on Friday. The Wildcats, who are playing in the national tournament for the first time in four years, look to grab the biggest of upsets and move on to the regional semifinal for the first time since 2011.

NCAA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

Second Round

Kansas State Wildcats vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

When: Saturday, December 6

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center (Lincoln, Neb.)

Stream: ESPN+

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Jane Hedengren Obliterates the NCAA 5K Record in Boston

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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Two weeks after finishing second at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships, freshman Jane Hedengren shattered the collegiate record in the 5,000 meters.

On Saturday, December 6, the Brigham Young University standout won the women’s elite race in 14:44.79 at the BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. With a huge surge in the second half of the race, Hedengren improved on the previous indoor collegiate record (14:52.57) set by Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the same meet in Boston last year.

Hedengren also broke the combined collegiate record (indoor and outdoor track), 14:52.18, set by Parker Valby at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Hedengren is now No. 2 on the U.S. all-time list and No. 11 on the world all-time list in the event, indoors.

“This season, there’s been a lot of growth, and I think there’s still so much to build on, lots of gratitude approaching this race and this season, and I’m excited to keep working,” Hedengren told Nia Gibson on the FloTrack broadcast after the race.

Hedengren showed her dominance early at Boston University’s indoor facility. From the gun, Hedengren and Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico both positioned themselves behind pacesetter Ellie Leather through the first mile in 4:48, on pace for a 14:55 finish. By the 2K split, both athletes had pulled ahead of the chase pack by 50 meters.

That gap continued to grow heading into the halfway mark as the cross-country rivals dueled for the lead. Just after the 3,000-meter split, which the pair covered in 8:59, Hedengren surged ahead of Kosgei and never looked back.

For the last 2,000 meters, Hedengren knocked off blazing 34 to 35-second splits for each lap until throwing down an impressive 66-second close for the final 400 meters. Her teammate, Riley Chamberlain, battled for second-place in 14:58.97, a 25-second personal best. Kosgei finished third in 15:05:41.

Before she graduated from Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, last spring, Hedengren broke nine national records on the track—including the 5,000 meters in April when she became the first high school girl to go sub-15 for the distance.

At 19 years old, Hedengren has already emerged as an NCAA leader in her first season running for the Cougars. In October, she dominated the Pre-National Invitational and shattered the course record in her collegiate cross-country debut. She went on to win the Big 12 Championships and NCAA Mountain Region Championships by huge margins.

In late November, Hedengren was competing for the win at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships but couldn’t match the closing speed of Lemngole, the defending champion. With a surge in the last kilometer of the race in Columbia, Missouri, the junior from Kenya claimed the 6K title in 18:25, about 13 seconds ahead of Hedengren.

In a quick turnaround to the track season, Hedengren earned a form of redemption in Boston. She is the most recent athlete in the last several years to break the collegiate record at the indoor season opener, which many elite athletes utilize as a final push of fitness before the holidays. Lemngole—and Valby prior to her—set the indoor record at the same meet.

Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.

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Gophers volleyball wins NCAA Tournament opener, avoids St. Thomas matchup

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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Minnesota volleyball opened NCAA Tournament play on Friday at Maturi Pavilion with a dominant sweep over Fairfield University. It marks the 11th straight year that the Gophers have won a first-round game.

And we dance on 💃 pic.twitter.com/k5zoEO1vPU

— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) December 6, 2025

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The Gophers were seeded fourth in their region after a 22-9 regular-season campaign. The other game in their Minneapolis pod was five-seed Iowa State against in-state foe St. Thomas, which played its first-ever game in the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Cyclones won a five-set battle before Minnesota’s game.

“I’m proud of our team for playing our brand of volleyball. Serving, blocking and playing really clean. Tomorrow will be a big challenge. Iowa State is a great team in a lot of facets, especially defensively,” Minnesota head coach Keegan Cook said after the game.

Minnesota already beat St. Thomas three sets to one in a nonconference game in August, but an NCAA Tournament clash in the Tommies’ first season eligible would’ve felt like a huge contest. Ultimately, Iowa State will face the Gophers on Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT at Maturi Pavilion with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

The Cyclones had an impressive 22-7 regular-season campaign, and a 12-6 mark in the Big 12. Saturday’s showdown should be a great contest between two of the better college volleyball programs in the Midwest.

Elliot and Thuotte Highlight Men’s Indoor Track and Field Season Opener

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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BOSTON, Mass. — Regis College men’s track and field kicked off their indoor season today at the Reggie Lewis Center, competing in the Suffolk Relays and setting two new program records.

Senior Brady Elliot (Charlestown, N.H.) made an impressive debut for the Pride, placing second in the men’s high jump with a leap of 1.85 meters, establishing a new indoor program record. Elliot also competed in the long jump, finishing 12th with a distance of 6.06 meters. Joseph Doughty (Woburn, Mass.) added a seventh-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.70 meters.

Justin Thuotte (Lebanon, Conn.) earned three top-ten finishes. His best came in the shot put, where he took third with throw of 12.82 meters to set a new personal best. Thuotte also placed fifth in the long jump, setting a new indoor program record with a leap of 6.65 meters, and finished seventh in the weight throw with a mark of 13.28 meters. Ryan Sweeney (Lynn, Mass.) joined Thuotte on the shot put leaderboard, finishing fourth with a toss of 12.65 meters. Sweeney also set a personal best in the weight throw with an 11.28 meter toss.

Jalen Jones (Everett, Mass.) claimed fifth place in the triple jump with a mark of 11.94 meters. Meanwhile, DJ Marks (Medford, Mass.) and Luc Willems (Belchertown, Mass.) rounded out the top ten finishers in the high jump and men’s 1000m, respectively. Marks cleared 1.60 meters in the high jump, and Willems crossed the line in 3:18.18 in the 1000-meter run.

In the men’s 1600 sprint medley relay, the team of Zach Olaywole (Marlborough, Mass.), Jones, Elliot, and Nathan Thomas (Medford, Mass.) finished 13th overall with a time of 4:13.28.

The Pride will quickly turn around as they head to UMass Boston tomorrow for the Beacon Season Opener.

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No. 25 Women’s Volleyball Falls to No. 3 Texas in NCAA Second Round – Penn State

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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AUSTIN, Texas – No. 25 Penn State’s 45^th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament came to an end in the second round Saturday with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-19) loss to No. 3 Texas at Gregory Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions close the season at 19-13 overall, while the Longhorns move on with a record of 25-3.

The loss snapped Penn State’s seven-match NCAA Tournament winning streak, which included six victories on the way to last year’s national title. The Nittany Lions remain second in the nation with eight national titles, trailing only Stanford’s nine.

Kennedy Martin tallied 16 kills for Penn State and has now recorded double-digit kills for the 83^rd-consecutive match when she plays at least three sets. Caroline Jurevicius finished with seven kills, while Emmi Sellman chipped in with five.

Gillian Grimes wrapped up an outstanding collegiate career with a team-high 11 digs. She leaves Penn State as a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, making the first team this season and the second team as a junior last season. She now turns her attention to the pro ranks, where she will play for the San Diego Mojo of Major League Volleyball. Grimes was recently picked by the Mojo in the third round of the MLV Draft.

Torrey Stafford led Texas to the win, hitting .556 with 21 kills. Abby Vander Wal joined her in double-digits with 10 kills, while Cari Spears was next with nine.

Penn State now holds an 11-10 lead in the all-time series with Texas. The teams are knotted at 2-2 in NCAA Tournament matchups against each other.

Saturday’s matchup featured the past three national champions as Texas won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 and Penn State took home the trophy last season.

The 2025 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.

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