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Doing the heavy lifting: Girls weightlifters rake in state championships

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It was a good week for girls weightlifters from the area.

Bradford, Clay and Suwannee reeled in team state championships, while individual lifters won 18 titles in Port St. Joe, including Bradford’s record-setting Mahailya Reeves.

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She wrapped up her sterling career with a history-making fourth consecutive individual championship. Reeves broke her 2020 state record of 375 pounds in the bench press with a lift of 380 pounds. The traditional tournament features the bench press and clean and jerk events, with those combining for an overall total.

Reeves had an aggregate of 570 pounds. She will graduate as the state record holder in individual championships and consecutive championships, as well as records in the bench and total aggregate weight. Reeves lifted a combined 600 pounds in the 2020 state meet.

Clay County had a strong showing across the board.

In Class 2A, Clay’s Emma Heck broke the state record in the clean and jerk with a lift of 210 pounds, part of her state championship-winning 370-pound aggregate. Heck also won an individual title in the snatch with a 160-pound lift.

Blue Devils lifters dotted the podium. Gianna Torres won the 169-pound class in the snatch (130 pounds). Janiyah Stevens won the 154-pound class in the traditional competition with a 370 aggregate and Kyleigh LaFary was the traditional state champ in the unlimited division with a 425 aggregate.

Ridgeview’s Ava Haber won the 183-pound class in the snatch with a 150 lift. St. Johns Country Day’s Addison Frisbee brought home a championship in the Class 1A 129-pound snatch division with a 115 total.

In Class 3A, Oakleaf’s Tamira Briley set the state bench press mark of 195 in the 119-pound weight class, besting the previous mark by five pounds and finishing with a 370 aggregate to win.

Weightlifters from Flagler Palm Coast (Anniel Buchanan, 199-pound traditional, Class 3A and snatch), St. Augustine High (Olivia Warrington, 169-pound traditional, Class 2A), Suwannee High (Tyra Kalandyk, Class 1A, 154-pound snatch; Kaly Cuffy, 199-pound snatch; Matti Marsee, 119-pound traditional); Fort White (Katie Griffith, Class 1A, 101-pound traditional) and Bradford (Courtney Comer, Class 1A, 169-pound traditional and Brianna Jordan, 154-pound traditional) also brought home individual championships.

Class 3A

Note: Traditional total is aggregate of bench press and clean and jerk

Traditional (locals in top 5 shown)

Weight class, finish, athlete, school, total

119: 1. Tamira Briley (Oakleaf), 370.

129: 4. Kelsey Gocking (Flagler Palm Coast), 305.

139: 3. Aun’yale Howard (Flagler Palm Coast), 330.

169: 5. Ivy Gunn (Oakleaf), 360.

183: 4. Da’Moni Kelly (Mandarin), 350.

199: 1 Anniel Buchanan (Flagler Palm Coast), 460.

Team scores (local top 10 teams shown)

5. Flagler Palm Coast, 15.

Snatch (locals in top 5 shown)

Weight class, finish, athlete, school, total

101: 4. Haley Earnest (Bartram Trail), 90.

110: 5. Aryannah Rosa (Flagler Palm Coast), 105.

119: 2. Tamira Briley (Oakleaf), 145.

129: 2. Kailey Papas (Creekside), 150; 5. Cali Schnur (Mandarin), 120.

139: 4. Aun’yale Howard (Flagler Palm Coast), 125.

154: 4. Madi Moody (Bartram Trail), 135.

169: 4. Cedar Crawford (Mandarin), 130.

183: 2. Emily O’Mara (Creekside), 145.

199: 1. Aniel Buchanan (Flagler Palm Coast), 155.

Team scores (local top 10 teams shown)

5. Flagler Palm Coast,12; 8. Creekside, 10.

Class 2A

Traditional (locals in top 5 shown)

Weight class, finish, athlete, school, aggregate total

101: 5. Ravina Patel (Ponte Vedra), 240.

129: 1. Emma Heck (Clay), 370.

154: 1. Janiyah Stevens (Clay), 370; 5. Caroline Hughes (Ponte Vedra), 335.

169: 1. Olivia Warrington (St. Augustine), 375.

183: 3. Anna Harbison (Clay), 370.

Unlimited: 1. Kyleigh LaFary (Clay), 425; 3. Cara Zuaro (Menendez), 395; 5. Christiana Morman (White), 370.

Team scores

1. Clay, 26.

Class 2A

Snatch (locals in top 5 shown)

Weight class, finish, athlete, school, total

101: 5. Ravina Patel (Ponte Vedra), 80.

110: 4. Gabby Etheridge (Clay), 95.

119: 2. Adriana Dimeo (Ridgeview), 110.

129: 1. Emma Heck (Clay), 160.

139: 3. Tyra Sulph (Ridgeview), 130.

154: 2, Janiyah Stevens (Clay), 150; 5. Carolina Hughes (Ponte Vedra), 130.

169: 1. Gianna Torres (Clay), 130.

183: 1. Ava Haber (Ridgeview), 150; 2. Anna Harbison (Clay), 145.

Unlimited: 2. Kyleigh LaFary (Clay); 4. Christiana Morman (White), 135; 5. Kenya Tinajero (Clay), 130.

Team scores (local teams in top 10 shown)

1. Clay, 34; 3. Ridgeview, 17.

Class 1A

Snatch (locals in top 5 shown)

Weight class, finish, athlete, school, total

101: 4. Katie Griffith (Fort White), 85; 5. Macy Bowers (Suwannee), 70.

110: 2. Kaylee Carolan (Wolfson), 100.

119: 5. Sophia Milan (Wolfson), 100.

129: 1. Addison Frisbee (St. Johns CD), 115

139: 3. Sophia Baldwin (Suwannee), 115.

154: 1. Tyra Kalandyk (Suwannee), 140.

183: 3. Maddie Carte (Suwannee), 130; 4. Marleah Dampier (Fernandina Beach), 115.

199: 1. Kaly Cuffy (Suwannee), 135; 3. Brooke Hanusek (Suwannee), 125.

Unlimited: 4. Autumn Latrielle (Suwannee), 120.

Team scores

1. Suwannee, 32; 8. St. Johns Country Day, 8; 9. Wolfson, 7,

Traditional (locals in top 5 shown)

Weight class, finish, athlete, school, aggregate total

101: 1. Katie Griffith (Fort White), 280; 5. Macy Bowers (Suwannee), 235.

110: 4. Hannah McFarland (Bradford), 255; 5. Cheyenne Morgan (Suwannee), 250.

119: 1. Matti Marsee (Suwannee), 295.

129: 3. Amaya Johnson (Suwannee), 310.

139: 3. Sophia Baldwin (Suwannee), 310.

154: 1. Brianna Jordan (Bradford), 400; 2. Tyra Kalandyk (Suwannee), 365.

169: 1. Courtney Comer (Bradford), 450.

183: 2. Marleah Dampier (Fernandina Beach), 385; 3. Takeirra Bakken (Bradford), 380; 4. Maddie Carte (Suwannee), 345.

199: 2. Gabby Oliver (Bradford), 355; 5. Brooke Hanusek (Suwannee), 315.

Unlimited: 1. Mahailya Reeves (Bradford), 570; 2. Jessica Traylor (Bradford), 415).

Team scores (local top 10 teams shown)

1. Bradford, 38; 2. Suwannee, 29; 10. Fort White, 7.


About the Author
Justin Barney headshot

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.

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