The region IV powerlifting meet will have a large contingent of female athletes from Wharton and Boling.
Wharton has seven lady lifters, their largest group of athletes in recent memory, while the Lady Bulldogs are sending 12 to the regional meet.
Competing in the 4A small school division, the Lady Tigers who qualified are Angel Hargrove, Kelsey Rodriguez, Reagan Dutcher, Ilah Gutierrez, Aaliyah Gaona, Finnley Falks, and Priscilla Olmedo.
“To say that I’m proud is an understatement. These young ladies have worked beyond hard this season,” Wharton coach Daniel Gaona Jr. said. “Out of the seven, only (one) young lady has experience with powerlifting, as for everyone else this is their first year. They have had an increase in their total amount lifted as high as 120 pounds. I have no seniors and my freshman is ranked third in her weight class, so to say that I’m proud is only due to the lack of better words.”
Gutierrez and Falks are both ranked in the top-5 in their weight class in the region.
Gutierrez is ranked third in the 123-pound weight class, with a combined lift of the squat, bench press, and deadlift of 600 pounds. Falks is ranked fourth in the 132-pound weight class.
The Lady Tigers will compete in Bay City next Saturday.
The Lady Bulldogs had 12 lifters at the regional meet last season and again they’ll bring the same number to the 3A small school division meet next Saturday in Bay City.
Representing Boling are Allie Page, Kaylie Hodge, Bethany Mendez, Alana Rodriguez, Rylee Wilson, Allison Hernandez, Alia Johnson, Claudia Muniz, Ellie Voulgaris, Mariya Fuller, Morgan Kielman, and Adriana Penaloza.
Page (97-pound), Hodge (105-pound), Rodriguez (114-pound) and Voulgaris (165-pound) are ranked second in the region in their respective weight class.
Voulgaris, in the squat, bench press, and deadlift, is a combined 10 pounds away from first place.
The Lady Bulldogs had one lifter make state last year, Penaloza, who competed in the 3A large school division. Boling after realignment now competes in the smaller division.
The Lady Bulldogs will compete in Bay City next Saturday.
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