Regional girls weightlifting: Taylor takes team title, New Smyrna Beach places 2nd
PALM COAST — Ava Jowdy shattered her personal-best snatch lifts on consecutive attempts Thursday, a strong early indicator that the Spruce Creek senior would walk away with another gold medal in Olympic scoring at the Region 1-3A girls weightlifting meet.
Jowdy set a new high mark with a 180-pound snatch, adding a score of 210 in clean-and-jerk for a 390 total, lapping the unlimited weight division by 55 pounds. Fellow Hawks senior Alliyah Mills, a first-year competitor, captured a regional title in the 169 Olympic class with a 350 total — eighth-best, pound for pound, among the 10 Olympic champs.
"I definitely felt it more at practice this week with how I fixed my form, even in the slightest bit," said Jowdy, a top-three finisher in both Olympic and traditional events at last year's Class 3A state finals. "It just helped me lock that weight over my head, and it just felt easier."
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Mills, still on the mend from a dislocated shoulder sustained three weeks into the season, also set a new personal-best in the snatch by hitting her second attempt at 150 pounds. She was successful at 200 in the clean and jerk and 165 on the bench press, taking home Olympic gold and traditional silver.
"I'm proud of myself, but there are things I need to work on — my bench mostly," Mills said. "I need to work on not trying to jump so heavy and just doing things I know I can do. If I stop trying to be crazy, I'll actually get first in both."
Pace won the Region 1-3A team title in traditional scoring, and shared the Olympic spoils with Navarre. Spruce Creek led the four-team local contingent with a fifth-place showing.
Nya Williams (255 total) placed second in the 110-pound Olympic division, Zoey Gotera (320) took third in Olympic unlimited and Chloe Long (290) was fifth in 183-pound Olympic for host Flagler Palm Coast.
Hailey Theodore all but assured her third straight trip to states. University's senior 119-pounder went a perfect 3 for 3 on the bench with a max of 150, and her 295 total was good enough for fourth place.
"I'll have a feel for the whole environment and how things work," Theodore said. "It's my senior year, so that means a lot. And I have a shot at placing, which is my biggest motivation. It's what I have been working toward the last three years."
Region 2-2A
Mopelola Tofade (169 pounds), Olivia Bond-West (183) and Asha-Mahri Manzueta (199) swept Olympic and traditional golds in their respective weight classes, helping New Smyrna Beach to runner-up team finishes behind host Leesburg at the Region 2-2A meet Saturday.
Manzueta had the top pound-for-pound traditional performance in the region, achieving a 505 total with a 300-pound bench press. She hit 7 of 9 lifts on the day, with a top snatch of 185 and a high clean and jerk of 205.
Franchesca Gonzalez earned second-place showings in both competitions within the 110-pound class. Seabreeze's Sofia James and Deltona's Payton Woerner came second to Tofade at 169 traditional and Olympic, respectively.
Pine Ridge's Jamila Santana made the podium twice at 129, with a 275 traditional total and 255 in Olympic scoring.
Region 2-1A
Taylor toppled Palatka by one point to capture the Region 2-1A traditional championship, anchored by 139-pound individual champion Amya Ramos. The junior delivered a 305 total, hitting all her reps on the bench with a top lift of 135.
Taylor Lane (110) added a runner-up finish with a 245 total, Jacky Bastidas (129) had a 275 score to take third and both Teriauna Carruthers and Mia Cruz scored for the Wildcats in the 169 division, third- and fifth-place totals, respectively.
Father Lopez's reigning state champion Bergyn Baliton (110) starred once again with the top pound-for-pound performances in both Olympic and traditional, scoring 280 and 255 to claim double gold.
Two Atlantic lightweight lifters secured bronze medals in the region: Chloe Lambert with a 245 score at 110 traditional, and Kindsay Ingram with a 185 total at 101 Olympic.
The state's strongest qualifiers will head to Lakeland in two weeks for the Florida High School Athletic Association championships. Class 3A competitors will weigh in Thursday, Feb. 15, at the RP Funding Center and take the platforms beginning at 1 the next afternoon.
Classes 2A and 1A will hold weigh-ins Friday night and compete all day Saturday.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: FHSAA regional girls weightlifting: Taylor wins team traditional title
