Lady Chaps bring home three state medals
The Aubrey Lady Chaps powerlifting team finished their run to the 4A State Championship meet in Edinburg on March 14 and returned home with multiple awards after the long road trip.
The Lady Chaps had 11 lifters competing on the big stage, with three of them earning medals and two more earning academic honors.
“Our day didn’t get off to the best start,” Aubrey head girls powerlifting coach Ron Gathright said. “We had some unfortunate outcomes early on, … [but] our three medalists weathered the storm and did a great job of finishing their lifts. I was really proud of the way those girls battled through the conditions and found a way to come out and medal in the meet.”
Matiana Walter led the way for the Lady Chaps, finishing second in the 97-pound weight class with a total of 620 pounds lifted.
Walter, who came close to bombing out after missing multiple lift attempts, said she used the memory of the sacrifices she made for the sport to help her win her silver medal.
“Reminding myself of the commitments and everything I gave to make it to this point—the 5 a.m. workouts, sacrificing time with my friends, and staying persistent in my diet—helped me keep fighting,” she said. “I not only wanted to prove to others, but more to myself, that I could push beyond the limits and accomplish the exact thing I set my mind to. Earning that silver medal felt like I was holding all my hard work within my hands.”
Zoey Fikes, who made her second appearance at the state meet, finished in fifth place in the 97-pound weight class with a total of 565 pounds, earning her first state medal.
“Last year, I ended on a low note, bombing out in squat, so it felt really nice to be able to finally show my full potential at state this year and get fifth place,” Fikes said.
Naomi Nkwodinma finished fourth in the 198-pound weight class with a total of 1,020 pounds.
Nkwodinma said she was excited about the progress she made in her third appearance at the state meet and credited her performance to her team.
“It felt amazing to go back and earn my second [state] medal,” she said. “I definitely improved from last year to this year, and I'm super proud of myself, [but] I honestly couldn’t have done it without the people around me.”
Bianca Bertolani finished eighth in the
