Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Photo by: JC Ridley/Owlpix.com
Wilfredo Alvarez is Baseball’s 2021 Iron Owl
1/13/2021 1:54:00 PM | Baseball
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Senior shortstop Wilfredo Alvarez was a model of consistency during the Florida Atlantic Unversity baseball's prestigious annual offseason competition and has taken home the title of 2021 Iron Owl.
Alvarez's third time was a charm, as he moved up from 12th in his first Iron Owl with the program in 2018 to fourth last offseason, and now to the top slot. He won both the swimming and garage run competitions, was second on the bench press and 300-yard run, third on the gauntlet, fourth on the vertical jump and fifth in the finale, the ultimate obstacle course. Once fall grades were in, with Alvarez ranking seventh highest in that category as well, he clinched the competition.
"Winning Iron Owl is very exciting," said Alvarez. "I'm very grateful to be a part of this ongoing tradition and I'm glad we were able to compete and push each other throughout the week, especially during these unprecedented times."
The Dorado, Puerto Rico native dethroned 2020 winner Jackson Wenstrom, pushing him to 2021 runner-up despite the junior centerfielder winning four competitions (gauntlet, bench press, iso pull and obstacle course). Alvarez's final total was 338.5 to Wenstrom's 318. Mitchell Hartigan placed third at 299 points, with B.J. Murray fourth (287) and Cade Parker fifth (276).
"Wilfredo really put together a great Iron Owl week, along with his academic performance this semester, and he is this year's winner," said head coach John McCormack. "I am very proud of him; he has worked extremely hard since getting on campus and this is a culmination of that work. The Iron Owl event is a great event that showcases what it means to be an Owl ... being smart, strong, competitive, and a great teammate."
The winner of the team completion, by just a half-point by virtue of their win in the final obstacle course, was Team Blue, by the slimmest of margins over Team Green. Team Blue – made up of captain Nicholas Toney, John Dwyer, Mike Entenza, Daulton Frank, Braden Ostrander, Caleb Pendleton and Jackson Vescelus – finished with 53 points, while Team Green, captained by Wenstrom, came in at 52.5. Wrapping the competition in third place was Murray's Team Black who had five team victories out of the 12 events towards a point total of 49.5.
The baseball team's return to the field for the 2021 season is not yet official, schedule-wise, but will be announced soon. Stay tuned here at FAUSports.com, and on baseball's Twitter page @FAUBaseball.
ABOUT FAU BASEBALL'S IRON OWL COMPETITION
The Iron Owl award is a competition that debuted prior to the 2008 preseason. The goal is the encouragement of team camaraderie, while at the same time making sure each individual player understands what is like to compete on a daily basis. It is the program's aim that each player reaches their highest potential in the classroom, on the field and in the weight room. The award identifies the strongest Owl baseball player – both mentally and physically. In addition to team and individual competitions (including box run, garage run, bench press, squats, swimming, a gauntlet and an obstacle course), off the field, each player's GPA from the fall semester is also factored in.
| All-time Iron Owl winners |
| 2008 – Lou Morey |
| 2009 – Lou Morey |
| 2010 – Alex Hudak |
| 2011 – Ahmed Garcia |
| 2012 – Kevin Alexander |
| 2013 – Kevin Alexander |
| 2014 – Cody Mizelle |
| 2015 – Seth McGarry |
| 2016 – Billy Endris |
| 2017 – Austin Kirksey |
| 2018 – Cody Wilson |
| 2019 – Bobby Morgensen |
| 2020 – Jackson Wenstrom |
| 2021 – Alvarez |
"Winning Iron Owl is very exciting," said Alvarez. "I'm very grateful to be a part of this ongoing tradition and I'm glad we were able to compete and push each other throughout the week, especially during these unprecedented times."
The Dorado, Puerto Rico native dethroned 2020 winner Jackson Wenstrom, pushing him to 2021 runner-up despite the junior centerfielder winning four competitions (gauntlet, bench press, iso pull and obstacle course). Alvarez's final total was 338.5 to Wenstrom's 318. Mitchell Hartigan placed third at 299 points, with B.J. Murray fourth (287) and Cade Parker fifth (276).
"Wilfredo really put together a great Iron Owl week, along with his academic performance this semester, and he is this year's winner," said head coach John McCormack. "I am very proud of him; he has worked extremely hard since getting on campus and this is a culmination of that work. The Iron Owl event is a great event that showcases what it means to be an Owl ... being smart, strong, competitive, and a great teammate."
The winner of the team completion, by just a half-point by virtue of their win in the final obstacle course, was Team Blue, by the slimmest of margins over Team Green. Team Blue – made up of captain Nicholas Toney, John Dwyer, Mike Entenza, Daulton Frank, Braden Ostrander, Caleb Pendleton and Jackson Vescelus – finished with 53 points, while Team Green, captained by Wenstrom, came in at 52.5. Wrapping the competition in third place was Murray's Team Black who had five team victories out of the 12 events towards a point total of 49.5.
The baseball team's return to the field for the 2021 season is not yet official, schedule-wise, but will be announced soon. Stay tuned here at FAUSports.com, and on baseball's Twitter page @FAUBaseball.
ABOUT FAU BASEBALL'S IRON OWL COMPETITION
The Iron Owl award is a competition that debuted prior to the 2008 preseason. The goal is the encouragement of team camaraderie, while at the same time making sure each individual player understands what is like to compete on a daily basis. It is the program's aim that each player reaches their highest potential in the classroom, on the field and in the weight room. The award identifies the strongest Owl baseball player – both mentally and physically. In addition to team and individual competitions (including box run, garage run, bench press, squats, swimming, a gauntlet and an obstacle course), off the field, each player's GPA from the fall semester is also factored in.
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