Javan Hemsworth and Sara Schiller were the top male and female lifters in the 31st annual Sertoma Sunrise Warrior Liftathon, March 29-April 1 in the Brainerd High School weight room.
Hemsworth, a senior, had the top boys Most Pounds Per Ounce rating at 6.09. Competing at 161 pounds, Hemsworth bench-pressed 325 pounds, power-cleaned 250 pounds and had a parallel squat of 405 pounds. Hemsworth also won the 2020 Liftathon as a junior.
Schiller, a senior, had the top girls Most Pounds Per Ounce rating at 3.74. Schiller bench-pressed 140 pounds, power-cleaned 155 pounds and had a parallel squat of 225 pounds.
As MPPO champions, Hemsworth and Schiller are recipients of Stephen G. Nunnink MPPO scholarships, which are given to the top male and female MPPO performers each year. Nunnink was the founder of the MPPO concept in 1975 as the coordinator of the Warrior Strength and Conditioning program.
Participants were divided into nine fundraising teams, with each team captained by a Sertoma member as the fundraising coordinator. Teams raised money for local charities and those in need in the Brainerd area and also competed for T-shirts based upon MPPO guidelines, which measures a lifter's overall body strength in relation to body size.
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MPPO is determined by adding a lifter's one-repetition maximum lift in the bench press, power clean and parallel squat. The three-lift total poundage is divided by the lifter's body weight to determine MPPO.
Of the 59 male participants, 28 met or exceeded the MPPO standard necessary to earn a T-shirt, which was 4.00 or greater for boys with a bodyweight under 250 pounds, and 3.50 or greater for boys with a bodyweight of 250 pounds or more.
Of the 26 female participants, six met or exceeded the MPPO standard necessary to earn a T-shirt, which was 2.75 or greater for girls with a bodyweight under 180 pounds, and 2.50 or greater for girls with a bodyweight of 180 pounds or more.
The Sertoma Sunrise Club will also select at-large scholarship recipients. To be eligible, applicants must be seniors and a minimum two-year Liftathon participant. Recipients will be announced in May.
The top three fundraising teams and their Sertoma captains will also be announced at the end of April.
The event involved 85 Brainerd students in grades 8-12.
Top maximum lifts for boys:
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Bench press: Javan Hemsworth (325)
Power clean: Nathaniel Staehling (295)
Parallel squat: Jacob Holm (475)
Total combined lifts: Jacob Holm (1,045)
Top maximum lifts for girls:
Bench press: Josie Gibson (155)
Power clean: Elianna Riley (160)
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Parallel squat: Macin Freed and Josie Gibson (245)
Total combined lifts: Josie Gibson (550)
Additional boys MPPO winners and order of finish:
Jacob Holm 5.59, Jonas Ewald 5.14, Ethan Naanes 5.03, Devan Blakemore 4.97, Noah Rushmeyer 4.93, Harry Carlson 4.87, Jack Schafer 4.80, Nathaniel Staehling 4.66, Camden Langerman 4.64, Preston Siebolds 4.56, Brady Toensing 4.54, Brandon Stark 4.48, Sam Spieker 4.45, Josh Stark 4.44, Dawson Piepho 4.42, Grant Gardiepy 4.30, Levi Jillson 4.29, Andrew Albright 4.23, Gabe Wagner 4.20, Aden Extrand 4.16, Matthew Huesmann 4.09, Eli Tautges 4.09, Marcello Getty 4.08, Dylan Wgeishofski 4.07, Jesse Rodman 4.05
Bodyweight 250+: Dominik Waytashek 3.68, Carter Springer 3.61
Additional girls MPPO winners and order of finish:
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Brenna Deason 3.60, Avery Mulholland 2.85, Ella Anderson 2.83, Macin Freed 2.79, Josie Gibson 2.50
Boys lifters with top 10 all-time performances:
MPPO: Javan Hemsworth, 3rd place, 12th grade (6.09); Eli Tautges, 10th place, 8th grade (4.09)
Girls lifters with top 10 all-time performances:
MPPO: Sara Schiller, 10th place, 12th grade (3.74); Brenna Deason, 8th place, 10th grade, (3.60); Autumn Schiller, 7th place, 8th grade (2.54)
Bench press: Josie Gibson, 8th place all classes (155)
