Consol sweeps team titles at powerlifting meet

All that strength came in handy for the A&M Consolidated boys and girls, who carried away the heavy hardware after the first Brazos Valley Invitational powerlifting meet Saturday.

Bryan hosted the meet, which included 12 boys teams and seven girls squads at the Lamar Gym. Consol took the team championships on both sides while producing both lifters of the meet for boys and girls.

The Tiger boys dominated the team competition with 55 points while Conroe took second at 25 and Navasota third at 24. Bryan's boys finished sixth at 13 points with Rudder 10th at six points.

On the girls side, Consol captured the title with 58 points while Montgomery took second at 42. Cameron finished third at 16, and Rudder was fourth with 14.

"The kids did great," Consol coach Gregg Frashure said. "With the first meet [of the season] you're always nervous. We've practiced everything, but in somebody else's place in front of a bunch of people you don't know what they are capable of. I knew that we had a lot of experience and talent. It was just a matter of coming here and doing everything that we were capable of doing."

Consol swept the top individual honors, with Madison Becker, Bri Holtkamp, Zerrick Merchant and J.J. Bynum named best lifters. Each won their weight class and totalled enough in the squat, bench press and deadlift to finish first in a system with a coefficient based on their body weight.

Bynum, the senior defensive lineman who has committed to sign with Texas Tech, soon will have his last name legally changed to Lollar, his mother's maiden name. He finished second at state in the 275-pound class last year, and he was Mr. Big at Saturday's Invitational with a total of 1,720 pounds that was more than the super heavyweight winner lifted.

The Consol standout set a personal record of 720 pounds in the squat and raised 390 in the bench press. Spurred on when another competitor was challenging him in the deadlift, Bynum capped his day by clearing 610 pounds.

Merchant was the best boys lifter from the 114- to 165-pound classes. Competing at 148 pounds, Merchant had a total of 1,265 pounds.

Becker took top honors for girls in classes from 97 pounds to 165. She lifted 795 pounds.

Holtkamp was tops in class 181 and up, with a total of 950 pounds.

Consol's other weight-class winners were 181-pounder Joe Waithaka (1,380 total), 198 David Levias (1,440), 220 Luis Garcia (1,345), 242 Clayton Smith (1,365), 105 Hanna Polen (510), 114 Ashlyn Bradicich (460), 123 Ashley Troutman (615) and 132 Kendall Pye (585).

Rudder received gold-medal performances from two girls. Brittany Norris won the 97-pound class by lifting 355, while Ashley Tennell took the 181-pound group with a total of 555.

The top finishers for Bryan included Michael Cadena, whose total of 1,565 put him second behind Bynum among 275-pounders, and Corey Goosby, who lifted 1,185 to take second at 220 pounds. The Vikings had a bronze medal winner in 132-pounder Albert Cortez (835).

"We had a few more people place at a higher level than we've had," Bryan coach Robert Jesurun said. "Michael Cadena did a great job. Corey Goosby has been getting better every week."

Other division winners from Brazos Valley schools included Kyle Ramsey and Kendrick Armstead of Navasota, D'Montre Brown and Jazmine Jones of Cameron, and Ismael Castillo of Madisonville.

Brazos Valley Invitational

Local lifters who placed in the top five included:

Boys

123 -- 3. Tyler Sevcik, Consol (820 pounds). 132 -- 3. Albert Cortez, Bryan (835). 148 -- 1. Zerrick Merchant, Consol (1,265); 2. Brandon Jackson, Consol (1,090). 165 -- 2. Caleb Schneebeli, Rudder (1,150). 181 -- 1. Joe Waithaka, Consol (1,380). 198 -- 1. David Levias, Consol (1,440); 3. Michael Clouston, Consol (1,235); 5. Alejandro Rodriguez, Rudder (1,035). 220 -- 1. Luis Garcia, Consol (1,345); 2. Corey Goosby, Bryan (1,185). 242 -- 1. Wyatt Smith, Consol (1,365). 275 -- 1. J.J. Bynum, Consol (1,720); 2. Michael Cadena, Bryan (1,565); 4. Kyle Kavanaugh, Consol (1,285).

Girls

97 -- 1. Brittany Norris, Rudder (355); 2. Megan White, Consol (345). 105 -- 1. Hanna Polen, Consol (510). 114 -- 1. Ashley Bradicich, Consol (460). 123 -- Ashley Troutman, Consol (615); 5. Ashlie Moon, Consol (505). 132 -- 1. Kendall Pye, Consol (585). 148 â 1. Madison Becker, Consol (795); 2. Jessi Ball, Consol (710). 181 -- 1. Ashley Tennell, Rudder (555). 198 -- 2. Shamera Lewis, Consol (795). 220-plus -- 1. Bri Holtkamp, Consol (950).