McALLEN —Going into the 2017 school year, McAllen Memorial powerlifting head coach Joe Guerra received a call from an unknown number, with the caller asking if it was possible to join the team despite them going to Achieve Early College High School, a McAllen high school that doesn’t offer sports.
With no hesitation, Guerra responded yes, welcoming then-freshman powerlifter Leah Cantu to the team. Since then, Cantu has established herself as a staple of the Mustangs’ girls powerlifting team, finishing her high school career as a four-year letterman, two-year team captain, three-time regional qualifier and two-time state qualifier.
Cantu capped her senior season by earning a silver medal in her division at the Class 5A women’s powerlifting state meet March 20 in Corpus Christi.
Now, she’s taking her talent to the next level, signing her national letter of intent Wednesday at the McAllen Memorial gymnasium, committing to continue her academic and athletic career at the University of Texas San Antonio.
“I’m excited for her,” Guerra said. “She was such a huge part of our team in every aspect. She would actually coach for us and lift for us. But I don’t think she has reached her potential. I think she’s going to hit those numbers in college. She’s a 400-pound squatter, almost a 300-pound bencher and hitting close to 400 pounds in the deadlift. I just think she’s just getting there. So, I’m excited to see what she does at the next level.
“Maybe she’ll be a national champ.”
The decision to join the Mustangs’ powerlifting program her freshman year was an easy one for Cantu, saying Memorial was the obvious choice after seeing their proven track record.
“Originally, I was zoned to this program,” Cantu said. “But they’ve had a lot of lifters who have been good. I would see on Instagram or on social media their posts about how good they’re doing and the medals they’ve gotten. So, it was obviously going to be Memorial.”
Cantu showed continued improvement each year. As a freshman, she set personal records of 310, 170 and 295 pounds in her squat, bench press and deadlift, respectively, for an total of 775 pounds.
Now, Cantu’s personal records sit well beyond those marks, each increasing by nearly 100 pounds since her first year. Her new top marks include a 405-pound squat, a 285-pound bench, which is a program record, and a 330-pound deadlift for 1,020 total pounds.
Guerra said it’s Cantu’s consistency that has helped her reach new heights, calling her a year-round lifter who is always working on her craft.
“She’s consistently looking for ways to get better,” he said. “She believed in her program and the programs we designed for her. She would find whatever weak point we may have had, or she may have had and just worked on that until she strengthened it. She barely takes any time off.”
Likewise, Cantu said her consistency is what allowed her to get to the state level, but also credited the team environment for her success.
“For sure being with the team and being able to spend time and bond,” Cantu said. “It wasn’t always business. It was for sure a family thing. But for sure, being consistent. If you’re not consistent you won’t see the results you want to see. Even though we had a short season, it’s still a year-round sport.”
Cantu plans to major in biology while at UTSA, with goals of pursuing a career as a nurse or a physician’s assistant.