Three area athletes clinch gold at state powerlifting competition

RIO RANCHO, N.M.

The New Mexico Powerlifting State Championships were held on Saturday with three area athletes winning gold.

The trio was headed by Grants’ Savannah Ortiz as she won her second Class 4A crown at 259 pounds during the one-day state competition at Rio Rancho Events Center.

In addition to Ortiz, Bloomfield’s Amaya Williamson and Ramah’s Lyric Burson stood atop the podium as first-time state winners.

Of all the state champions, Ortiz shined the brightest, lifting a mind-blowing 1,005 pounds in the three disciplines as second-place finisher Kaylee Salcido of Lovington finished with a 780-pound total.

“I feel like I really dominated my weight class,” Ortiz said. “I mean, (powerlifting) will always be my home and I’m proud of every girl in that weight class.”

Ortiz started Saturday’s competition by squatting 400 pounds, she then benched 175 and she capped the competition with a 435-pound deadlift.

Earlier this season, the Grants powerlifter maxed out at 420 in squat, 200 in bench and 440 in deadlift. And although she did not set new PRs, Ortiz was still happy with the way she competed as she holds the highest weight total in the state of New Mexico regardless of classification.

“I just wanted to leave my legacy so that it could stay for a while,” Ortiz said.

In the team standings, the Lady Pirates took home the third-place trophy with 26 points behind state champ Lovington (31) and state runner-up Portales (30).

Grants also received a second-place finish from junior Kinsey Williams at 165 and a pair of third place showings from senior Olivia Toivanen (165) and junior Reilly Burress (97).

“Honestly, we were looking at possibly a first-place finish and there were a lot of things that needed to go right for that,” Grants coach Joshua Pacheco said. “But our girls did an amazing job. They fought for everything they earned and I’m super happy with what they accomplished.”

Williams lifted 685 pounds at the state meet as she finished behind state champ Rebecca Neal of Highland with the latter athlete lifting 790 pounds.

“Honestly, this is incredible,” Williams said. “I’ve been dreaming of this ever since I started.”

Williams hit 255 in squat, 115 in bench and 315 in deadlift.

“That was a big milestone for me,” Williams said of her squat attempt. “I have never hit that before. It took a lot of practice, and just being consistency for me to hit that.”

Toivanen finished third behind Williams with a 660 total. She lifted 245 in squat, 115 in bench and 300 in deadlift.

“I have two medals,” Toivanen said. “I have a state championship medal from last year and I placed third today. Man, what a year I had. As a senior, I made sure that I gave it my all.”

Burress also won bronze at 97 pounds as she lifted a 455-pound weight total. Valencia’s Adrianna Berni won the state crown with 475 pounds and Bernalillo’s Miekelah Coriz took second with a 470 total.

“To get up there on the podium, I lifted pretty much all year,” Burress said. “I took a slight break from September to November so that I can run cross country and then I was right back at it.”

Burress’ lifts on Saturday were 145 in squat, 80 in bench and 230 in deadlift.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t go low enough for 155 so it wasn’t counted,” Burress said of her squat.

Amaya Williamson

At 123 pounds, Williamson capped her senior season with a state title after finishing third last season. She lifted a total of 630 pounds while state runner-up Eleni Andritsos of St. Pius X had a total of 595.

“The process of it all is getting into the weight room and just being determined,” Williamson said of winning state.

The Bloomfield powerlifter lifted 190 in squat, 135 in bench and 305 in deadlift, which were all PRs. Of the three disciplines, she increased her deadlift by 30 pounds.

“Before the state meet, I was way over my head to where I was overthinking things because in the practice room, I struggled with trying to get 285 (pounds) up,” Williamson said of her deadlift. “I felt like I wasn’t going to do it again.”

She successfully lifted that weight on her second attempt on Saturday, which earned her the state crown. But for her final lift, she increased the bar by 20 more pounds to test her mental strength as the three judges gave her white lights for a good lift.

“Once I got 285, I knew that I could go more, so I just put my whole entire heart into it,” she said of her final lift of 305. “When I saw the white lights, a total relief came off my chest. I was so excited because I beat myself and my own mentality.”

Bloomfield coach Brian Mosely said Williamson’s work ethic is nothing short of amazing.

“Amaya is one of them kids that I can’t get out of the weight room,” Mosely said. “She works so hard. She works so hard in everything she does, you know, wrestling and weightlifting.

“She’s one of them kids that listens very well, she pushes hard and sets goals, and it all came together for her,” he added. “It was beautiful and now she’s headed to the military.”

The Lady Bobcats also received a third-place finish from first-year powerlifter Esmeralda Gonzalez as the junior lifted a total of 665 pounds in the 181-pound weight class. She finished behind state champ Azlan Smith (750) of Portales and Roswell Goddard’s Vasanti Sosa (690).

“I surprised myself,” Gonzalez said. “I never knew that I could do this. I think it’s a good chance for everyone to see what they can do on their own.”

For her lifts, Gonzalez maxed out at 250 in squat, 115 in bench and 300 in deadlift.

Lyric Burson

After two previous appearances at the state meet, Burson finally got on the podium for her senior season, winning the 114-pound weight division in the Class A-3A with a 525-pound total.

“I’ve gone to state three times now and the other two were in different weight class and I had to cut down this year and really grind,” Burson said. “You know, I didn’t place the last two years and I came back for it, and being a senior is a big part of it.

“You know, it’s my last high school powerlifting so I had to really grind,” she added. “I really wanted that medal, and it was my last chance. Before, I didn’t finish too well, and I had to prove everyone wrong and come back on top.”

For her lifts on Saturday, she maxed out at 160 in squat, 90 in bench and 275 in deadlift with the latter lift being a new PR. Going into the final event, Burson trailed by 40 pounds as she was sitting fifth in the standings with Cloudcroft senior Gena Davis leading the field with 290 pounds after the squat and bench lifts. Davis finished as the state runner-up with a 515-pound weight total.

“I know my deadlift is strong, but I do stress out because you’re looking at the numbers when you’re closer to the end,” Burson said. “But, you know, that fueled me more. I was really excited to get a big number in deadlift.”

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