PANAMA CITY BEACH
Lexus Sweet of Charlotte High transformed her exceptional strength and speed into a gold medal on Saturday at the FHSAA Class 1A Girls Weightlifting State Championships.
Qualifying for her first state tournament in just her second season competing in the sport, the junior Tarpon hoisted a total of 340 pounds to capture the crown in the 139-pound weight class.
Kathryn Lynch of Lyman High also lifted a total of 340, but Sweet finished first because she weighs two pounds less than Lynch. Lindsey Lee of Oviedo was third at 330.
Medals were awarded in each weight class based on the total of each athlete’s best bench press and top clean-and-jerk of the day.
“I’m going through many emotions right now,” Sweet said. “It’s really exciting to win. I’m proud of what I accomplished. I was very nervous when we started.”
Sweet is a pole vaulter on the Charlotte track team and will also run the 100-meter dash for the Tarpons this spring. Those two events definitely call for the proper combination of strength and speed.
Those qualities also got her over the top Saturday on the campus of Arnold High School.
“It definitely takes a combination of strength and speed to excel at this level,” Charlotte weightlifting coach Matt Galley said. “You need the proper technique. To be the fastest using that technique is what separates weightlifters.”
Sweet is also an outfielder on the Charlotte softball team, making her a true triple threat for the Tarpons.
“I’ll just continue to work on my strength and speed,” Sweet said.
Sweet wasn’t the only Tarpon to make a splash on Saturday. Teammate Natalie Jen lifted a total of 285 pounds to finish fifth in the 119-pound class, after entering the state competition as the ninth seed in her division.
“We anticipated we would finish better than some of them were seeded,” Galley said. “They really did well. I’m really proud of the way the girls performed.”
Charlotte’s Madison Shephard took sixth place at 101 pounds, lifting a total of 240. Teammate Britney Augustin also finished sixth at 129 pounds with 310 and Britney Williams of Charlotte was eighth in the unlimited division with a 375-pound total.
Tessa Marquette of Manatee High just missed out on a gold medal in the 129-pound weight class on Saturday. Marquette finished second with a total of 340, five pounds behind Autumn Hutchinson of Atlantic Coast High. Destiny Colgate of Winter Springs was third at 325 pounds.
Bri Sepulveda of North Port claimed fourth place in the 110-pound class with a total of 290 pounds, after bench-pressing 135 pounds and lifting 155 more in the clean-and-jerk. Fellow North Port Bobcat Kayle Truran was seventh at 169 pounds with a total of 320.
Arianna Kerr of Venice High lifted a total of 320 pounds in the 183-pound class to finish in seventh place.