REGIONAL QUALIFIERS
Five Lady Bulldog powerlifters, including Amalia Knutson, Jessi Harris, Emily Najera, Kara Baker and Alianne Downs, qualified for and will compete in the Region 2 Powerlifting Championships to be held this Saturday in Dublin. Bars will be loaded at 8:30 a.m. Knutson and Harris enter the event ranked fourth in the region in their respective weight classes. Najera is ranked eighth in her division, Baker 11th in her class, and Downs punched a ticket to regionals as the twelfth-ranked competitor in her class. The top two finishers in each division in Dublin will qualify for the state competition to be held in Edinburg on Mar. 12. Last Thursday in DeLeon, Knutson and Harris each earned individual gold medals. Knutson hoisted a total of 790 pounds in three events to finish atop her division, and Harris lifted a combined 810 pounds to claim a blue ribbon. Najera also earned points for the Lady Bulldogs in DeLeon, placing third in her weight class by lifting a total of 730 pounds. Other Lady Dogs competing in DeLeon included Downs with a sixthplace finish, Kara Baker seventh, Ellaina Smith seventh, Luna Vasquez ninth, Jocelyn Elliott 12th and Gemma Bates, who bombed out giving maximum effort in a bid to earn a regional invite. Regional bound Lady Bulldogs pictured (l-r) include Amalia Knutson, Jessi Harris, Emily Najera, Kara Baker and Alianne Downs. Photos by Tracy Cox
