Lehman’s Michaela Castillo brought home the state powerlifting second-place silver medal for the second straight year. In addition, Lady Lobo teammate Jessica Gonzalez medaled individually by finishing fifth and Lehman finished 13th as a team in the meet that featured more than 50 schools. (photo by Alicia Naspretto)
by JASON GORDON
Lehman’s Michaela Castillo didn’t bring home the gold medal she coveted from the state powerlifting meet, but when she reflects back on her high school athletic career she certainly has a lot to be proud of.
Castillo again led her Lady Lobo teammates at the state meet in Corpus Christi.
Competing at the 114-pound level, Castillo brought home the second-place silver medal for the second straight year. Castillo, a four-time state qualifier, won the bronze as a sophomore.
Lehman’s six-girl team consisting of Castillo, Alyssa Gaitan, Kat Mohle, Alexis Pineda, Jessica Gonzalez, and Natalie Guerra, finished 13th overall out of more than 50 statewide high schools that were represented at the state meet.
The only other Lehman competitor who medaled individually was Jessica Gonzales, who finished fifth in the 105-pound weight class.
Pineda narrowly missed the medal stand with a sixth-place finish as only the top five individuals medal in each weight class at state.
“I’m really proud of myself and my teammates,” Castillo said. “We gave it our all and that’s all anyone can ask of us. I was sad not finishing first but I have accomplished a lot in four years. I had so much support from my family, friends and we have two great coaches in (Eric) Ray and (Trey) Rose. Building those lifelong relationships and building up this program is what it’s all about. I want Lehman to shine now and into the future.”
Castillo and Pineda are the only two seniors out of the six Lehman girls who went to state.
“It was disappointing we didn’t hit our goal as a team but how many people can say they’ve been to state in their sport?,” Gaitan said.
“Next year we’ll be working even harder and setting an even higher standard than we have now. We’ll show the rookies on the team that we’re here to win and we expect nothing less.”
Rose said he already sees the future of Lehman powerlifting in the works.
“Our veterans on the team are already talking to the kids in eighth grade letting them know how much success we’ve had in powerlifting,” Rose said. “That’s what building a tradition is all about. When the older kids pass their knowledge on to the younger ones and you just keep getting better year after year.”
Hays sophomore Alex Schaubhut finished 11th in the 123-pound class in her first trip to state.
“Going into the meet I knew there would be a lot of really strong girls there,” Schaubhut said. “I just hope I inspired more girls at our school to come compete in powerlifting.”
Lehman’s Brandon Alford and Ethan Martin, and Hays’ Justin Davis will compete in the boys state powerlifting meet March 24 in Abilene.
