Florida Atlantic University Athletics

Jackson Ross Earns 2022 Iron Owl
12/22/2022 4:19:00 PM | Baseball
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic senior third baseman Jackson Ross has been named the winner of the 2022 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 off the field, each player's GPA from the fall semester is also factored in.
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The competition began on November 18 with the first two events: a written quiz on FAU history and the rules of the game and closest to the pin golf competition. Day two featured a kettlebell farmers walk and a team competition of who could prepare and breakdown the field for batting practice the fastest. Other events included a trio of weight room tests (bench press, pull-up, and squats), a kettlebell farmers walk (182 lb carried on the track of the baseball stadium), field goal kicking competition, basketball shootout and a final obstacle course.
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Results were unofficial until grades were released on Thursday. Ross was one of four baseball student-athletes to record a 4.0 in the classroom to seal the title of 2022 Iron Owl. In the team competition, the orange team captained by Hunter Cooley took the top spot.
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Full results are listed below. For more on the history of the Iron Owl and thoughts from head coach John McCormack, give a listen to the latest 'Mac's Musings' podcast recorded earlier in December.
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Team competition:
Individual:
Past Iron Owl Winners
 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 off the field, each player's GPA from the fall semester is also factored in.
Â
The competition began on November 18 with the first two events: a written quiz on FAU history and the rules of the game and closest to the pin golf competition. Day two featured a kettlebell farmers walk and a team competition of who could prepare and breakdown the field for batting practice the fastest. Other events included a trio of weight room tests (bench press, pull-up, and squats), a kettlebell farmers walk (182 lb carried on the track of the baseball stadium), field goal kicking competition, basketball shootout and a final obstacle course.
Â
Results were unofficial until grades were released on Thursday. Ross was one of four baseball student-athletes to record a 4.0 in the classroom to seal the title of 2022 Iron Owl. In the team competition, the orange team captained by Hunter Cooley took the top spot.
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Full results are listed below. For more on the history of the Iron Owl and thoughts from head coach John McCormack, give a listen to the latest 'Mac's Musings' podcast recorded earlier in December.
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Team competition:
- Hunter Cooley (orange team captain), Andrew Hernandez, Jalen DeBose, Hayden Compton, C.J. Williams, Joey Slattery
- Team Ross (Black)
- Team Ostrander (Green)
- Team Hartigan (Gold)
- Team Waterbor (Maroon)
- Team Josey (Gray)
Individual:
- Jackson Ross
- Hayden Compton
- Tyler Murphy
Past Iron Owl Winners
|  Year       | Position |  Individual |
| Fall 2007 | RHP | Lou Morey |
| Fall 2008 | RHP | Lou Morey |
| Fall 2009 | OF | Alex Hudak |
| Fall 2010 | LHP | Ahmed Garcia |
| Fall 2011 | RHP | Kevin Alexander |
| Fall 2012 | RHP | Kevin Alexander |
| Fall 2013 | RHP | Cody Mizelle |
| Fall 2014 | RHP | Seth McGarry |
| Fall 2015 | OF | Billy Endris |
| Fall 2016 | RHP | Austin Kirksey |
| Fall 2017 | OF | Cody Wilson |
| Fall 2018 | OF | Bobby Morgensen |
| Fall 2019 | OF | Jackson Wenstrom |
| Fall 2020 | INF | Wilfredo Alvarez |
| Fall 2021 | RHP | Braden Ostrander |
| Fall 2022Â Â Â Â | INFÂ Â Â Â | Jackson Ross |
Players Mentioned
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