Christian Peterson
reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Saturday, Feb. 1, the Suwannee High School girls weightlifting team took a memorable trip to Wewahitchka for the Florida Class 1A Region 1 Regional Championship competition. The Bulldogs are well known for their weightlifting prowess, and they did not disappoint.
In the Olympic competition, the Bulldogs had multiple athletes place in the top 10 of their weight class. In the 110 pound weight class, Courtney Neal placed first with a max lift of 235 pounds. Close behind her in ninth place in the same class was Maria Perez with a max lift of 165 pounds. The 119 pound weight class was next, and it saw more top scorers from the Bulldogs. In first place was Jordyn Rodriguez with a max lift of 275 pounds. Again, close behind in eighth place was Joslyn Montoya, with a max lift of 220 pounds. Next up was the 129 pound weight class. Brianna Woods placed sixth with a max lift of 240 pounds, and a few spaces down in ninth place was Rachel Sullivan with a max lift of 230 pounds. The 139 pound weight class followed, and Alyah Starling placed fifth with a max lift of 285 pounds. Following in tenth place was Lily Garafola, with a max lift of 245 pounds.
In the 154 pound weight class, Katherine Lansford was the top Bulldog, placing second with a max lift of 320 pounds. Next on the list was the 169 pound weight class. Emaysa Blue took second place with a max lift of 270 pounds. Close behind her was Maylee Jo Gabey in fifth place with a max lift of 250 pounds. The 199 pound weight class was next. Here, Felicity May placed fifth with a max lift of 280 pounds. In eighth place was Khloe May with a max lift of 250 pounds. Finally, in the Unlimited class, Melanie Jones placed third with a max lift of 280 pounds. The Bulldogs as a whole ended up placing second, with a total of 39 points, falling behind Wewahitchka by 18 points.
The Olympic competition wasn't the only one, however, as there was also the traditional competition. Once again, in the 110 pound weight class, Neal placed first with a max lift of 230 pounds, and again, right behind was Perez with a max lift of 190 pounds. Rodriguez dominated the 119 pound weight class again with a max lift of 290 pounds. Samantha Turner placed as well, taking 10th place with a max lift of 235 pounds. The winning didn't stop there; in the 129 pound weight class, Woods placed third with a max lift of 300 pounds, and Sullivan was close behind in eighth place with a max lift of 230 pounds. The competition continued with the 139 pound weight class. Garafola placed fourth with a max lift of 300 pounds, and immediately behind her was Starling in fifth place with a max lift of 295 pounds.
The 154 pound weight class had Katherine Lansford placing second with a max lift of 345 pounds. The competition continued with the 169 pound weight class. Blue placed fifth with a max lift of 310 pounds, with Jordyn Washington close behind in seventh place with a max lift of 280 pounds. The 183 pound weight class boasted two more top Bulldogs. In third place was Calinn Daniels with a max lift of 335 pounds. Close behind was Claudie Perez in seventh place with a max lift of 305 pounds. The throwdown moved into the 199 pound weight class. May was the only placement, claiming sixth, with a max lift of 290 pounds. Finally, in the Unlimited weight class, Jones placed fourth with a max lift of 345 pounds, and Hayley Patrick placed eighth with a max lift of 290 pounds. The Bulldogs placed second as a team with a total of 38 points, only one point behind Wewahitchka, which placed first.