Harding High School wrestler honored 20 years after his sudden death

St. Paul, Minnesota (Fox 9) – Alex Ruiz, a Harding High School athlete, competed in the 125-pound weight class in the early 2000s and wasn't the biggest athlete on his wrestling team. But now, even two decades after his sudden death in a car accident, he is still remembered for his larger-than-life personality.

On Saturday, her relatives gathered in St. Paul's to remember him.

“It fills me with so much love to know that they are still there for him even after 20 years,” Ruiz's mother Katherine McCuen told FOX 9. “It really touched me today to see his friends come to pay their respects.”

“The story lives on,” added Ruiz’s former head coach Koua Yang.

Ruiz was captain twice and was also the athlete on his team with the greatest improvement in performance in those two consecutive years.

Today, many remember him as the athlete who did not want to overexert himself.

After his death, the team created the Alex Ruiz Award, which recognizes students who demonstrate dedication on and off the mat.

“Receiving this award really means a lot to the children because they know they have put in a lot of work,” Yang explained.

“It's for anyone who shows the dedication that my brother showed as a wrestler,” concluded Ruiz's sister Amanda Webber.