TEAMS

Event 6

For total time, women will complete, then men will complete:
50 GHD sit-ups, each
50 muscle-ups, total
50 hang power cleans, total (205 / 135 lb.)

Females will go first. Males may begin once females have moved to the finish mat.

Time cap: 25 minutes
Athlete order: FFF then MMM

It was the moment CrossFit Mayhem Freedom and their fans had been waiting for all weekend. They set a world record as they absolutely crushed Event 6, led by solid performances from their women and a blistering pace set by Rich Froning and his male counterparts. CrossFit Grandview was nearly as fast and their showing put them in the fifth qualifying position for the Games. An injury to a team member from Team Rollins was costly in the event, and as a result they dropped from second overall to seventh.

Mad Apple CrossFit and CrossFit Shift were the top teams in heat 1, with the latter team taking the heat 21:54. In heat 2, CrossFit Green Bay’s women handed their men a lead, but CrossFit Murfreesboro was close behind them. They overtook Green Bay early on and were the first team to the cleans with Green Bay chasing. The cleans got very difficult for them during the last set but CrossFit Murfreesboro still finished strong, with a time of 19:22, sixth in the event. In heat 3, it was a nightmare start for Team Rollins, the 2nd place overall team, as their second female athlete went down with an injury as she approached the GHD machine. CrossFit Grandview’s women were the first off the rings and onto the cleans. They gave their men a 20-second lead over On Track and CrossFit Mayhem Freedom. Rich Froning flew through the sit ups then ran to the rings where he did six muscle ups but then had to come down because the straps on the rings were swinging too much. Still, he was lethal on the rings, having finished 20 reps before being joined by his teammate. In the end, their last athlete James Hobart only had to do five muscle ups before they moved on to the barbell where Froning and his teammates each performed 10 reps of the hang cleans before switching. CrossFit Grandview was fast as well but in the end they couldn’t catch Mayhem, which set a world record time of 16:26. This was 13 seconds faster than the previous record time set by Nor Cal CrossFit last weekend. CrossFit Grandview’s 16:54 put them in second place and brought them into the fifth transfer position. The injury to Team Rollins’ second female athlete meant that they finished the workout last. The result put them out of the transfer positions to the Games.

“The girls did a great job,” said Rich Froning. “I think you guys beat your time when you practiced it so they did exactly what they needed to do, and it went real well. We’re going to try and follow it up with another one. It should be a pretty good workout for us. We’re just going to have fun. We needed that one.”

Results

1. CrossFit Mayhem Freedom (16:26)
2. CrossFit Grandview (16:54)
3. CrossFit Maximus (17:55)
4. On Track (18:17)
5. Timberwolf CrossFit (19:12)

Event 7

For time, each athlete moves through stations of:
30-calorie row
Deadlift hold while trailing teammate rows (315 / 205 lb.)
30 strict handstand push-ups
Handstand hold while trailing teammate performs HSPU
30 toes-to-bars
Static hang while trailing teammate performs toes-to-bars
50-foot overhead axle lunge (155 / 105 lb.)

Time cap: 20 minutes
Athlete order: Any

They were the talked about team going in, but it wasn’t until the last day that Rich Froning’s CrossFit Mayhem Freedom dominated the competition. In Event 7 they earned a 2nd place finish behind On Track, which followed a first-place finish in Event 6. Their Day 3 domination lifted them above CrossFit 417, which quietly dominated the first two days of competition, with four top 3 finishes. CrossFit Maximus was consistent all weekend long; their lowest event finish was an 8th place. Those three teams will be joined in Carson by CrossFit Kilo, another team with no finishes outside of the top 10, and CrossFit Grandview, which seized that fifth and final transfer position with an excellent Day 3. Team Rollins, whose team member suffered an injury at the start of Event 6, wasn’t able to recover and after being one of the top teams for two days they unfortunately dropped out of the qualifying positions.

In heat 1, CrossFit North Peoria was the first team to have all six of their athletes underneath the rig. Their men lunged their way to the finish mat but the women got stuck on the handstand push ups. In the end North Peoria and Cincinnati Strength got the furthest. In heat 2, CrossFit Murfreesboro and CrossFit Naptown were the first teams to get athletes to the toes to bar. Naptown was the first to send an athlete lunging down the competition floor. Good communication and execution on the handstand push ups and handstand holds powered Naptown to a best performance in the heat and nearly the best in the event. They finished third in the event. In heat 3, Koda CrossFit, CrossFit Kilo, and CrossFit 417 were quick in getting their first athlete to the handstand push ups. Koda were the first team to have four athletes on the floor. CrossFit Kilo was the first team to start the lunges, however. CrossFit Mayhem Freedom made a move and assumed the second place position. On Track’s fifth athlete was lunging toward the finish mat with two minutes left in the workout. They were the only team to finish the workout in 19:41, but their first place finish wasn’t enough to lift them from sixth overall into that fifth and last transfer position. Rich Froning, his team’s fifth athlete, lunged confidently across the finish line with 30 seconds remaining. But still there wasn’t enough time for their last athlete to make it across the floor. CrossFit Grandview’s fifth place performance in the event meant that they maintained the last transfer position to Carson.

Rich Froning said afterward that they changed up their strategy right before the event. “It changed at the last minute. I think the change was good. James said I should go last because the overhead walking lunge is pretty easy for me. So we switched that up. We had a few little snags we weren’t expecting but we did good, real good. We battled through some stuff and you find out a lot about your teammates. It gives us some experience going in to the Games.”

Results

1. On Track (19:41)
2. CrossFit Mayhem Freedom (CAP + 20)
3. CrossFit NapTown (CAP + 101)
4. CrossFit Kilo (CAP + 106)
5. CrossFit Grandview (CAP + 108)

CrossFit Games Qualifiers

1. CrossFit Mayhem Freedom (600 pts)
2. CrossFit 417 (585 pts)
3. CrossFit Maximus (576 pts)
4. CrossFit Kilo (559 pts)
5. CrossFit Grandview (550 pts)

INDIVIDUAL MEN

Event 6

5 rounds for time of:
25-calorie row
16 chest-to-bar pull-ups
9 strict deficit handstand push-ups

Time cap: 16 minutes

Jacob Heppner’s quick transitions and aggressive style saw him emerge victorious in Event 6. The overall leader is now more than 50 points clear at the top of the leaderboard. Graham Holmberg had a strong performance to climb into the third transfer position, and Nick Fory and Nick Urankar did well enough to convince themselves they have a shot at taking that fifth and final transfer spot from Sam Dancer, who dropped to fifth thanks to a wobble in Event 6.

In heat 1, Jordan Chiles finished the workout in 14:26. Marcus Hendren won heat 2 with a time of 13:05. In heat 3, Roderick Holloway took an early lead, going unbroken on his first round of pull ups and handstand push ups. He went unbroken again on round 2, but Kevin Scholtz was faster and took the lead. He was joined by Will Moorad on the pull up bar in the third round. Moorad held on to go unbroken and took the lead. In the fourth round, he went unbroken on the handstand push ups while Cody Keathley took over the second position going in to the last round. He was 15 seconds behind Moorad but cycled quickly through the pull ups and then jumped on the wall, going fast there to close the gap on Moorad. But it was Moorad who finished his handstand push ups and sprinted to the finish mat first. His time of 11:45 took second in the event. Keathley’s 11:52 gave him a third place finish in the event. In heat 4, Graham Holmberg took the early lead with Jacob Heppner in second. Holmberg and Heppner were even going in to the third round of handstand push ups. Heppner took the lead by going unbroken while Holmberg came off the wall. Heppner continued his blistering pace into round 4, with fast transitions. Marginally ahead of Holmberg, he went unbroken on the last set of pull ups then did sets of four, two and three before running to the finish mat to take the heat and event in 11:28. Holmberg’s 11:55 took the fourth position and brought him from fifth to third in the overall leaderboard. Nick Fory’s fifth place performance saw him close the gap between himself and Sam Dancer occupying that fifth and final transfer position. A large athlete, Dancer struggled on the handstand push ups and finished 19th.

Overall leader Jacob Heppner looked ahead to the last event of the weekend. “Hopefully my hands hold up,” he said. “This last event’s not going to be my best event. Going back to the speed clean ladder at the Games I was sub par so we’ll see how far it’s come.”

Results

1. Jacob Heppner (11:28)
2. Will Moorad (11:45)
3. Cody Keathley (11:52)
4. Graham Holmberg (11:55)
5. Nick Fory (12:07)

Event 7

For time:
15 muscle-ups
1 squat clean (205 / 135 lb.)
1 squat clean (225 / 145 lb.)
1 squat clean (245 / 155 lb.)
1 squat clean (255 / 165 lb.)
1 squat clean (265 / 175 lb.)

Shane McBride set an event record while Scott Panchik overtook Jacob Heppner at the top of the leaderboard after the former had a great Event 7 and the latter had a forgettable one. Alex Anderson was a model of consistency the whole weekend and he’ll be going to the Games for the first time. Graham Holmberg and Nick Urankar will be going to Carson too amid different circumstances. Holmberg had ups and downs throughout the weekend while Urankar staged a Day 3 comeback to win a ticket to the Games for the first time since 2011.

In heat 1, Kevin Schuetz set the bar high, finishing in 1:21.9 His time was good enough for fifth in the event. Philip Kniep’s and Justin Allen raced to the finish mat in heat 2, with Kniep’s 1:21.6 the third best time of the day when the dust had settled. In heat 3, Shane McBride was third to the first barbell but he was speedy in the lifts and transitions. He was so fast that he set an event record by two-tenths of a second with a time of 1:17.7. McBride said, “I got off on my muscle ups a bit with the swing but then I love cleans. It’s my favorite lift. I knew my small range of motion would work to my advantage in that situation.”

In heat 4, it was make or break time for a number of athletes with their dream of the Games on the line. A number of athletes were off the muscle ups at the same time. Nick Urankar was the fastest on the barbells, and he took the heat and was second in the event with a time of 1:18. Scott Panchik came in at 1:21.8, good enough for fourth in the event. That finish, paired with Heppner’s major slip up—he finished 39th overall—made Panchik the winner of the Central regional. In the race for fifth position, Sam Dancer struggled on the muscle ups. Urankar’s excellence in Event 7 enabled him to pass Dancer and take 4th overall. Holmberg started the event strong but his 1:28 put him in 17th place. He slid down to fifth place overall, but he’s still going to the Games.

Results

1. Shane McBride (1:17.7)
2. Nick Urankar (1:18)
3. Phillip Kniep (1:21.6)
4. Scott Panchik (1:21.8)
4. Kevin Schuetz (1:21.9)

Games Qualifiers

1. Scott Panchik (553 pts)
2. Jacob Heppner (540 pts)
3. Alex Anderson (474 pts)
4. Nick Urankar (464 pts)
5. Graham Holmberg (464 pts)

INDIVIDUAL WOMEN

Event 6

5 rounds for time of:
25-calorie row
16 chest-to-bar pull-ups
9 strict deficit handstand push-ups

Time cap: 16 minutes

Nicole Holcomb’s proficiency on the handstand push ups was the difference maker as she cruised to an event win and took over second place in the standings. Overall leader Brooke Wells came in second to add to her points lead while Julie Foucher climbed from fourth overall to third in spite of a serious Achilles injury suffered on Day 2.

No athletes finished the workout in heat 1. Katelyn Teager (15:37) and Brittany Kopp (15:46) were the only athletes to complete the event in heat 2. In heat 3, Alyssa Ritchey overtook Bridget Erickson on the last set of pull ups, going unbroken, to earn herself 4th in the event with a time of 15 minutes even. In heat 4, despite wearing a walking boot and nursing a suspected Achilles injury, Julie Foucher came out ready to compete. Nicole Holcomb and Sheila Barden were the early leaders. Holcomb put some distance between herself and the field when she went unbroken on the pull ups and the handstand push ups on round three. Going in to round 4, it was Holcomb and Barden followed by the overall leader Brooke Wells and Lindy Barber. Holcomb again went unbroken in round 4 to maintain a 20-second lead. Wells took over second place from Barden and then went chasing after Holcomb who dropped off the bar several times on her last set of 16 pull ups. But another set of unbroken handstand push ups saw her through to a heat and event win. Her victory brought her up to second in the overall standings. Wells’ second place performance gave her a 30-point lead at the top of the leaderboard, with one event to go. Stacie Tovar needed a good showing but her history of struggling with handstand push ups continued here. Her 12th place performance left her in sixth overall. Likewise, Elisabeth Akinwale struggled in the event. Her 26th place performance dropped her in the standings to fourth. Barden’s 3rd place performance brought her into that fifth transfer spot, an impressive fightback after she started the weekend with a 21st place in Event 1. Amazingly, Foucher didn’t just finish the workout; she had the eighth fastest time. She actually climbed a spot to third overall after suffering an Achilles injury in Event 3.

Holcomb said, “I planned to go unbroken. I haven’t used these bars before so I got a few rips. I wanted to save my hands for the muscle ups. My coach suggested wearing weightlifting shoes on the row for more heel drive and also on the plexiglass for more slide, so it was a good suggestion.”

Results

1. Nicole Holcomb (14:06)
2. Brooke Wells (14:45)
3. Sheila Barden (14:55)
4. Alyssa Ritchey (15:00)
5. Bridget Erickson (15:26)

Event 7

For time:
15 muscle-ups
1 squat clean (205 / 135 lb.)
1 squat clean (225 / 145 lb.)
1 squat clean (245 / 155 lb.)
1 squat clean (255 / 165 lb.)
1 squat clean (265 / 175 lb.)

Alyssa Ritchey won the event in an early heat while Brooke Wells and Nicole Holcomb underwhelmed in this final event of the weekend but the two had accumulated more than enough points to take the first and second overall spots on the podium. Sheila Barden’s struggle on the last barbell meant that her nearest rivals could take advantage and they did. Stacie Tovar, Elisabeth Akinwale and Lindy Barber will join Wells and Holcomb as the female representatives at the Games for the Central region. Julie Foucher showed the heart of a champion by continuing to compete after suffering a serious Achilles injury on Saturday. She did remarkably well after that, though she chose not to risk more damage to the Achilles and avoided the heavy cleans in Event 7. She finished 8th overall after a dominant start to the weekend.

In heat 1, Jennifer Nobis-Dancer was the first to the finish mat in 3:13. In heat 2, Melissa Doss’s 2:02 was good enough to take sixth overall when the event was over. In heat 3, Alyssa Ritchey took advantage of three misses on the final barbell by Mikki Nuccio to sneak in and take the heat with a time of 1:50. In heat 4, Stacie Tovar was the first to the barbells with Sheila Barden right behind her. It was Tovar, Barden and Michele Fumagalli on the approach to the final barbell. But while Fumagalli and Tovar made their lifts to step onto the finish mat first, Barden struggled when she desperately needed to finish to punch her ticket to the Games. Meanwhile, as she failed on that last barbell, Lindy Barber stepped across to finish. Then it was Elisabeth Akinwale. Barden’s struggle meant that Tovar, Akinwale and Barber would get those third, fourth and fifth transfer spots respectively. For the overall leaders coming in, Nicole Holcomb and Brooke Wells, it wasn’t their best event but their poor showings did not affect their overall placement. Wells still finished first overall with Holcomb the runner-up.

Results

1. Alyssa Ritchey (1:50)
2. Kristi Eramo (1:53)
3. Michele Fumagalli (1:56)
4. Stacie Tovar (1:57)
5. Mikki Nuccio (2:00)

Games Qualifiers
1. Brooke Wells (519 pts)
2. Nicole Holcomb (504 pts)
3. Stacie Tovar (486 pts)
4. Elisabeth Akinwale (475 pts)
5. Lindy Barber (466 pts)

Related articles:
2015 Central Regional Recap: Day 1
2015 Central Regional Recap: Day 2