Taylor flexed their muscles and showed their strength last week.
The Lady Ducks dominated the Taylor Duck invitational powerlifting meet Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Duck Pond.
They would finish with four athletes in first place of their respective weight classes, with the other three finishing in the top five of their weight classes.
“These girls came ready to compete in their first meet of the season. I cannot be prouder of how quickly our five freshmen adjusted to the fast-paced environment,” Lady Ducks powerlifting head coach Raegan Blackmon said. “To add the cherry on top, they all made qualifying lifts. Also, the leadership of our more experienced lifters through intentional efforts to support and encourage our younger lifters did not go unnoticed. They’re a team. They make each other better.”
In the 114-pound-weight class Rylie Dlouhy took first place after squatting 280 pounds, bench pressing 155 pounds and deadlifting 300 pounds for a total of 735 pounds. Dlouhy’s efforts were outstanding enough to earn first-place 25 pounds ahead of second place.
Dlouhy was not the only Lady Duck to compete in the 114-weight class. Teammate Zoe Moore finished fifth at the powerlifting meet. Moore squatted 185 pounds, bench pressed 125 pounds and deadlifted 183 pounds for a total of 495 pounds.
Following up the 114-weight class was the 132 and 220 weight classes, where the Lady Ducks again planted their flag firmly in first place. In the 132-wegiht class, Lorena Glover finished in first place for the Lady Ducks along with Krista Randig, who claimed first place in the 220-weight class.
Glover squatted 290 pounds, bench pressed 145 pounds and deadlifted 265 pounds for a total of 700 pounds, which was 65 more pounds than the secondplace finisher. Randig showed great strength by squatting 330 pounds, bench pressing 180 pounds and deadlifting 310 pounds for a total of 810, which was 185 pounds higher than the second-place finisher.
In the midst of Glover and Randig, the Lady Ducks had Ri’Queleigh Holmes-Grant finish third in the 148-weight class, while teammate Nicolette Villarreal finish in fifth place in the 198-weight class.
Holmes-Grant squatted 280 pounds, bench pressed 180 pounds and deadlifted 300 for a total of 760 pounds and 60 pounds higher than the fourthplace finisher. Villarreal also had a very strong showing as she squatted 205 pounds, bench pressed 115 and deadlifted 225 pounds for a total of 545 pounds.
In the 259-plus weight class, the Lady Ducks secured first and second place with a very strong showing from Analise Frias and Sophia Plonka. Frias finished in first place showing off her strength by lifting over 1,000 pounds at the meet.
Frais squatted 430 pounds, bench pressed 265 and deadlifted 315 for a total of 1,010 pounds. Close behind Frias was Plonka, who squatted 300 pounds, bench pressed 190 pounds and deadlifted 320 for 810 pounds to claim second place.
The Lady Ducks will celebrate their strong showing for now, but know they need to improve everyday as their season continues.
