PAST COMPETITIONS
2024 Texas State Championships
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- The University of Texas Weightlifting team took to the platform at the 2024 Texas State Championships earlier this month
Saturday, 14 January 2024
Tara Chhabra and James Singhal got things started for the UTexas Weightlifting Team at the Texas State Championships. Both Chhabra and Singhal competed as junior lifters (classified as athletes 18-20 years old). This was only their second competition since joining the team in the fall semester. Singhal went 5 for 6, going 52/58/110. With PRs across the board, Singhal earned bronze in the 67kg class! Chhabra went 4 for 6 in her session, going 15/18/33 in the process of becoming the 49kg Junior State Champion! Chhabra joined four other UTexas Female Weightlifters that have claimed Junior Titlesat the Texas State Championships (Brie Gomez, Maddie Graham, Jamie Pearce & Riley Walsh)!
In the final session on Saturday, Amelia and Andrea got things going on the senior side (20y/o +). Amelia Kushner (64kg) went 5 for 6, snatching 58kg and clean & jerking a competition PR 75kg for a 132kg total. Andrea Spina made her way back to the platform after missing competing with her teammates last fall due to an ankle sprain. She hit 53/65/118 and looks strong heading into spring!
Sunday, 15 January 2024
Caroline Hittler (71kg) and Tyler Villarreal (102kg) kicked off Sunday morning early with a couple of 5 for 6 performances! Caroline went 54/77/131, and Villarreal went 87/110/197, barely missing a PR clean & jerk on his third attempt.
Luis Leyva followed up with an adventurous session. He snatched 91kg on his opener, barely missed 95kg on his second, and then literally ran off the platform with a competition PR attempt at 97kg! In the clean & jerk, Leyva came back with a huge 3 for 3 performance, ending with a competition PR at 127kg, and finishing with a 218 total in the 89 class. Joseph Clark came next and turned in a strong 5 for 6 performance. Joseph snatched 118kg (just 2kg off his competition best), and clean & jerked 140kg (just 1kg off his competition best). His 258kg total placed him 4th in the 96kg class!
In the last women’s session of the day, Maggie Dominguez (87kg+) had a tough go in the snatch, only hitting her opener at 51kg, but came back to go 3 for 3 in the clean & jerk, ending with 70kg and a 121kg total.
Finally, in an exciting back and forth men’s session, Fernando Miranda-Fred and Victor Delgado trad huge numbers in the 109 class! Fernando turned in the perfect day, going 6 for 6, 121/151/272, all new PRs, and a bronze medal winning total!Victor responded by going 5 for 6 with a top snatch of 125kg and a top clean & jerk of 153kg for a 278kg total to earn silver! Both Victor and Fernando recorded new personal bests in the 109kg classes and earned their first senior state medals!
2023 University Regional
San Marcos, Texas -- On November 18th, 2023, the University of Texas Weightlifting Team took 23 lifters to Texas State University for the second annual Southwest Regional University Championships!
Women’s Team
In the first female session, Chris Wester competed as a 45kg lifter for the first time, earning gold with a 4 for 6 performance (26/34/60) and claiming all new UT Weightlifting Records. Up next, Tara Chhabra competed in her first competition, going 6 for 6, 16/20/36, and claiming silver in the 55kg class! Amelia Kushner became a back to back Regional Champion with her 4 for 6 performance, earning competition PRs across the board in the process. Caroline Hittler’s 80kg PR in the clean & jerk and total earned her silver in the 64kg class. Caroline went 58/80/138! Melody Reodriguez competed in her first University Regionals with a 6 for 6 and lifetime PR performance (55/69/124) to earn bronze in the 64kg class. Riley Walsh had the performance of her life, 6 for 6 and PRs across the board, going 49/62/111, finishing in 4th in the 71s. Brie Gomez wrapped up the first women’s session with a strong 5 for 6 performance, snatching 87kg and clean & jerking 97kg for a 184 total! Brie became the 71kg University Regional Champion and won Best Female Lifter!
In the second and final women’s session of the day, Emily Zoorob hit all new competition PRs in the process of earning bronze in the 76kg class! She hit 40/57/97 on the day! Patrice Hayes competed for only the second time ever, with her 5 for 6 performance including all competition PRs (36/52/88) and earning her 4th in the 76kg class! Bri Brysacz competed for the first time and went 4 for 6 (41/57/98). In the 87kg battle for gold, Bri had the winning lift overhead, but was called for a pressout, and settled for silver. Also in her first competition, Ruthanne Brock went 5 for 6 (36/51/87) to earn bronze in the 87kg class! Finally, Maggie Dominguez wrapped thing up on the women’s side with a huge 6 for 6 to become the women’s fourth 2024 University Regional Champion!
With these 12 amazing performances, the Women’s Team became back-to-back University Regional Champions! They claimed ten medals, including 4 individual titles, and earned Best Female Lifter (Brie claimed this title last year as well!).
Men’s Team
In the first session for the men, James Singhal got things started. In his first ever competition, James went 6 for 6, going 48/57/105 and earning silver in the 67kg class! Up next, Danny Kim also hit the competition platform for the first time! He went 6 for 6, 95/113/208, earning silver in the 73kg class and qualifying for University Nationals! Rohaan Saripella had a strong showing in his 5 for 6 day. He snatched 74kg and clean & jerked 95kg for a 169kg total and competition PRs across the board! His performance earned him fourth in the 73kg class!
The second session for the men started shaky with all three men unfortunately only making one snatch, but they all came back strong in the clean & jerk to hit competition PRs! Competing down in the 81kg class, Luis Leyva snatched 93kg and clean & jerked 126kg (a competition PR) for a 219kg total to earn silver! Baron Schafer competed in his first weightlifting competition and with his 95/126/221 total, earned silver in the 89kg class! Caleb Newman also competed for the first time! After a slow start in the snatch, only hitting his opener at 49kg, Caleb came back to clean & jerk 75kg and for a 124kg total!
In the final session of the day, the men’s team strung together several huge performances on their way to claim their first University Regional title! In the 96kg class, Joseph Clark returned to the platform with only a couple weeks of training under his belt since 2023 U25 Nationals. He snatched 109kg and clean & jerked 135kg for a 244kg total that earned him the 96kg regional title.
In the 102s, Jason Cullum and Tyler Villarreal battled it out for second and third place! Jason prevailed with the silver medal, riding his 6 for 6 day, filled with all new competition PRs to go 95/115/210. Tyler put in a strong effort of his own, going 5 for 6, 91/111/202, to earn bronze!
Fernando Miranda-Fred and Victor Delgado traded the last few lifts of the session to win their respective titles in the 109kg and 109kg+ classes! Fernando had a 6 for 6 day comprised of all competition PRs with 120/147/267! Victor had a 6 for 6 day that earned him a snatch PR of 126kg, which combined with his 156kg clean & jerk earned him a total PR of 282kg!
After finishing second last year to Texas State University, the Men’s Team responded with a collection of incredible PR performances to claim the men’s team title! The team made 80 percent of their lifts and earned 9 medals in the process! Most members of the Men’s Team will be competing at the upcoming 2024 University National Championships at the beginning of March in Columbus, OH!
2023 U25 National Championships
Colorado Springs, Colorado -- The University of Texas Weightlifting Team took to the competition platform at the USA Weightlifting Nationals week. Nine athletes competed across three days with several lifetime performances to bring home individual and team titles.
Tuesday, 27 June 2023
Aaron Xu (61kg) started off the teams week of strong performance with a 6 for 6 PR-laden performance. Following up his 6 for 6 performance in Columbus, OH. at the University National Championships, Aaron held on to his perfect streak on the national stage in 2023. Aaron snatched 63kg, 67kg and 71kg, and then went on to clean & jerk 81kg, 85kg, 89kg. This 160kg PR total was a 6kg increase from Columbus!
Amelia Kushner (59kg) got the competition started for the women. After a slow start in the snatches, hitting only her opening attempt at 56kg, Amelia went on to go 3 for 3 in the clean & jerk, hitting 65kg, 69kg (PR) and 72kg (PR)! Her 128kg total was a competiton total PR!
Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Caroline Hittler (64kg) kept the train rolling for the women’s team at her first U25 National Championships! Caroline opened her snatch with a competition PR at 56kg, then hit another at 59kg on her second attempt, before barely losing her third attempt at 61kg out in front! In the clean & jerk, Caroline opened with another competition PR at 75kg. She pressed out her second attempt at 78kg, but came back to make it convincingly on her third attempt! Her 137 total was a 15kg increase from her performance at University Nationals in Columbus in March!!
Luis Leyva (89kg) and Chiadika Obinwa (89kg) finished up the second day of competition together! Luis competed in both the Junior National Championships and the U25 National championships. His 4 for 6 day increased all his competition bests! Luis snatched 93kg, 96kg (PR) and narrowly missed 99kg. Luis clean & jerked 125kg on his third attempt for another new competition PR and his 221kg total was a 7kg increase! Chiadika had a rough start to his second U25 Nationals, missing his first two snatches before making a clutch 100kg attempt on his third! He then proceeded to record a huge PR clean & jerk and total! Chiadika clean & jerked 125kg, 130kg (comp PR) and then a 134kg PR! Chiadika’s 234kg total was a 5kg total increase from March!
Thursday, 29 June 2023
Joseph Clark (96kg) kept the PR train rolling for the third straight day of competition! Joseph opened his snatch with a competition PR at 114kg before hitting 117kg on his second attempt and 120kg on his third for a 7kg increase. In the clean & jerk, Joseph opened with another competition PR at 136kg, followed by 141kg on his second. Joseph missed his jerk on the third attempt at 146kg, but with his 5 for 6 day and 261kg total, Joseph increased his total by 14kg from University Nationals in March!
Brie Gomez rounded out the women’s competition by competing in the 71kg class at her final U25 Nationals with the University of Texas. Brie’s performance came off a difficult few months, having suffered a shoulder injury at University Nationals in March. Brie went 82/96/178, marking the heaviest lifts she had made since her injury. Her performance earned her silver medals in the snatch and total in the 71kg class!
On the men’s side, Fernando Miranda-Fred (102kg) continued the team’s streak of PRs. Like many of his teammates, Fernando opened his snatch at a competition PR, 112kg. He made his second snatch at 116kg before barely missing 120kg on his third attempt! In the clean & jerk, Fernando opened at another competition PR of 140kg, made his second attempt at 145kg, and narrowly missed the jerk on a PR third attempt at 149kg! With this 4 for 6 performance and 261kg total, Fernando made a 14kg PR increase over his University Nationals total in March!
Victor Delgado (109kg+) closed out the three days of competition for the University of Texas Weightlifting Team with a performance that earned him a national title in the U25 division. Victor opened his snatch at 119kg, then earned gold in the snatch on his second attempt with a PR match at 123kg, before missing a PR attempt at 125kg just out in front. In the clean & jerk, Victor’s opening attempt at 151kg secured him gold in the total and silver in the clean & jerk. He was unsuccessful on his second at 157kg to win gold in the clean & jerk, but came back on his third with an all-time PR at 158kg to secure gold in all three categories! Victor’s 281kg total was a PR and earned him his first ever national championship!
Team Awards & Recap
The University of Texas Men’s Weightlifting Team became Back-to-Back-to-Back Under 25 National Champions! In earning the team title for the third year in a row, every team member increased their competition total while making 76% of their lifts! The Men’s Team had three Top 5 finishes, three gold medals, and one U25 National Champion! The University of Texas Women’s Weightlifting Team placed 2nd in the team competition, after winning national titles the previous two years. All of the team members either hit PR totals or hit the neccessary lifts needed to end up on the podium. The women made 70% of their competition attempts!
2023 University National Championships
Columbus, OH — The University of Texas Weightlifting Team took to The Arnold for the 2023 University National Championships. With 11 athletes across 4 days of competition, the team looked for individual and team awards.
Thursday, 2 March 2023
Aaron Xu got things started for the men’s team at the University National Championships, and his performance foreshadowed how well the men’s team would lift, going on to hit 90% of their competition lifts! Aaron snatched 62kg, 66kg, and then 70kg for a 3kg all-time PR, and then clean & jerked 84kg for a an all-time clean and jerk PR. Aarons 154kg total was a 7kg increase over his previous best, and placed him 5th in the 61kg class at University Nationals!
On the women’s side, Amelia Kushner got things started with her second time competing at the University National Championships and another top 10 finish! Ultimately, Amelia didn’t have the day she wanted on the platform, but she put together some good lifts to contribute to a strong team showing. Amelia snatched 51kg and 54kg before missing 56kg on her third attempt. In the clean & jerk, Amelia successfully hit 62kg, but was unable to lock in the jerk at 66kg on her second or 67kg on her third. She finished with a 116kg total, which is only 4kg under her best, and a ninth place total in the 55kg class.
Friday, 3 March 2023
Caroline Hittler’s first time on the national platform! Caroline snatched 51kg on her opener, 54kg on her second to match her competition best, and missed a 56kg all-time PR match on her third attempt. In the clean & jerk, Caroline hit her opener at 68kg, was red-lighted on her second attempt at 71kg, and was unable to stand up the clean on her third. While not the end result Caroline was looking for, she still totaled 122kg, which is her second best total, behind only her huge PR performance over the winter to qualify for University Nationals.
Andrea Spina’s first time on the big stage featured a 5 for 6 day, a PR performance, and squat jerks! Andrea snatched 52kg on her first attempt, 55kg on her second attempt to match her competition PR, and then missed her third attempt at 57kg! In the clean and jerk, Andrea successfully debuted a new jerk, hitting all three attempts at 60kg, 63kg, and and a 3kg competition PR at 66kg! Andrea’s big day resulted in a competition total PR of 121kg, a 4kg increase over her last meet in December!
Brie Gomez took silver overall in the 64kg class for the the second straight year at the University National Championships! Brie earned a silver medal in the snatch with 90kg, matching her personal best. She also earned a bronze medal in the clean and jerk with a 104kg competition PR! Her 194kg total earned her silver overall and a new PR total! As well, Brie became the team’s first ever All-American last year when the standards were first introduced. She received this honor again for the second straight year.
Back on the men’s side, it was a perfect day for Chiadika Obinwa! PR snatch, PR clean & jerk, PR total, and a 6 for 6 performance! Chiadika followed up last year’s 6 for 6 performance at University Nationals with another 6 for 6 day at this year’s University Nationals. Chiadika snatched 96kg, 100kg for a competition PR, and 103kg for an all-time PR! In the clean and jerk, Chiadika hit 118kg, 122kg, and an all-time PR 126kg! His 219kg total was a PR, and 9kg higher than the PR total he hit one month prior!
At his second University National Championships, Luis Leyva struggled to get a feel for his lifts, but that didn’t stop him from fighting through and still totaling 1kg below his all-time best. Snatches were an adventure, but Luis was able to hit 89kg on his first attempt, and 92kg on his second attempt, before missing a PR attempt at 95kg. In the clean and jerk, Luis missed his opening clean at 115kg, then hit his second attempt at 117kg, before hitting an all-time PR clean and jerk at 121kg! Luis’ travels around the platform earned him a 213kg total, still only 1kg below his previous best, set at the Texas State Championships in January.
Saturday, 4 March 2023
Tyler Villarreal’s first University Nationals appearance was another huge success for the team. Tyler left Columbus with a new clean and jerk PR and a new total PR! Tyler snatched 83kg on his first attempt, and 86kg on his second attempt, before missing a competition PR 89kg attempt on his third. In the clean and jerk, Tyler hit 102kg on his first, 106kg on his second, and an all-time PR 110kg on his third! Tyler’s 196kg total was a new personal best and topped the previous total PR he hit in February by 2kg!
Joseph Clark smashed his first University Nationals with a 5 for 6 day and a Top 10 finish in the 96kg class! Joseph snatched 109kg on his opener, missed 113kg on his second, and then came back to hit 113kg on his third attempt for a 3kg competition PR! In the clean and jerk, Joseph hit his opener at 125kg, smashed 130kg and his belt on his second attempt, and then hit 134kg for a 4kg all-time PR on his third! Joseph’s 247kg total was a 7kg increase over his previous best total set last month, and placed him 9th in the 96kg class!
Sunday, 5 March 2023
Fernando Miranda-Fred had a perfect 6 for 6 day! All of Fernando’s snatches were competition PRs, hitting 103kg on his first, 107kg on his second, and 110kg on his third! In the clean and jerk, Fernando hit 130kg on his first, 134kg on his second, and an all-time PR 137kg on a wild third attempt! Fernando’s 6 for 6 day resulted in a 247kg total, a 10kg increase over his PR total from a month earlier, and placed him 5th in the 102kg weight class!
Victor Delgado put together a huge PR shattering performance to sweep bronze in the 109kg+ category! Victor went 6 for 6, snatching 116kg, 120kg to earn bronze, and then a 123kg competition PR and all-time match! In the clean and jerk, Victor opened at 147kg, then hit 152kg to lock-in bronze in the total, and then 156kg to secure bronze in the clean & jerk, and an all-time PR! Victor improved his total by 13kg and earned his first ever national medals!
Recap
The men strung together an impressive number of made lifts, making 90% of their competition attempts and four top 5 finishes to earn third best male team at the 2023 University National Championships!
2023 Texas State Championships
Houston, TX -- The University of Texas Weightlifting team took to the platform at the Texas State Championships on January 14th and 15th.
On Day 1, Luis Leyva (Sophomore, Odessa, TX) hit PRs across the board with his 6 for 6 performance at his second Texas State Championships. His 94kg snatch and 120kg clean & jerk earned him a 214kg total and bronze in the 89kg junior division. His total was a 6kg increase from his previous best that he recently set at the University Regional Championships in early November!
On the female side, Riley Walsh (Sophomore, Katy, TX) held down the perfect day for the women’s team, going 6 for 6 while matching and surpassing her previous bests. Her 44kg snatch matched her recent competition PR, while her 55kg clean & jerk and 99kg total gave her a 1kg PRs. In her first Texas State Championships, Riley’s amazing performance made her a Texas State Junior Champion in the 76kg class. Riley became the fourth University of Texas Weightlifting member to win a junior state title, joining Maddie Graham (2019), Jamie Pearce (2020) and Brie Gomez (2020)!
On Day 2, the team’s four senior athletes took to the stage. Amelia Kushner (Junior, Atlanta, GA) kicked things off with another 6 for 6 and PR laden performance! Amelia ended the day with a PR snatch at 55kg (getting to mark a bodyweight snatch off her goal list) and a 65kg clean & jerk for a 120kg PR total! This total beats her personal bests in both the 55kg and 59kg weight classes! She earned bronze in the senior 55kg class, becoming the fourth woman on the University of Texas Weightlifting Team to earn a senior state medal!
On the men's side, Aaron Xu (2022 Graduate, Houston, TX) competed at his first Texas State Championships. Coming off a break, Aaron snatched 61kg, clean & jerked 73kg for a 134kg total. His performance earned him silver in the 61kg class! Following Aaron’s performance, Victor Delgado (Junior, Laredo, TX) took to the platform in a stacked 109kg class! Victor went 4 for 6 at his second Texas State Championships with the University of Texas team, going 118/148/266, and earned competition PRs in the clean and jerk and total!
The final lifter of the day for the team was Brie Gomez (2022 Graduate, Spring, TX). Brie made her debut in the 71kg class, weighing in at 64.2kg for a shot at a Texas State Record in the snatch. She was unsuccessful in her state record attempt at 91kg, but did hit an all-time clean and jerk PR of 103kg! Brie went 5 for 6 going 87/103/190. With this performance, Brie won her first senior state title, and in doing so became the first UTexas female weightlifter to win a senior state championship!
2022 Southwest Regional University Championships
Austin, TX -- On November 5th, 2022, the University of Texas Weightlifting Team hosted the inaugural Southwest University Regional Championships on the University of Texas campus.
The partnered event with USA Weightlifting was sponsored by Rogue Fitness, and was the first regional collegiate event of its kind to be held. The previous fall, UT Weightlifting hosted the Longhorn Invitational, a collegiate only event that invited lifters from all over Texas to compete on the UT campus, serving as a pilot for a larger event to be held in the future.
The 2021 Longhorn Invitational brought together just under 60 collegiate weightlifters from across Texas, while the 2022 Southwest University Regional Championships hosted 82 lifters from 18 different schools across 5 states! Among these lifters, 16 of them were UT members. At the conclusion, the women's team had earned a team title and the men's team placed runner-up to Texas State.
On the women's side, the team finished with 3 regional champions, 2 regional silver medalists, and 10 competition PRs. Amelia Kushner took gold in the 59kg class with 113 total on a 4 for 6 day; Brie Gomez took gold in the 64kg class, ending with a 181 total and Best Female Lifter; and Maggie Dominguez earned gold in the 87kg class with a 55kg competition PR snatch and 66kg clean & jerk. The two regional silver medalists, Riley Walsh (76kg) and Olivia Jackson (87kg+) both hit big PR performances to earn their podium finishes. Caroline Hittler (64kg), Andrea Spina (71kg) and Maris Green (71kg) rounded out the amazing collective performance with two 4th and one 5th place finish, also recording PRs in one or both lifts.
The men had their own impressive collective performance with one regional champion, 2 regional silver medalists and 18 competition PRs to earn them a second place team finish. Aaron Xu earned the regional championship title in the 61kg class with all-time PRs (67/80/147). The two regional silver medalists, Fernando Miranda- Fred (96kg) and Victor Delgado (109kg) set all new competition PRs with 5 for 6 performances. Rohaan Saripella (73kg), Chiadika Obinwa (81kg), Luis Leyva (89kg) and Tyler Villarreal (89kg) all hit PRs in one or both lifts. The biggest PR performance on the day was from newcomer Joseph Clark (96kg) who went 6 for 6 and increased his total by 22kg from his first meet!
Looking to the future, UT Weightlifting hopes to see this event held on other university campuses across the Southwest University Region, which includes Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
2022 FISU America Games
Mérida, Yucatán, México -- On October 22nd, 2022 Brie Gomez debuted for TEAM USA at the second edition of the FISU America Games, a multiport event featuring the top collegiate athletes from across the Pan American region!
Competing at the FISU Games, Brie became the first University of Texas Weightlifting team member to compete internationally for TEAM USA, and the first current student to do so since Ursula Garza Papandrea in the early 1990s. Brie earned her spot on the team at the 2022 University National Championships in March, where her 6 for 6 PR performance of 84/101/185 slotted her 6th on the 10 person women's team headed to Mexico to represent the USA internationally.
Two years prior, in February 2020 (just a few weeks prior to the lockdowns), Brie earned silver at the Junior National Championships with a 69kg snatch and a 86kg clean & jerk for a 155kg total. That performance earned her an invitation to a Virtual Selection Camp for a chance to make the 2020 Junior Pan American Championships. Brie's disappointing performance at that Selection Camp left her with a hungry determination to not only work harder for her next opportunity to compete internationally, but to also build confidence in a competitive setting. Over the course of 2021 and early 2022, Brie chipped away kilo by kilo. Progress in competition didn't always match the progress she had made in the gym, but it drove her to work harder. Over time, she built up the confidence to not only go for big lifts on the big stage, but also the ability to make them.
On October 22nd, Brie put together a lifetime performance that earned her a bronze medal in the women's 64kg class. She went 3 for 3 in the snatch, hitting 83kg, 87kg and then 90kg for an all-time snatch PR. Following up her snatch performance, Brie went 2 for 3 in the clean & jerk, hitting a 102kg competition PR on her second attempt and went for a huge PR 105kg on her third attempt. Brie's total on the day of 192kg was a 7kg increase from the 2022 University Nationals, and she went from being ranked sixth on the USA Women's team at the start to finishing ranked second! Gomez's next competition will be at 2023 University National Championships, where she'll compete with the rest of the national team in Columbus, OH at The Arnold Sports Festival from March 2nd to 5th.
2022 Under 25 National Championships
Las Vegas, NV. — The UT Men and Women’s Weightlifting Team took to the national stage for the 2022 U25 National Championships with their goal of becoming repeat champions, after both winning team titles at the 2021 U25 Nationals in Detroit.
Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Amelia Kushner, sophomore, and U25 Nationals first-timer took to the stage first for the women's team. With a 6:00AM weigh in after just two hours of sleep due to flight cancellations and delays, Amelia’s leadoff 5 for 6 performance in the 55kg class set the tone for a repeat U25 National title bid. With a 50kg snatch and a 66kg clean & jerk combing for a 116kg total, Amelia totaled just 1kg under her best, with her clean & jerk being a competition PR in the 55kg class. Her performance earned her 15th place in a highly competitive weight class.
Up next, Aaron Xu, a spring graduate from the Cockrell School of Engineering took to the stage at his first U25 Nationals to get things started for the men's team. Aaron secured his second national podium finish in the 55kg class with a 5/6 day, and competition PRs in the snatch, clean & jerk and total. His 66kg snatch earned him his first ever gold medal, and his 77kg clean & jerk and 143kg total earned him silver in both. This was a 5kg increase from his first national competition in March at the University National Championships. Following Aaron, national team veteran Maanas Sathaye closed out the first day of competition in the men’s 73kg class. His 4 for 6 day recorded all new competition PRs in the 73kg class, going 86/114/200 and furthered the men’s campaign for the U25 National title with a top ten finish!
Wednesday, 29 June 2022
The second day of competition continued on the men’s side with Luis Leyva, Environmental Engineering freshman and another first time competitor at the Under 25 Nationals. With a strong 4 for 6 day, Luis hit 83/114/197, matching his previous University National total in the 81kg class. He was close to a PR Day with a 117kg clean and jerk, but lost the jerk during the recovery. Following Luis’ performance, junior Business Management major and team treasurer, Fernando Miranda-Fred made a grand debut on the national stage with a 6 for 6 performance. His big day finished with 98/120/218 and earned him all new competition PRs!
On the women’s side, senior Brie Gomez had an incredible 3 for 3 snatch performance, ending with a stunning 88kg all-time PR snatch which earned her gold in the women’s 64kg class. Unfortunately, her 6kg lead did not hold up for gold in the total, as her 96kg clean & jerk left her 1kg short, and finished with silver in the total. At this point of the three-day meet, Brie's podium finish helped solidify a repeat national team title for the Longhorn women.
Maddie Moore, recent graduate of the Nursing School and new Labor & Delivery Nurse, finished out the day on the women’s side with a first-time 6 for 6 performance. Maddie matched her best training snatch at 78kg and recorded a new PR in the clean & jerk at 98kg for a 176kg PR total. Maddie's performance in the 71kg class earned her bronze medals in the clean & jerk and total, and qualified her for the North American Open Finals in December!
Thursday, 30 June 2022
On the final day of competition, four athletes remained for the UT Weightlifting Team. On the men’s side, triple-major (Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Plan II Honors) senior Chiadika Obinwa got things started with a 4 for 6 day, snatching 95kg on his third attempt and most notably, hit a 122kg clean & jerk for an all-time PR and a total only 1kg under his best! Following that performance, recent Mechanical Engineering graduate Zach Rickmeyer contributed an impressive and gutsy 5 for 6 performance, going 100/125/225. Zach had suffered an injury a few weeks before the competition that left him unable to split jerk, but he was able to perform a 125kg PR power jerk that was only 4kg under his best split jerk! Zach finished 13th in the 102 class.
Team President and Athletic Training & Exercise Science double major sophomore, Victor Delgado closed out the competition on the men’s side with a PR 6 for 6 performance that was many competitions in the making. Victor set all new competition PRs with a 119/144/263 performance for a 6kg total increase. His big day earned him 9th in the 102 class and brought the team many valuable team points, second only to Aaron Xu’s podium finish on the first day of competition.
The final lifter for either team was recent graduate and national team veteran Jamie Pearce. Jamie made 5 of 6 lifts to finish 5th in the 87kg class. Jamie snatched 70kg and clean & jerked an all-time PR of 89kg to finish with a 159kg total, just 1kg under her best ever!
When all the barbells had been hoisted over the course of the mid-week competition, the University of Texas Men and Women’s Weightlifting Teams stood as repeat Under 25 National Champions, following up their 2021 titles in Detroit with even better team performance in Las Vegas. Both teams combined to make 82% of their lifts, with every lifter making at least 4 of 6 lifts! The team collected 2 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 2 bronze medals, including 3 podium finishes in the total!
2022 Crusader Invitational
The University of Texas Weightlifting Team had an incredible performance at the 2022 Crusader Invitational! The team combined to make 21 out of 24 snatches and 23 out of 24 clean & jerks. This 92% rate of success is our second highest ever and the second time the team has achieved the 90%+ rate this school year at a Texas Collegiate Weightlifting Conference event! Three members of the team competed for the first time ever, and the other fiver competed in only their second or third weightlifting meet!
On the men’s side, Tyler and Dayton put together two strong performances. Tyler competed in his second ever weightlifting competition, adding 10kg to his total since the Longhorn Invitational in the Fall! Tyler went 6 for 6, snatching 85kg, clean & jerking 102kg, and totaling 187kg! Dayton put together a 4 for 6 day, going 57/82/139. These numbers are a bit off from his best, as he’s put hundreds of miles in on the bike these past few weeks, preparing to take off with Texas 4000 For Cancer this summer to ride from Austin to Anchorage! We’re proud of him for committing to the meet and sticking it through!
On the women’s side, Andrea, Maris and Riley all turned in PR performances at their second and/or third competitions! Andrea snatched a PR 51kg and matched her PR clean & jerk at 55kg on a 6 for 6 day! Her 106kg total was an 11kg increase over her last meet in January! Maris also went 6 for 6, snatching 44kg, and clean & jerking 55kg! Her 99kg total earned her a 16kg increase from her last meet in December and earned her gold in the female junior division! Riley went 5 for 6, snatching 34kg, and clean & jerking 46kg for an 80kg total! This was a 4kg total PR and earned Riley bronze in the female junior division!
The must anticipated debut of Maggie, Olivia and Kayla on the competition platform wrapped up our team’s amazing performance! Maggie went 6 for 6, finishing with matches of her best training PRs of 53kg and 67kg. Her 120kg total earned her a silver medal in the female underclassman division and a bronze medal overall! Olivia went 5 for 6, going 44/66/110, which equaled her previous best clean & jerk! Her 110kg total earned her a gold medal in the female upperclassman division! Kayla went 6 for 6, snatching 39kg and clean & jerking 53kg! Her 92kg total earned her a bronze medal in the female upperclassman division!
Members of the University of Texas Weightlifting Team will compete next at Bexar Barbell’s Spring Throwdown on May 14th in San Antonio, Texas!
2022 University National Championships
The largest University of Texas National Weightlifting team to date turned in a stellar performance in Columbus as part of the Arnold Sports Festival.
Thursday
The University of Texas Weightlifting Team started the 4-day competition off with four athletes across two platforms: Eleni Georgiou and Amelia Kushner competed in the 59G session while Blake Gamez and Aaron Xu in lifted in the 55A session. Eleni Georgiou kicked off the UT team with a 4 for 6 day, going 50/64/114. Her performance earned her a top 10 placement in the Women’s 59kg class! At the same time, Amelia Kushner hit a huge 6 for 6 performance, going 50/67/117 and ending in 9th place for the Women’s 59kg class! This was both Eleni and Amelia’s first University National Championships!
On the men’s side, Aaron Xu got things started! After a misload on Aaron’s first attempt, he was credited with 61kg and went on to hit 63kg on his second attempt! His 3 for 3 clean & jerk day ended at 75kg! Aaron swept the silver in the Men’s 55kg class with his huge PR performance at his first ever national competition. Next up, Blake Gamez walked away with a gold medal sweep in the Men’s 55kg class. His 78/105/183 earned him the great distinction of being the University of Texas Weightlifting’s first University National Champion! The final lifter on Thursday evening was Maanas Sathaye! He went 84/113/197 for Competition PRs across the board while competing in the 73kg class!
Friday
On the second day of competition, the Men’s Team continued with Luis Leyva and Chiadika Obinwa in the 81kg and 89kg classes respectively. Both went 6 for 6 with PR performances at their first national competition! Luis snatched 82 and clean & jerked 115 for a 197 total on a perfect day. Meanwhile, Chiadika went 98/120/208 for a massive PR total and a 14th place finish in the Men’s 89kg class!
Saturday
The women’s team continued the competition on Saturday with Maddie Moore in the 71kg class and Brie Gomez in the 64kg class. Maddie had a strong 4 for 6 performance at her 3rd consecutive University National Championships! Her 77kg snatch ties her best snatch in competition. As well, her 92kg clean & jerk was the most she has ever hit in national competition, and her 169 total earned her 6th in the 71kg class. The final lifter on Saturday, Brie Gomez, had a huge PR 6 for 6 performance! Brie went 79-82-84 in the snatch and 95-98-101 in the clean & jerk for a silver sweep in the University National Championships. This performance also earned Brie All-American Honors! Furthermore, Brie’s 185 total booked her ticket to 2022 FISU American Games, where she will represent TEAM USA in Mérida, Mexico this October! To add to this success, Brie’s lifts were team records across the board in the 64kg class!
Sunday
On the final day of competition, Zach Rickmeyer got the team started in typical Zach fashion with a calm and collected 6 for 6 PR performance. At his second in-person national meet and second consecutive University National Championships, Zach went 106/129/235 for PRs across the board! This amazing performance also earned him 8th in the Men’s 109kg class!
The final two lifters of the weekend, Victor Delgado and Jamie Pearce, ended the weekend with strong performances. Victor’s 115/140/255 performance earned him 9th in the 102kg class. On the women’s side, Jamie snatched 69kg, clean & jerked 86kg and totaled 155 for the 4th place finish in the Women’s 87kg class! For Pearce, these lifts earned her team records in the 87kg class!
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All in all, the women’s, men’s and co-ed teams finished fourth in their respective team competitions. The team collected 9 individual medals, including one University National Champion in Blake Gamez, and two silver medalists in Aaron Xu and Brie Gomez!
The 12 member team made 75% of their snatches and 83% of their clean & jerks, with 9 members finishing in the top 10, and 5 members going 6 for 6!
2022 Texas State Weightlifting Championships
The University of Texas Weightlifting team hit the competition platform in Irving, Texas for the 2022 Texas State Weightlifting Championships. Team members represented their home clubs in junior and senior competitions throughout the weekend. Three athletes brought home senior state medals and one athlete brought home a junior state medal!
Luis Leyva kicked off the Texas State Championships for the UT Weightlifting team. He represented Texas Barbell Club, competing in the 81kg Junior Men’s session. Luis went 4 for 6 in his second weightlifting competition. His 81kg snatch, 113kg clean and jerk, and 194kg total earned him competition PRs all around, as well as a silver medal! Following Luis, Jacob and Maanas, both representing Texas Barbell Club, took to the platform on Saturday night. Jacob set competition PRs across the board, as well as new UT Weightlifting records in the Men’s 67kg division, going 92kg snatch and 120kg clean & jerk for a 212kg total! His lifts earned him 4th place! Maanas closed out day 1 for the UT Weightlifting Team, going 4 for 6, hitting 87/118/205.
Blake Gamez, representing Team Texas, kicked off the big Sunday for the UT Weightlifting team. Blake had a slow start in the snatches, but came back in the clean & jerk to hit 108kg to earn the Men’s 61kg Silver Medal. His third attempt clean & jerk at 115kg would have won him the gold, but he was called for a press. Next up, Dillon James, representing Austin Barbell Club in the Men’s 89kg class, went 3 for 6, hitting 97/135/232 on the day. Victor Delgado rounded out the men’s side on the second day of competition for the UT Weightlifting team. He went 4 for 6, hitting 115/137/252 and earning 5th place in the Men’s 96kg division.
On the women’s side, Maddie, Jamie and Brie competed simultaneously to close out the University of Texas Weightlifting team performance. All three girls represented Texas Barbell Club and went 5 for 6 on the day! Competing in the 71kg class, Maddie Moore posted a 72kg snatch and a 90kg clean & jerk for a 162 total. Jamie Pearce hit a 72kg snatch and an 88kg clean & jerk for a 160kg total. She earned competition PRs across the board, including a 5kg total PR, as well as all new UT Weightlifting Records for snatch, clean & jerk and total. This huge performance won her a bronze medal in the women’s 76kg class! The final lifter of the day, Brie Gomez had her biggest showing ever on a competition platform. This performance included a 5kg competition PR in the snatch at 82kg, a 2kg competition PR in the clean & jerk at 99kg, and a 7kg total increase from North American Open Finals in December!! These lifts earned her 3 new UT Weightlifting records, silver in the Women’s 64kg division and punched her ticket to senior national championships in July!
The University of Texas Weightlifting Team will compete locally at Tarleton State Weightlifting’s Cowboys & Kilos 29 Jan, and then nationally at University National Championships at the beginning of March in Columbus, Ohio!
2021 Texas Barbell Club Christmas Classic
The University of Texas Weightlifting Team had an incredible standout performance at the Texas Barbell Club Christmas Classic. Maris, Amelia, Caroline and Gonie combined to make 23 out of 24 lifts, and all ended with competition PRs!
Maris went 6 for 6 at her first ever weightlifting meet, snatching 37kg and clean & jerking 46kg for an 83kg total! Amelia went 47/59/106 on a 5 for 6 day. Her PR total earned her gold in the junior division! Caroline went 6 for 6, snatching 48kg, clean & jerking 62kg, and finishing with a 110kg total for a 6kg total PR! Gonie finished up on the women’s side, going 67/82/149 on a 6 for 6 day, for a 5kg PR total!
On the men’s side, Dayton Thompson started things off by making his debut on the competition platform. His 6 for 6 performance finished with a 62kg snatch, 86kg clean and jerk for a 148kg total! Fernando rounded out the men’s side with another 6 for 6 performance. He snatched 87kg, clean and jerked 113kg and totaled 200kg for competition PRs all around!
The University of Texas will compete next at Tarleton State Weightlifting’s Cowboys & Kilos on Saturday, 29 Jan in Stephenville, TX.
2021 North American Open Finals
Blake Gamez’s North American Open Finals debut landed him the Men’s 55kg title in Denver, Colorado. Blake hit a clutch 112kg clean & jerk to pull out the victory on the final lift of the session! His 3rd attempt landed him atop the podium by 1kg. Blake went 4 for 6 on the day, going 82/112/194 to earn silver in the snatch, gold in the clean & jerk, and gold in the total at the North American Open Finals!
On the women’s side, Brie Gomez made her second consecutive appearance at the North American Open Finals. She went 3 for 6 on the day with a hard fought lifts for a 1kg PR total. Her 77kg snatch matched her best ever competition PR, as well as her 97kg clean & jerk.
Both Blake and Brie’s performances qualified them for next year’s North American Open Finals in Atlanta, Georgia! Their next major national competition will be in March 2022 at University National Championships in Columbus, Ohio, where they will be joined by the rest of UT Weightlifting National Team!
2021 Bobcat Invitational
The University of Texas Weightlifting Team saw their most impressive performance to date. The team had 10 members compete and made 92% of their lifts! Three athletes made their debut: Luis Leyva, Amelia Kushner and Andrea Spina. All three went 6/6 with huge performances! Luis went 80/112/192 in his first ever meet, took Silver in the Underclassman division, and punched his ticket to 2022 University National Championships! Amelia turned in 44/60/106 and brought home silver in the Underclassman division! After just joining the team at the beginning of the school year, Andrea snatched 36kg, 38kg, 40kg, and then clean and jerk 42kg, 44kg, 46kg for an 86kg total!
Veterans to the team, Jamie and Maddie had big PR performances with 6 for 6 and 5 for 6 days respectively. Jamie had the perfect day with a snatch PR, clean and jerk PR and total PR! Her 70/85/155 (6kg total PR) performance earned her silver in the Graduate(d) division! Meanwhile, Maddie matched her all time PRs, and put them together on the competition platform for a 5kg total PR! Maddie went 77/94/171 and took Gold in the Upperclassman Division! Both ladies qualified themselves for University National Championships in Columbus, OH!
On the men’s side, Chiadika, Kevin and Zach all turned in 6 for 6 performance with huge PRs! Chiadika went 90/115/205 for an 18kg PR total. He also took bronze in the Upperclassman Division and qualified for University National Championships in March 2022. Kevin hit 63/75/138 for an 8kg PR total increase! His 63kg snatch matched his best ever snatch and his 75kg clean and jerk was a PR! Zach snatchined 105kg, clean and jerking a PR 127kg, and 6kg PR 232kg total! Zach also took silver in the upperclassman division and he qualified to 2022 University National Championships!
To close out the men, Fernando churned out a 7kg total PR performance with an 84kg snatch, a 111kg clean and jerk and a 195kg total! Aaron went 5 for 6 on the day, finishing off with a pressout on his PR 74kg clean and jerk. 🤷♂️ Officially 58/71/129 for a big PR total in 55kg class. Both punched their tickets to Columbus, OH with the University National Team!
The University of Texas Weightlifting Team will compete at their next National University Qualifier on January 29th at Cowboys & Kilos, hosted by Tarleton State University!
Results -
UNDERCLASSMAN FEMALE
Gold - Teresa Porter, Austin Community College, 195.282
Silver - Amelia Kushner, University of Texas, 141.116 Bronze - Lucy Jahns, Temple College, 122.512
UNDERCLASSMAN MALE
Gold - Alex Balderas, Austin Community College, 249.122
Silver - Luis Leyva, University of Texas, 233.984
Bronze - Josh Egwaikhide, Texas State University, 196.779
UPPERCLASSMAN FEMALE
Gold - Maddie Moore, University of Texas, 213.012
Silver - Kela Kauha’aha’a, LSU Shreveport, 189.105
Bronze - Vivien Choate, 84.339
UPPERCLASSMAN MALE
Gold - Ryan Johnson, Univ of Mary Hardin-Baylor, 266.461
Silver - Zach Rickmeyer, University of Texas, 256.973
Bronze - Chiadika Obinwa, University of Texas, 253.090
GRAD STUDENT FEMALE
Gold - Julie Brown, Texas State University, 191.597
Silver - Jamie Pearce, University of Texas, 180.088
GRAD STUDENT MALE
Gold - Derek Lucio, Univ of Mary Hardin-Baylor, 265.294
DEVELOPMENTAL FEMALE
Gold - Ella Vaughn, Vaughn Weightlifting, 133.099
Silver - Norah Burke, Bobcat Barbell, 109.943
*Awards were given based on Sinclair to the top 3 underclassman, upperclassman, and graduate students for both male and female.
2021 Longhorn Invitational
On October 3rd, the University of Texas Weightlifting Team held their first-ever on-campus weightlifting competition, comprised entirely of collegiate weightlifting athletes. The Longhorn Invitational had 36 weightlifters total from Austin Community College, Boston University, Texas A&M, Texas State University, University of Houston - Downtown, University of the Incarnate Word, University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, University of St. Augustine and University of Texas. This was the first meet of the 2021-2022 Texas Collegiate Weightlifting season. Texas State University is set to host their invitational in November with Tarleton State Weightlifting in January. University of Mary-Hardin Baylor will host an invitational in spring of 2022.
The University of Texas Weightlifting Team saw several amazing performances at the Longhorn Invitational:
Big PR performances for Brie and Jacob at the Longhorn Invitational! Brie went 5 for 6, including a huge 97kg clean and jerk PR! Her 76/97/173 performance was a 6kg total PR and earned her first place overall and first place in the Upperclassman division! Jacob Cadieux went 96/125/221 on a 4 for 6 day. His total increased by 15kg! Jacob also had the most fantastic misses of the day with wildly entertaining third attempts at 100kg and 130kg.
Victor, Maanas, and Blake punched their tickets to the 2022 University National Championships in Columbus, Ohio with their performances at the 2021 Longhorn Invitational! Victor snatched 116kg, clean & jerked 134kg, for a 250kg total and earned silver in the Underclassman division! Maanas went 6 for 6 with competition PRs all around, ending at 88/118/206 for a 12kg total PR! Blake Gamez turned in another 6 for 6 day going 87/113/200! Blake’s performance earned him silver in the Upperclassman division, and bronze overall!
Ebin and Eleni turned in big PR performances at the Longhorn Invitational that ended with all-time PR clean and jerks! Ebin went 63/82/145 on a 5 for 6 day and finished with a 14kg PR total! Eleni went 48/65/113 on a 6 for 6 day and finished with a 4kg PR total!
Results -
OPEN FEMALE
Gold - Brie Gomez, University of Texas, 230.822
Silver - Andrea Vargas, Univ of the Incarnate Word, 163.783
Bronze - Juliet Aguilar, Texas State University, 160.108
OPEN MALE
Gold - Eric Zunker, University of Houston-Downtown, 326.003
Silver - Marcus Leydecker, Univ of St Augustine, 302.429
Bronze - Blake Gamez, University of Texas, 294.126
UNDERCLASSMAN FEMALE
Gold - Faiza Ahmed, Texas State University, 76.151
UNDERCLASSMAN MALE
Gold - Dustin Baranowski, Texas State University, 284.993
Silver - Victor Delgado, University of Texas, 283.333
Bronze - Dillon James, University of Texas, 261.348
UPPERCLASSMAN FEMALE
Gold - Brie Gomez, University of Texas, 230.822
Silver - Juliet Aguilar, Texas State University, 160.108
Bronze - Landra Woolley, Texas State University, 122.599
UPPERCLASSMAN MALE
Gold - Eric Zunker, University of Houston-Downtown, 326.003
Silver - Blake Gamez, University of Texas, 294.126
Bronze - Evan Bell, Texas State University, 265.271
GRAD STUDENT FEMALE
Gold - Andrea Vargas, Univ of the Incarnate Word, 163.783
Silver - Rayanne Garcia, Texas State University, 154.624
Bronze - Emily Anderson, Texas State University, 124.078
GRAD STUDENT MALE
Gold - Marcus Leydecker, Univ of St Augustine, 302.429
Silver - Christopher Nguyen, Univ of St Augustine, 251.652
Bronze - Luka Green, University of Houston, 236.127
*Awards were given based on Sinclair to the top 3 overall, underclassman, upperclassman, and graduate students for both male and female.
2021 Texas Barbell Fall Showdown
Great second competition for Kevin, Aaron, and Fernando at the Texas Barbell Fall Showdown! They all showed significant progress since their first meet at the Texas Collegiate Invitational in April. Kevin went 6 for 6, going 60/70(PR!)/130 on the day for a 27kg increase on his total! Aaron went 5 for 6, going 58/73(PR!)/131 for a 9kg increase on his total! Fernando went 4 for 6, going 84/104/188 for an 18kg increase on his total!
Austin Barbell's 2021 Austin Weightlifting Championships
Competitors: Caroline Hittler, Jamie Pearce
Big day on the competition platform for Jamie and Caroline at the Austin City Weightlifting Championships!
Jamie returned to the competition platform for the first time since January with a 6 for 6 day going 63/75/138, setting team records in the Women’s 76kg division. In only her 2nd time competing, Caroline turned a PR total performance and a clean and jerk PR at 61kg! She finished the day with 43/61/104 on a 5 for 6 day!
2021 U25 & Junior National Championships
Competitors: Gonie Altman, Jacob Cadieux, Victor Delgado, Blake Gamez, Brie Gomez, Maddie Graham, Dillon James, Zach Rickmeyer, Maanas Sathaye
University of Texas Weightlifting Men’s and Women’s team saw an all-time best team performance at the Under 25 National Championships, walking away Team Champions in the Men and Women’s Divisions!
Tuesday
The team was led off by Maanas Sathaye who went 5 for 6 on the day, hitting 83/111/194, earned competition PRs in both lifts and a total PR! Blake Gamez lifted next, sweeping the Men’s 55kg Class. Gamez’s 83/104/187 5 for 6 day brought him gold in the snatch, clean & jerk and total! Jacob Cadieux followed, going 2 for 3 in the snatch with 89kg, and 2 for 3 in the clean & jerk with 117kg competition PR, earning him a Total PR! As well, Jacob’s clean & jerk and total were strong enough to earn those two Team Records in the Men’s 67kg Class!
On the women’s side, Brie Gomez got things started. Brie snatched 77kg to take silver in the Women’s 59kg Class. While clean & jerks didn’t go as well to finish on the podium in the total, Brie’s 77/88/165 day is a 5kg PR in the 59kg class. As well, Brie claimed all 3 of the Team Records in the Women’s 59kg Class with this huge performance!
Wednesday
Dillon James, training with Austin Barbell Club in South Austin, started off the second day of competition for the University of Texas Weightlifting Team! Dillon went 2 for 6, going 95/120/215. His 120kg clean & jerk was a competition PR. Gonie Altman was the next Longhorn to lift. She had a huge 6 for 6 performance with all-time PRs in both the snatch and clean & jerk, turning in a 6kg increase in her total from her last competition at University National Championships in March of this year! Gonie went 63/81/144 on the day.
Also in the Women’s 64kg Class, Maddie Graham followed Gonie Altman’s lead with her own massive performance. With Maddie’s 5 for 6 performance, she earned bronze in the snatch and bronze in the total! Maddie went 72kg, 74kg, 76kg in the snatch for a competition PR, and clean & jerked 86kg and 90kg before be called on a press out at 94kg. Maddie finished the day with a PR 166kg total. This performance earned her the snatch Team Record in her weight class!
The last athlete for Wednesday was Victor Delgado, competing in both the Junior and U25 National Championship. Victor’s 3 for 6 day was hard fought. His 117kg snatch was a competition PR, followed by a huge opener at his previous competition PR of 140kg. Victor’s 257kg day was a total PR! He walked away with two new Team Records in the snatch and total for the Men’s 89kg Class!
Thursday
The final day of competition left only Zach Rickmeyer to lift. Zach played a major role in making sure everyone got where they needed to be the entire week, and ended the long week with a PR-filled performance. Zach went 2 for 3 in the snatch, ending at 101kg and a competition PR, and then went on to go 3 for 3 in the clean & jerk. His clean & jerk performance, hitting 124kg was an all-time PR in the lift, and in the total!
All in all, the team made 74% of their snatch attempts, bringing home 3 medals, 6 competition PRs, and set the stage for impressive performances across the board. In the clean & jerk, the team made 66% of their lifts, bringing home 1 clean & jerk medal, 2 total medals, 5 competition clean & jerk PRs, 6 total PRs, and wrapped up the Men’s & Women’s U25 National Championships!
2021 Texas Barbell Summer Classic
Competitors: Chiadika Obinwa, Jon Ling
In his first ever in-person competition, Chiadika had huge success, making all of his lifts! On his 6 for 6 day, Chiadika went 72-75-78 in the snatch, and then 101-105-109 in the clean & jerk for a 187kg total!
After an adventurous mishap on his first lift that left the bar nearly in the laps of the referees (no one was injured!), Jon Ling came back to make his next five lifts and finish with all competition PRs! His 104/123/227 total was a 9kg improvement in the total from his last meet at the North American Open Series 1! He also took all the team records for the Men’s 81kg class!
2021 Bobcat Barbell National Qualifier
Competitors: Blake Gamez
Blake Gamez turned in a 6 for 6 performance, tuning up for Under 25 National Championships in June! He went 75kg-79kg-82kg on the snatch and then 98kg-102kg-105kg on clean and jerk for a 187kg total.
2021 Texas Collegiate Invitational
Competitors: Brie Gomez, Caroline Hittler, Kevin Ma, Fernando Miranda-Fred, Ebin Punchamannil, Aaron Xu
It was a big weekend at the Texas Collegiate Invitational with six athletes competing (and many other team members showing to help load, referee and run a smooth meet). The highlights of the competition: the scintillating main event of Aaron vs Ebin that lived up to the hype, Brie’s Big Day, and first time competition performances for Caroline, Kevin and Fernando!
The epic battle of the light weights at their firs ever weightlifting meet lived up to the hype!
Aaron Xu went 6 for 6, hitting a 56kg snatch PR, 66kg clean and jerk PR with a 122kg total at 57.1kg BW.
Ebin Punchamannil also went 6 for 6, hitting 60kg snatch PR match, 71kg clean & jerk PR and a 131kg total at 65.3kg BW.
Result: Draw. Rematch TBD!
Meanwhile, Brie saw an all-time best performance, going 5 for 6 and taking gold in the upperclassman division and won best overall female lifter! Brie hit a competition snatch PR at 75kg followed by an all-time clean and jerk PR at 92kg, ending the day with a PR total at 167kg. Brie clean & jerk and total were enough to earn herself those two team records in the Women’s 64kg Class!
Caroline, Kevin and Fernando all made their competition debuts! Caroline led the way going 6 for 6 with 44/56/100 performance, earning bronze in the underclassman division! Kevin and Fernando followed that up, both going 4 for 6 in their first competitions. Kevin went 45/58/103, finishing with a clean & jerk PR. Fernando snatched 75kg, clean & jerked 95kg for a 170kg total!
2021 University National Championships
Competitors: Gonie Altman, Jacob Cadieux, Victor Delgado, Blake Gamez, Eleni Georgiou, Brie Gomez, Maddie Graham, Dillon James, Jon Ling, Zach Rickmeyer, Maanas Sathaye
The University of Texas Women’s Weightlifting Team placed 2nd at University Nationals, earning their first ever team award. The Men’s Weightlifting Team and the Co-Ed team finished 4th (a spot up for 2020)!
On the women’s side, Brie Gomez led the team with a 4th place finish in the 59kg class. After an injured wrist at AO Finals in December left her unable to snatch, clean or jerk until 3 weeks out, she was able to match her best ever total as a 59kg with a 73/87/160 performance (qualifying her to 2021 North American Open Finals). Gonie Altman put together a 5 for 6 day and a PR total. Hitting 62(PR!)/76/138, Gonie finished top 10 in the 64kg class. Maddie Graham had a big snatch day with a 74kg competition PR and a close miss at an all time PR of 76kg. Maddie finished the day with 74/88/162. Rounding out the women, Eleni Georgiou went 7 for 7 at her first ever national competition, hitting 46/63/109 for a PR Total. After technical difficulties didn’t allow for her opening snatch to communicated to the judges, Eleni was asked to repeat the lift. As such, she holds the distinction of being the only member of the UT Weightlifting Team to ever go 7 for 7!
For the men, Jacob Cadieux put together a competition PR snatch at 91kg with a 114kg clean & jerk for a PR total at 205kg. Jacob’s 4 for 6 day finished him in 7th in 67kg class. Blake Gamez went 3 for 3 in the snatch, finishing at 85kg and earning him a silver in the 55kg class. Unfortunately, he was not credited with any completed clean and jerks at 105kg and did not register a total. After having to back off heavier weights due to some lower back issues, Maanas Sathaye had a 5 for 6 day, hitting 80/110/190. His third snatch attempt for 83kg, called for a press out, would have been a competition PR. Jon Ling pulled together a competition PR snatch and matched his best competition clean & jerk for a PR total, hitting 98/120/218 in a 4 for 6 day. After only competing virtually throughout 2020, Zach Rickmeyer set to his first real competition. Zach went 100/115/215 on a 4 for 5 day, and finished in 8th in the 102kg class!
UT Weightlifting’s 2 Freshmen had a strong debut in burnt orange. Victor Delgado turned in a 5 for 6 day and came away with a PR snatch and PR total! His 114/140/254 performance earned him 6th place in the 89kg class. Prior to attending UT, Victor trained and competed weightlifting as a part of SPXF Barbell in Laredo, TX. Dillon James also snatched an all-time PR and produced a PR Total in a 4 for 6 day. He finished 100/118/218 in his first meet with UT. Prior to attending UT, Dillon trained and competed under Austin Barbell in South Austin, where he continues to train currently.
2021 Texas State Weightlifting Championships
Competitors: Gonie Altman, Jacob Cadieux, Blake Gamez, Maddie Graham, Jamie Pearce
Jacob, Blake and Maddie all turned in performances that earned them senior medals! Jacob went 4 for 6, hitting 87/115/202 and earning bronze in the 67kg class. Blake lifted 85/111/196 on a 5 for 6 day to take silver in the 61kg class. Maddie turned in a huge performance, matching her total PR with 73/91/164 and to win the bronze in the 71kg class. Gonie went 59/78/137 on a 5 for 6 day with 2 new PRs in the Clean & Jerk and Total! Jamie had a strong showing, going 4 for 6, ending with 57/68/125!
2020 Online American Open Finals
Competitors: Brie Gomez
Brie Gomez rounded out her junior lifting career with a top ten finish at her first senior competition! She went 4 for 6 on the day with competition PRs in the snatch at 74kg, clean & jerk hitting 89kg, and total with 163kg. She had an agonizingly close miss on her third snatch attempt at 76kg. After a tough call for a press out on her 2nd clean & jerk at 88kg, Brie went up on her third attempt to hit a massive 89kg clean & jerk. Brie finished the day in 8th for the 64kg class!
2020 Junior & University National Championships
Competitors: Gonie Altman, Jacob Cadieux, Blake Gamez, Brie Gomez, Maddie Graham, Jamie Pearce, Maanas Sathaye
The team was led by Senior Blake Gamez, who won gold in the snatch in the 55kg class of the University National Championships. Two more medal winning performances were turned in by Sophomore Brie Gomez, who became the 59kg Junior National silver medalist, and teammate Jamie Pearce who claimed a podium position as the 59kg Junior National bronze medalist. Gomez also earned a silver in the snatch and a bronze in the CJ, while Pearce brought home an additional bronze in the snatch. Junior Maddie Graham churned out personal bests in both lifts to secure a sixth place finish in the 59kg women’s category at the University National Championships with a PR 156kg total. Gonie Altman, Maanas Sathaye, and Jacob Cadieux all competed at their first national meet and contributed to the strong team showing. Gonie made every weight she attempted in a superb 6 for 6 performance in the 64kg women’s category. Maanas Sathaye recored a personal best total of 192 in the 73kg men’s category, and Jacob Cadieux contributed a top 5 finish in the men’s 67kg class. The co-ed team placed fifth in the country at the 2020 University National Championships, fielding their largest national team to date. In 2018 only two team members qualified for a national meet.
2020 Texas State Weightlifting Championships
Competitors: Gonie Altman, Blake Gamez, Brie Gomez, Maddie Graham, Jamie Pearce
Brie and Jamie won junior titles in the 59kg and 55kg weight classes at the Texas State Weightlifting Championships! Brie went 5 for 6, snatching 73, clean & jerking 87, and finishing with a PR 160kg total! Brie also won best female junior lifter and qualified for the American Open Finals! Jamie also went 5 for 6, snatching 64 and clean and jerking 82 for a 146kg PR total! Blake and Maddie hit big lifts at the Texas State Weightlifting Championships and finished with PR totals. Blake went 87/120/207 and took bronze in the 61kg class. Maddie went 68/86/154 for a 5kg total PR and a fourth place finish in the 59kg class. Gonie rounded out a strong team performance by snatching 53kg and clean and jerking 66kg in a 5/6 comeback performance.
2019 Texas Barbell Christmas Classic & Longhorn Benefit
Competitors: Angel Flores, Maanas Sathaye
The UT Weightlifting Team spent their Saturday running the Texas Barbell Christmas Classic & Longhorn Benefit in the midst of finals week. This meet served as a fundraiser for the teams travel to University Nationals in February to Pleasanton, CA. The team saw the national squad grow to eight after Maanas qualified in the 73kg class going 80/110/190 for a 10kg total PR. Angel also competed and went 78/106/184 with competition PRs in both lifts in a 4 for 6 day. The team will be competing next at the Texas State Championships in January and University Nationals three weeks later.
Results Photos
2019 Central Texas Oly Open
Competitors: Jacob Cadieux, Brie Gomez
Huge day for Brie and Jacob on the competition platform at the Central Texas Oly Open. Brie weighed in at 59.4 and went 71/84/155 for a PR total and a gold medal in the female junior division. Jacob weighed in at 67.8 and went 86/110/196 on a 5 for 6 day and ended with an 11kg total PR. Now it’s back to work in preparation for the Texas State Championships in January and the University National Championships in February.
2019 Texas Barbell Fall Classic
Competitors: Angel Flores, Blake Gamez, Maanas Sathaye
First competition in the books for Angel and Maanas and big PR performance for Blake. Blake went 90/118/208 for a PR total and placed third overall at Texas Barbell Fall Classic. Maanas went 75/105/180 and Angel went 77/105/182 and took gold in the junior division.
2019 Houston Open Championships
Competitors: Maddie Graham, Jamie Pearce
Jamie Pearce went 65/78/143 for a 7kg total PR, and Maddie Graham lifted 66/83/149 for a 6kg total PR! Maddie went 5 for 6 and took gold in the junior division, while Jamie went 6 for 6 and took silver in the junior division!