Harding High School wrestler honored 20 years after sudden death

Honoring Harding HS athlete 20 years after his death

Alex Ruiz was a wrestler at Harding High School before he died 20 years ago suddenly in a car crash. Now loved ones gather to honor him. FOX 9's Babs Santos has the story.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Competing in the 125-pound weight class in the early 2000s, Harding High School athlete Alex Ruiz wasn’t the biggest athlete on his wrestling team. But now, even two decades after his sudden death in a car crash, he’s still remembered for his larger-than-life personality.

On Saturday, loved ones gathered to remember him in St. Paul.

"It put so much love in my heart knowing that even after 20 years, they’re still here for him," Ruiz’s mother Katherine McCuen told FOX 9. "It’s just really hit me today seeing his friends that have come to honor him."

"The story lives on," Ruiz's former head coach Koua Yang added.

A two-time captain, Ruiz was also his team’s most improved athlete in back-to-back years.

Now, he’s remembered by many as the athlete who refused to be outworked.

After his passing, the team created the Alex Ruiz Award, for students who demonstrate dedication on and off the mat.

"To earn this award really means a lot to the kids, because they know they put in the work," Yang explained.

"It’s for anyone who shows the dedication my brother showed when he was a wrestler," Ruiz’s sister Amanda Webber finished.