KINGSVILLE, Texas (Strength and Conditioning) – Texas A&M University-Kingsville strength and conditioning intern
Ashley Benavides set a new United State Powerlifting Association record in the bench press with a mark of 176.37 lbs at last month's powerlifting meet. She was representing the HardKnox Powerlifting team from Brownsville, Texas and earned the top honors in the 198-Pound Junior 20-23 Classic Raw Division.
"I first met Ashley in the summer of 2013 when she was brought to HardKnox Strength and Performance by a friend," said her HardKnox coach. "After watching her work our during one of our classes, it was evident that she was a hard worker. Since then, Ashley has become a leader and inspiration to many of our members."
"As she continued to attend our large group classes, she displayed huge gains in her strength development on many of her lifts. Earlier this year, we were preparing to host an American Powerlifting Association Texas State Meet, I approached her and recommended that she try competing at this meet. Her first meet was a success and she even set an American record in the bench press. In the meet held in April, she set American recorded in the deadlift and broke her previous record in the bench press."
Benavides graduated last week and is currently completing a sports performance mentorship at the University of Louisville.
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