Nine River Falls athletes compete at national powerlifting competition

By Reagan Hoverman
Posted 4/20/23

River Falls powerlifting head coach Ulice Payne III makes a habit of telling his athletes to compete in the USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Nationals at least once in their career because of the immense …

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Nine River Falls athletes compete at national powerlifting competition

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River Falls powerlifting head coach Ulice Payne III makes a habit of telling his athletes to compete in the USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Nationals at least once in their career because of the immense benefits high-level competition provides.

This year, nine River Falls athletes took Payne III’s advice and traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to compete in the USAPL Nationals against the best high school powerlifters in the country. The multi-day tournament began on March 30 and concluded on April 2.

River Falls’ qualifiers included seniors Tim Story, Anthony Moelter, Sampson Affeldt, Brayden Sandtrom and Chris Lavasseur, junior Jake Campbell, sophomores Colton Christensen and Aaliyah Moelter, and Anneliese Farner.

Of the nine competitors, all of whom qualified through open competition or performed well enough at state to earn an automatic entry, four finished top-10 in the country in their respective weight brackets.

In the women’s events, Aliyah Moelter took sixth in the 52 kg bracket while Farner claimed seventh in the 75 kg competition. On the men’s side, Story finished eighth in the 67.5 kg division while Lavasseur earned ninth in the 125 kg class.

“All of our kids had great performances and four of our kids took top-10 in the nation,” Ulice said. “In some of these weight classes where there are 50 or 60 of the best kids in the nation, to place in the top-10 is phenomenal. A lot of our kids were in some of the most competitive classes.”

In addition to four top-10 finishers, River Falls’ five other competitors posted strong results in their respective classes.

All five other Wildcat athletes competed in various men’s varsity classes. Christensen took 18th in the 90 kg, Anthony Moelter finished 19th in the 75 kg, Sandtrom earned 21st in the 100 kg, Campbell finished 32nd in the 82.5 kg and Affeldt finished 51st in the 75 kg class.

For coach Payne III, the 2023 Nationals in South Carolina further solidified his belief that his powerlifting team has athletes that can compete with anyone in the country. He spoke about how Nationals shaped his view of the program’s future.

“The biggest thing that stood out to me is that our underclassmen who competed showed immense progression,” Payne III said. “It made me very hopeful for next season with some of these kids who will be upperclassmen and will be leaders next year. They showed up to Nationals and approached the new level of competition very well and were prepared.”

Perhaps no athlete displayed more significant progression than the aforementioned Campbell, who competed in his second USAPL Nationals at the end of March.

Last year, Campbell was a new student at River Falls after he transferred from Woodbury. Upon arrival, he joined the powerlifting team to develop friendships and try a new sport. Campbell was placed on the junior varsity roster and methodically improved throughout his first year.

By the end of the season, Campbell had narrowly qualified for the Wisconsin High School Powerlifting Association (WHSPA) state championships in his respective junior varsity weight class.

Although he qualified for nationals, Campbell struggled to cope with the big crowds, bright lights and immense pressure to perform at his peak in what was the biggest meet of the season.

“Last year was his first year and I think he really found his sport and group with us,” Payne III said of Campbell. “He was really nervous. I just remember him sitting there shivering in his seat at state because he was so nervous being on a bigger stage, and it was the same thing at Nationals too.”

Campbell used that experience to develop in the offseason, and this year he was placed on the varsity roster for his junior campaign. With continued improvement, Campbell again qualified for state and Nationals – this time as a varsity powerlifter.

While competing in front of the large crowds under the bright lights, Campbell remained poised and performed as well as he had all season. Payne III spoke about Campbell’s growth in just over a year.

“This year, just seeing the confidence he came in with was amazing,” Payne III said. “I told him that he’s a completely different kid. It’s awesome to see how he has grown into this sport.”

Campbell wasn’t the only River Falls athlete that demonstrated exceptional growth and character. Senior Andrik Einum spent the 2023 season preparing for what he hoped was a long, prosperous run to Nationals in South Carolina.

Einum competed at the WHSPA state championships in Appleton on Saturday, March 4, but ultimately came up short of qualifying for Nationals. He was just 10 pounds shy of meeting the threshold, according to Payne III.

Instead of moping or wallowing in frustration and sadness, Einum thought about how he could help support his teammates who qualified for Nationals. Payne III spoke about how Einum contributed to the team, even without competing at the biggest meet of the year.

“Andrik just missed out at state, but he still wanted to help out any way he could,” Payne III said. “I got him a coach’s pass so he could go backstage and help his teammates prepare. To see that camaraderie was incredible, and it definitely showed with our kids who were lifting. They felt like they had that support behind them.”

Given the nine competitors who qualified – four of whom earned top-10 finishes – and the exemplary character demonstrated by other athletes on the team, the future of River Falls powerlifting appears to be as bright as ever.

River Falls, River Falls Powerlifting, Wildcats, USAPL Nationals