POWER: Ingram, Griffin compete at State
season meet, will be in Corpus Christi Saturday to compete at the State
Powerlifting Meet. (Photo courtesy of Donna Shannon)
Two Shelby County powerlifters will compete against the state's best Saturday when Center's Chakera Ingram and Shelbyville's Kelsi Griffin compete in the Texas High School Powerlifting Association State Meet held in Corpus Christi.
Ingram squatted 285 pounds, bench pressed 120 pounds and dead lifted 375 pounds to place third at the Class 3A Region III competition held several weeks ago in Forney. She was in the 148-pound weight class and totaled 780 total pounds between the three events.
One of four Center athletes competing at the regional competition, Ingram set two personal records and a Region III mark, according to Coach Donna Shannon. Her weight of 375 in the deadlift was a personal best and a Region III mark as well. She also added a personal best in the squat.
Her personal best in the bench press is 120 pounds.
Stephanie Brown of Canton took top honors with 845 pounds and Tatiana Rodriguez of Ferris was second with 795 pounds, finishing just 15 pounds ahead of the Center athlete.
Ingram ranks 40th in Class 3A Region III among all lifters across the state. She qualifies at that mark with 725 total pounds. She ranks eighth among Class 3A competitors.
Griffin enters the State meet ranked 27th overall in the 181-pound weight class of all competitors across the state with a total weight of 775 pounds, according to the THSPA website. She is fourth among Class 1A competitors, behind Michelle Drew of Cross Plains (815 pounds), Ashley Taylor of Ganado (810) and Tiphany Baker of Leverett's Chapel (785).
However, at the Region III Meet, Griffin lifted a total of 800 pounds. She set a personal best with top weight of 240 pounds in the squat competition. Griffin followed that with a lift 140 pounds in the bench press, which was also a personal best.
Heading into the final round of competition, Kelsi was in seventh place among Class 1A-5A lifter and trailed the Class 1A leader by 10 pounds.
She responded to the challenge ahead by setting yet another personal best with 320 pounds in the dead lift, giving her a ground total of 800 pounds, which moved her into fourth place in all classifications in Region III and secured top honors against Class 1A competition.
The State event will be held at Taylor County Expo Center.