Strong women across the Keys may feel a bit heavier this week – in the best possible way.
Marathon and Coral Shores each won a team title in the FHSAA 1A District 16 girls weightlifting championships. Marathon won the traditional event, which combines athletes’ total lifted weights in the bench press and clean and jerk lift. Coral Shores was first in Olympic, edging out Marathon by a single point in combining the snatch and clean and jerk lifts. Each school won the runner-up trophy in the event they did not win outright, making the Keys a girls weightlifting stronghold in South Florida.
The Fins and ’Canes traveled to AIE Charter on Jan. 25 for the district meet. Both schools needed some extra room in the school vans for their winners’ hardware on the way home. Coral Shores had two double district champs. Jennille Arias (169 pounds) and Sydney Eysenbach (unlimited) won both the traditional and Olympic events in their weight classes. Teammates Karla Gutierrez (169) and Vanessa Gabriel (unlimited) secured runner-up medals in both events as well.
In traditional lifts, Rachel Rush is the new district champ at 110 pounds. Her sister Julia was second, then went on to win her own district title in Olympic lifts. At 139 pounds, Julianna Rodriguez claimed the top spot in Olympic lifts and was the runner-up in traditional. Abigail Bergeron did the same at 154. Kali Gomer (129) and Lainey Kerns (199) each brought home a pair of second-place medals in their weight classes.
Marathon had four dual district champs. Rilynn Richards (119), Ella Evans (129), Justice Lee (183) and Sabrina Schofield (199) each brought home a pair of golds. Ella Dunn (101) was first in Olympic lifts and second in traditional. Ayme Maradiaga (101) edged out Dunn for gold in the traditional event. Ava Merryman (139) and Brizni Vargas (154) were first in their classes in traditional lifts. Vargas also claimed silver in Olympic. Other silver medalists from Marathon were Alexia Stip (119) in traditional and Katriya Wright (110) and Tinashay Cunningham (139) in Olympic.
In addition to their dual titles, Evans and Lee were awarded for having the top performances overall for 1A D16. Top Lifter honors are bestowed on the athletes whose performances are mathematically formulated along with their body weight to even the field. Evans won the Top Lifter award in the traditional event while Lee captured the same honor in Olympic. Both athletes are lifting more than their own body weight in the clean and jerk and bench. Lee is the owner of all of the Dolphin school records, and she inches closer to state records with each week.
In order to move on from districts to regionals, and later from regionals to states, many athletes played the waiting game. Only the champ in each event at each weight moves on automatically. The remaining 19 spots are filled at large with the top-performing lifters in the entire state. It would be a rarity for a second-, third- and even fourth-place finisher not to advance, and it is not unheard of for places as deep as sixth or seventh to move on.
In addition to the aforementioned athletes, Marathon’s Autumn Wolfe (110), Bella Childress (129), Samantha Schofield (199) and Nivi De La Torre (unlimited) plus Coral Shores’ Mallory Hughes (119), Emily Hurt (119), Leticia Lima (119), Grace Patterson (154) and Karla Gutierrez (169) will join their teammates at regionals.
Key West traveled to Park Vista on Jan. 25 for the 2A competition, where they placed fourth as a team in Olympic lifting and fifth in traditional. The Southernmost City has their own dual district champ in Aaliyah McCloud in the 199-pound category. Althea Olson was the second-place finisher in Olympic lifts at 101. McCloud’s first-place finishes gave her the all-clear for regionals where she will be joined by Olsen, Alexa Condella (154), Jazlyn Lyons (183) and Sophia Nafere (unlimited) at the next level of competition.
The coaches and athletes who made the cut will have a quick turnaround for regionals, slated for all three schools on Saturday, Feb. 1. Key West heads back to Dr. Joaquin Garcia, while Marathon and Coral Shores will meet at Keys Gate for the final step before states. Qualifying state contenders will travel to Lakeland to the RP Funding Center for the FHSAA State Championships Feb. 14 and 15.
