Powerlifting makes a smash at UNLV

As the powerlifting club aims to be an official collegiate team next semester, Rebels are ready to leave their mark.

Brian Kuang deadlifts 495lbs (Photo from Kevin Ludowitz)

Celebrity powerlifters have given added attention to the sport of powerlifting. The UNLV powerlifting club aims to give students the spotlight they deserve and to help give UNLV a name for itself in the powerlifting scene.

Social media can be seen as one of the biggest factors in power lifting’s most recent spike in growth, with the sport seeing lots of interest from newcomers. Luckily UNLV has a powerlifting club making this sport much more accessible to students. With the prospect of this club becoming an official collegiate team next semester many students are excited and hoping to compete under the UNLV name.

Nico Manzano, Powerlifting Club president and a senior, started the club after seeing lots of strong students at the rec center gym and realizing UNLV did not have a

powerlifting team.

“I think their strength and talent are underestimated,” Manzano said. The powerlifting club has found a good amount of popularity with students with over 70 members. “We don’t have anyone to guide us, which is kind of scary, but I’m glad I have a team that is willing to do everything they need to do.”

Even while traversing this unfamiliar territory creating this club, Manzano has found great success.

“It’s unbelievable,” Manzano said. “It is super inspiring to see from where we started.”

Noah Manuel, the powerlifting club treasurer, and secretary, is a successful powerlifter himself, putting up a 551 lbs. squat in his most recent competition and is also helping to guide the club in the right direction in his last semester at UNLV.

Manzano's belt hangs over his bar while squatting (Kevin Ludowitz)

“We have taken a much more proactive approach,” Manuel said. “I have seen a bunch of new faces here that I did not see last semester.”

Manuel said this proactive approach they have been having seminars often to help get students informed and excited about competing, and how this approach has helped bring in more students. Next semester the powerlifting club becomes eligible to become an official collegiate team, allowing for students to compete at the collegiate level for UNLV.

Manuel said he hopes the collegiate designation will help bring students in and allow for better equipment for the team members to use at the UNLV gym. Right now, members do not have an official gym, or area in the UNLV gym but work out at different gyms throughout Vegas, but plenty are here training at the UNLV gym constantly. With this Manuel would want to see a designated area for club members to help give club members a spot to congregate and work out.

The club allows students to train on their own time and interact at club seminars when they can.

Manuel said he is there to guide students that need help on their powerlifting journey. Manuel is also on his own powerlifting Journey with a meet coming up on August 13.

Gallery

Gallery: Powerlifting club training in the UNLV rec center (Kevin Ludowitz)

Official registration for the club is closed at this point in the semester, but students can follow along with the club on their Instagram or on discord.

Although Manuel and Manzano are completing their last semester at UNLV they hope to be able to stay within the UNLV powerlifting community, hopefully in external leadership positions.

Manzano said his biggest goal once UNLV acquires the collegiate designation is for some of the club’s strongest lifters to get to compete at collegiate nationals.

He hopes students will come and try powerlifting and hopes plenty of talented individuals will find they excel in the sport. Manzano, hoping to inspire local students, cited one incredible local example of a 17-year-old powerlifter breaking the deadlift world record for his weight and age class at 738 lbs.

“I don’t know if that is blowing your mind,” Manzano said, “but that is crazy.”

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