Lifting Above Their Weight: Mars Hill Women’s Record-Breaking Rise to National Prominence

COLUMBUS, OH - There is a quote that often is attributed to Mark Twain (although it likely was not Twain’s) that says, “Overnight success is a fallacy; it is preceded by a great deal of preparation.” Mars Hill University’s weightlifting teams proved that idiom at their recent national championship meet, bringing home the women’s team national title and two individual women’s titles, plus a top-10 finish from the men’s team and a runner-up placing in the co-ed division—and all of this in only the third year of competition.

Mars Hill added weightlifting to its athletics offerings in fall 2022. Head coach Jared Carter was able to bring in a few student-athletes for that first season in 2022–23, then with a full year to recruit, fielded a full team in 2023–24 that included 18 first-year students. As a club sport, the team falls under the USA Weightlifting governing body, rather than the NCAA. That means Mars Hill competes against schools of all sizes.

Carter and his athletes don’t let the size disparity intimidate them. “Other schools have a lot more funding and a lot more opportunities than we do,” said sophomore Reagan Best. “Their weight rooms are different. They have all the things that they normally would lift with at a competition. We don’t have the opportunity to have that right now, but we still won—so, I think that shows a lot.”

The women’s team dominated the National University Championships in Columbus, Ohio, racking up 230 points—45 points ahead of second-place finishers Lindenwood University and the University of Florida, who tied with 185 points each. That 45-point margin represents the largest point difference won by any female team in USA Weightlifting history.

Individual achievements were equally impressive. Reagan Best claimed first place and the national championship in the 49 kg weight class with a 142 kg total. Makiyah Nickerson earned her second consecutive national championship in the 64 kg class with a 188 kg total. The men’s team placed sixth overall with 92 points, while the co-ed team narrowly missed another championship, falling to Lindenwood by just a single point.

What’s perhaps most remarkable about the team’s success is their relentless drive for improvement. Despite their historic margin of victory, Carter noted that his athletes were initially more disappointed about losing the co-ed competition by one point than they were excited about their women’s team championship.

“The biggest struggle for me was getting them to understand the significance of what they just did,” said Carter. “With their mentality and their competitiveness... they were more upset that we lost co-ed by one point than they were excited that they just blew every other university out of the water.”

This competitive mindset has been central to the program’s rapid ascent. “I think it speaks a lot to their character as lifters and good enough not being good enough,” Carter added. “They want to be the best, and I think that’s why you’ve seen a lot of this success that we’ve had over the last three years.”

Establishing a new program at a small school presented significant recruitment challenges, especially since weightlifting isn’t widely offered at the high school level. After the team’s strong showing in their first full year, recruiting became much easier.

“University of Florida’s coach came over to me before we even got started—which is where 95% of our team is from,” recalled Carter. “He said, ‘You guys are going to kill me everywhere.’ I was like, ‘I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes.’ He’s like, ‘No, you guys have it.’”

While weightlifting competitions feature individual performances that contribute to team scoring, the Mars Hill athletes have embraced both aspects of the sport.

“For me, I feel like it’s both [individual and team] because I know if I do good then that will help the team,” explained Makiyah Nickerson. “If I don’t do good, I’m going to put that pressure on myself... knowing that if I don’t hit my lifts and do what I’m supposed to do, that’ll affect the team and then might potentially not win.”

The close-knit team culture has been crucial to their success. Many competitions come down to razor-thin margins. As Nickerson described her championship-winning lift: “I beat the girl by one kilo this year... I was done with my clean and jerks and she had one more lift. I’m like, ‘Oh, she gets this, I’m not going to win.’ She didn’t get it. And I looked at my coach and he was like, ‘You won.’ And I was like, ‘No, I didn’t.’ He said, ‘By one kilo.’”

The team’s camaraderie extends beyond competition. “We bond a lot more and we’re able to speak to each other one-on-one like, you know, you got it, you’re good, do you need anything?” said Nickerson. “Even on meet days, when everyone’s getting their hair done, we’re chitchatting like girl bonding time. So, I feel like that helps a lot.”

Each athlete has developed their own pre-competition routines, and the relationship between athletes and coaches is built on trust. “My trust is very high,” said Nickerson. “Especially with my coach. I don’t like to ask a lot of questions, but I trust everything that my coach does.”

With their historic national championship secured, the Mars Hill weightlifting program has established itself as a powerhouse despite its youth. The growing reputation will likely continue to attract talented athletes willing to travel across the country to be part of this special program.

The athletes, meanwhile, continue to find wisdom in their journey. “I think I’d tell myself that you’re going to plateau sometimes and that’s okay,” reflected Best. “Sometimes things aren’t going to go the way that you expect them to. But it gets better. It gets better. Just trust the process.”

For Mars Hill University, this championship represents far more than a trophy. It demonstrates that with the right leadership, athletic talent, and competitive spirit, even a young program from a small school can rise to the pinnacle of collegiate competition.