Baseball: Iron Mountaineer Challenge Wrap-up
December 17, 2009 04:12 PM | General
December 17, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach Paul Chandler oversaw a grueling, competitive challenge that featured four teams amongst this season’s WVU baseball squad.
Chandler, who enters his second season at WVU, coordinated the traditional Iron Mountaineer Challenge – an individual and team event that puts each player through rigorous stations as they try to better themselves and their teammates.
Although all four teams are judged by their strength, part of what makes the event so critical for Chandler is the mental aspect that it presents.
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| Redshirt Junior Grant Buckner looks to add more strength for the upcoming season.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
“Sometimes it’s hard for baseball players to go through a whole season and stay mentally tough,” Chandler said. “This is a way to get them simulated to going as far as they can. We do more than just lift weights in our program. It’s about developing the total person. It’s the new wave of strength and conditioning.”
The intra-squad weight room competition features four teams, each with a captain who chooses his players in a team draft. Each week in the fall, every squad goes through both individual challenges and team challenges, with the individual competition occurring on the first two lifts of the week, and the team competition happening on the third lift of that same week.
This year’s captains included seniors Steve Morrison and Chris Enourato and redshirt juniors Grant Buckner and Mark Dvoroznak.
Chandler uses a meticulous approach to mentally prepare his team for the regular season. There are 12 stations that each competitor endures, including exercises at each station that involved the 45-pound plate push, the 20-pound plate pitch, the 100-pound plate hold, a towel hang, a multitude of push-ups and the tire flip, just to name a few.
As each team battles each other week by week, the Iron Mountaineer Challenge culminates with a midnight lift that creates a frenzied atmosphere. Many of the players come in with clothing that signifies physical strength, such as cut-off shirts with bandanas, while others will even wear make-up to create a psychological edge over their opponents.
“It gives our guys an opportunity to dress up and be hard-edged,” Chandler mentioned. “They enjoying going after all 12 stations, because each station represents all 12 teams in Big East baseball.”
This season’s challenge ended last Thursday, Dec. 10. Team Dvoroznak came in first place with 118 points, followed by Team Enourato in second place with 102 points. Team Buckner and Team Morrison each tied for third place with 94 points, but because Morrison’s squad had more last-place finishes each week, it falls to fourth place.
Individual awards were also given out to the pitcher with the highest score as well as the position player with the highest score. Senior Andy Altemus was the top pitcher with 65 points, and is given a golden ball that he signs and keeps until next year’s challenge begins. Coming in second was Enourato with 65 points.
The position player winner was freshman Matt Malloy, who earned 84 points. Dvoroznak finished in second place with 65 points. Malloy received a golden ball that he also signed and keeps until next year.
The West Virginia baseball squad begins official practice on Friday, Jan. 29, at the Caperton Indoor Facility. The Mountaineers begin their season on Feb. 19 at Coastal Carolina in the Caravelle Resort Tournament in Conway, S.C.
