The UNLV Powerlifting Club aims to be an official collegiate team next semester, and Rebels are ready to leave its mark.
The purpose of the UNLV Powerlifting Club is to give students the spotlight they deserve and to help give UNLV a name for itself in the powerlifting scene.
The club makes powerlifting more accessible to students. With the prospect of this club becoming an official collegiate team next semester, many students are excited to compete under the UNLV name.
Nico Manzano, the UNLV Powerlifting Club president, started the club after seeing lots of strong students at the rec center gym and realizing UNLV did not have a powerlifting team of its own.
“I think their strength and talent are underestimated,” Manzano said about wanting to give UNLV athletes an opportunity to shine.
The powerlifting club has found a good amount of popularity among students with over 70 members.
“We don’t have anyone to guide us, which is kind of scary,” Manzano said. “But I’m glad I have a team that is willing to do everything they need to do.”
Even while traversing this unfamiliar territory and creating this club, Manzano has found great success.
“It’s unbelievable, it is super inspiring to see from where we started,” Manzano said.
Noah Manuel, the powerlifting club treasurer and secretary, is a successful powerlifter himself, putting up a 551-pound squat in his most recent competition, is also helping to guide the club in the right direction in his last semester at UNLV.
“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 the proactive approach included having seminars to help get students informed and excited about competing and spoke about how this approach has helped bring in more students. Next semester the powerlifting club becomes eligible to become an official collegiate team, allowing students to compete at the collegiate level for UNLV.
Manuel hopes the collegiate designation will help bring students in and allow for better equipment for the team members to use at the UNLV Gym. Currently club members do not have an official gym or area in the UNLV gym, but instead, work out at different gyms throughout Vegas.
Although most of the club’s staff trains at the UNLV Gym, Manuel wants to see a designated area for club members, hoping to help give club members a spot to congregate and work out. Manuel spoke about how rewarding it is seeing members’ progress skyrocketing, but the most rewarding thing is seeing students get out of their comfort zone and try powerlifting.
Manuel spoke about how happy he is to be able to give the knowledge he has accumulated through countless hours of training and research to other members to help them on their powerlifting journey.
The club allows students to train on their own time and interact at club seminars when they can. Manuel spoke about how 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 Aug. 13.
Official registration for the club is closed now, but students can always follow along with the club on its 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. They hope to have left a good legacy within the powerlifting club. Manzano hopes students will come and give powerlifting a try and hopes plenty of talented individuals will find they excel in the sport.
