For at least one day this spring, the heavy lifting that occurred at the Clemente Center was not a metaphor for the arduous mental exertion of Florida Tech students studying at the in-house Starbucks.
It was, in fact, actual heavy lifting, as organizers held the semiannual bench press competition, spring edition, in the Clemente Center weight room. And the heavy lifting was in fact an ongoing endeavor for participants who were training for weeks ahead of the event.
The overall winner was May 2026 graduate Patrick D’Abreau, who lifted 325 pounds and earned the highest score using Dynamic Objective Team Scoring (DOTS), which allows for fair comparisons of lifting performance across body weights and genders. He also won Overall Highest Bodyweight Reps (male) with 24 reps at 160 pounds.
The Overall Highest Bodyweight Reps (female) category, where participants lift weights equivalent to half their body weight, was won by English professor Natalie Dorfeld with 39 reps at 65 pounds.
According to Michelle Robinson, Clemente Center director of fitness and wellness, the competition started in 2008 as a fundraiser and has since evolved into the twice-yearly tradition it is today. It is open to students who are not scholar-athletes, faculty and staff. No registration fee is required.
Participants compete for maximum weight lifted (one rep) and body weight reps, Robinson said. All competitors receive a t-shirt, and winners receive shirts with the word “WINNER” on the back. Winners are also on the leaderboard on the Clemente Center weight room TV.
Here are the additional results:
- Max weight lifted (male student): Junot Damen, 335 pounds
- Max weight lifted (female student): Analu Campos, 155 pounds
- Max weight lifted (male faculty/staff): Cordell Wiley, assistant director of game operations, lifted 325 pounds
- Max weight lifted (female faculty/staff): Pua Keola, assistant volleyball coach, lifted 135 pounds
