Of everyone present for the recent dedication of new dumbbells at Sequoia Wellness, it’s safe to say that one person was especially pumped for the event: Todd A. Lisy, M.D. (’97), an internal medicine residency program director at Western Reserve Hospital who is also a former competitive powerlifter.
When Dr. Lisy was studying at NEOMED, he competed at the Ohio Powerlifting Championships. To prepare, he requested that the University provide 80-, 90- and 100-pound dumbbells, which it did.
Dr. Lisy showed his gratitude to NEOMED in 2013 with a donation naming the free weight area in Sequoia Wellness. To celebrate the physician’s new donation of additional dumbbells, more than a dozen students and Sequoia Wellness members joined him for a little friendly competition. The lift-a-thon tested participants in three main power lifts: squat lift, bench lift and deadlift.
Members of NEOMED’s Walking Whale Barbell Club and other Sequoia Wellness members scored a few pointers from Dr. Lisy (shown in the photo) as they competed. Sequoia Wellness member Ben Andrella placed first in the category of Heaviest Total Lifted, hoisting 1,340 pounds. Taylor Stewart, a Sequoia Wellness intern, lifted 660 pounds to be named the female winner of the evening. The strongest lifter, pound-for-pound, was Adam Prechtl, a first-year College of Pharmacy student who lifted 1,310 pounds—nearly 6.5 times his body weight.