By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The girls powerlifting program at Lopez has been around only three years and already the Lady Lobos are making an impact at the state level.
The Lady Lobos finished second as a team at Friday’s Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association Class 5A state meet in Waco.
Marisol Pulido and Julieann Delgado won state championships in their weight divisions for the Lady Lobos, while teammates Alexis Rivas and Lizeth de la Fuente each posted runner-up finishes to help the Lopez girls take second behind state power Port Lavaca Calhoun, which now has won a state title 12 years in a row.
Calhoun captured state again Friday with 32 points thanks to three individual state champions, while Lopez was the state runner-up with 26 points and its two individual title winners. College Station was third with 23 points and had one individual state champion.
“Honestly, I felt our girls did a really super job today,” Lopez coach Matthew Barba said. “It was an honor to compete against Port Lavaca, a true state power. It was close. We were just a few points away from catching them.
“We’re a young program and we’re growing,” Barba said. “We want to put Brownsville on the map (in powerlifting). I can’t wait til we’re on the other side of the coin (and winning our own state championship).”
The best showing for the Lopez girls came in the 147-pound weight division as Pulido took first place with a lift total of 940 pounds (395 squat, 170 bench press, 375 deadlift) and teammate de la Fuente was close behind for second place with a 935 total (405 squat, 145 bench press, 385 deadlift).
Also for Lopez in the same weight division, Jennifer Cisneros was fifth with an 880 total.
Delgado won the 220-pound weight division for Lopez with a lift total of 1,065 pounds (440 squat, 204 bench press, 420 deadlift).
The Lady Lobos also had a strong showing in the 105-pound weight division as Rivas was second with a 715 total and Norma Vega was fifth with a 680 total.
Rivas and Pulido are seniors, while Vega, de la Fuente, Cisneros and Delgado are sophomores.
Also representing Brownsville in the 5A competition, Pace’s Perla Hernandez was sixth with a 670 total in the 105-pound division, Pace’s Blanca Gonzalez was eighth with an 895 total in the 259-pound division and Veteran Memorial’s Madelyne McKinney was ninth with an 870 total in the 181-pound division.
The THSWPA Class 4A state meet also was held Friday in Waco.
Port Isabel had two girls place in the 4A state meet. Franchesca Sandoval took third place in the 165-pound class with a 970 total and Julianna Barrera was 16th in the 148-pound division with a 770 total.
The THSWPA Class 6A state meet is today in Waco.