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Lafayette Women’s Powerlifting Team Takes First at Division Meet
By Judson Scott
HottyToddy.com Intern
jcscott5@go.olemiss.edu
The Lafayette Women’s Powerlifting Team took home first place at the Class Three Region One meet Jan. 17 and qualified for the regional meet that will be held Feb. 21 at the Lafayette County Multipurpose Building.
Under the direction of head coach Sandra Smith, the team will move on to the regional meet where the top three lifters in each weight class will advance to the North Half on Feb. 29.

The Lafayette High School women’s powerlifting team took first place at the Class Three Region One meet Jan. 17. Photo via Facebook.
Powerlifting is a sport judged based on three main workouts. The three workouts are squat, bench and deadlift. The weights for each workout are then combined to give the athlete their final total, which is how the event is judged.
Smith, who began teaching at Lafayette in 1996, started as the cheerleading coach and later became the powerlifting coach in 2005.
“We had a strength and conditioning program in place with cheer,” Smith said. “So the athletic director asked me if I would consider starting a girls powerlifting team and the rest, as they say, is history.”
Of the 12-person team, nine members were able to qualify for the region meet.
Karlee Griffin, Tameal Malone, Damanda Malone, Atley Griffin, Yazmine Norphlet, Gabby Booker, Kaylan Strong, Angel Harmon and Zya Kelley all qualified for the region meet.
Lafayette will have their work cut out for them come Feb. 21 as they will now be competing against division one and division two teams. Lafayette will have to get through Lewisburg, Grenada, Southaven, South Panola, Oxford, Desoto Central, Center Hill, Saltillo and Lake Cormorant.
Smith knows there is still a lot of hard work ahead to get her team that elusive state championship trophy.
“I think we have a great chance of getting all our girls through to state,” Smith said. “That’s our goal anyway, the more people you have qualified for state the better your chances are of grabbing a state title.
