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Clay, Suwannee repeat as FHSAA girls weightlifting state champions

Clayton Freeman, Florida Times-Union
·2 min read
Emma Heck won both traditional and Olympic weightlifting titles to help Clay to the Class 2A girls team championship.
Emma Heck won both traditional and Olympic weightlifting titles to help Clay to the Class 2A girls team championship.

Clay and Suwannee are officially Sunshine State strength champions once more.

Clay won both Class 2A titles and Suwannee repeated as Class 1A champions in both the traditional and Olympic categories at Saturday's FHSAA girls weightlifting championships at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

Leading the way for Clay were Emma Heck, winner of the 129-pound division in both traditional and Olympic categories (375-pound aggregate lifts in both) and Kyleigh LaFary, who swept the Class 2A unlimited division at 450 pounds in traditional lifts and 390 in Olympic. Annalee Harbison's second place at 183 pounds proved crucial as the Blue Devils edged New Smyrna Beach 25-24 in the traditional standings.

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Clay won more comfortably in Olympic, with Harbison's second as well as third places from Janiyah Stevens (154) and Kenya Tinajero (unlimited) bringing 29 total points.

Though Suwannee earned only one individual title, Savannah White in the unlimited Olympic division, they easily topped both standings (28 points in traditional, 35 in Olympic) because of their superior depth. High-placing Bulldogs included Tobie Peterson (second, 101 traditional), Cheyenne Morgan (second, 109 traditional; third, 109 Olympic), Breanna Rodriguez (third, 109 traditional), Maddie Carte (second, 183 traditional and Olympic), Kaly Cuffy (second, 199 Olympic) and Autumn Latrelle (second, unlimited Olympic; third, unlimited traditional).

Creekside's Kailey Papas finished her dominant year with state titles in the Olympic and Traditional divisions.
Creekside's Kailey Papas finished her dominant year with state titles in the Olympic and Traditional divisions.

Also in Class 2A, Fleming Island's Autumn Leviston won the 110-pound traditional category with an aggregate lift of 325, including a state-record 180-pound bench press.

Fort White's Katie Griffith also won the Class 1A 119-pound traditional division, lifting a total of 355 pounds. Her Malone score of 353.296 was the highest among all traditional lifters in the class.

In Class 3A, Creekside's Kailey Papas won both the traditional and Olympic titles in the 139-pound division, lifting 405-pound aggregate weights in both.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school girls weightlifting 2023: Clay, Suwannee win FHSAA championships