They carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. Well, not quite. Senior Trevor Covelli lifted a total 695 pounds in Traditional weightlifting, and juniors Max Donovan and Aryan Patel carried 475 and 435 pounds in Olympic to be exact.
With Covelli taking first place in Traditional for the unlimited weight class in the regional championships held at Lyman High School on Wednesday, April 22, he has a guaranteed spot in the state championships.
“I feel very good,” coach Mark Benedict said. “We knew Trevor Covelli was going to do very well, so he’s going to go continue…on to the state finals. We have several other kids that are certainly in the mix for at-large bids to get there, which we were hoping for…We’re definitely heading in the right direction.”
Donovan and Patel, with third place finishes in the 183- and 154-pound weight classes respectively, expect to find out whether they advance to states on the following Sunday. Only regional champions know with certainty that they will advance to the state level, but those who place highly may have a chance to make it based on how their lifts compare to athletes in other regions. If Donovan or Patel were to compete at the state level, they would do so in the Olympic category, although both also competed in Traditional at regionals.
“I kind of just wanted to hit my openers first, so I can be on the board,” Donovan said. “And then after that, the nerves kind of go away. It’s just like, hit whatever I can.”
In addition to Covelli, Donovan and Patel, other high performers included Avery Zapitz, who had a 540-pound total in Traditional and a 460-pound total in Olympic, placing fourth in both, and Jon Lewis, who placed fourth in the 290-pound weight class for Olympic with a total of 475 pounds and fifth in Traditional with a 560-pound total.
Because Lyman had hosted both the SAC conference championships and the district championships earlier in the season, the team felt comfortable with the environment.
“I think for most of our kids, it was actually kind of easy, because it was held at Lyman High School…so it was very, very familiar to them,” Benedict said.
Benedict pushed the team to train hard, but prioritized recovery time directly before the competition in order to reduce soreness. Athletes also timed their individual routines to give them the best chances of success.
“I just made sure I was well fed, just eating as much as I can,” Donovan said. “Getting my sleep in every night is definitely important, and music helps too. Just staying active, talking to people you know. Don’t be too anxious and then miss all your lifts.”
With underclassmen already earning top placements at championship competitions, Benedict anticipates the team growing in skill since they will lose few seniors in the next year. Even those not in the running to compete at the state level can continue to train in the weightlifting gym alongside their teammates. Benedict also plans to lay out summer training programs in the hopes of having a strong start next Spring.
“I’m already really excited about next season, because we have some of our best lifters coming back,” Benedict said. “We have some good young lifters, [so] if they have a good period of time over the summer, next fall, getting stronger, then I think we [will] have a really good team.”
State championships will take place from May 6-8, hosted by Polk County Schools.
