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!