17 schools were represented at the Ontario Weightlifting Association’s 12th Annual Scholastic Challenge hosted at Canadore College.
The contest, organized by Canadore’s Strength and Sport Conditioning program, featured 59 male and female athletes competing for weight class medals, best lifter awards and team pennants.
The first session of lifting was for females in the divisions from 55 up to and including 64 kilos. The gold medal winners in each of the categories were Whisper Gillespie of Canadore College at 55 kilos, Burgandy Thiessen of Laurentian University at 59, and Naomie Lusigan of ESSC Pembroke at 64 kilos.
Males in the weight categories from 55 kilos up to and including 89 kilos took part in the second session. The various winners were Griffin Lamarche from Chippewa Secondary School in the 55 kilo and under class, Lee Jessen of the University of Toronto at 67, Joel Asselin of Collège Boréal at 73, Xavier Lusigan of ESSC Pembroke at 81 and Austin Dauost-Woodrow of the Laurentian Voyageurs in the 89 kilo class.
The biggest division of the day was the female 71 kilo group — this category alone was featured in the third session of the event.
Emily Chute of Fanshawe College was the gold medalist. Chute made best lifts of 68 kilos in the snatch and 85 kilos in the clean and jerk for a total of 153 kilos. At the end of the contest Chute was awarded the best female lifter trophy according to the Sinclair (kilos bodyweight - to kilos lifted) formula. The silver at 71 kilos went to Chloe Robarge of Jean Lajoie Secondaire, while the bronze was awarded to Brooke Allerston of Nipissing University.
Males in the 96 to +109 categories took to the platform in the fourth session. Rodrigo Tupinamba of Canadore College took the 96 kilo title by doing personal bests, including 125 kilos in the snatch and 151 kilos in the clean and jerk for a 276 kilo total. Tupinamba was later named the overall top male performer of the day according to formula. Meanwhile, the 102 kilo gold was won by David Staniszewski of the Canadore Panthers with a 220 kilo total. The gold in the 109 kilo category went to Nathan McArdle of Canadore College, and the +109 winner was Thomas Fast of West Ferris Secondary School.
The last session featured females in the 76 and 87 kilo categories. At 76 kilos, Madison Finney of Canadore College won the gold with lifts of 47 kilos in the snatch and 60 kilos in the clean and jerk. In the 87 kilos class, Alexandria Wallace of Ottawa University was the top performer. Wallace, a North Bay native, broke all her personal records with 58 kilos in the snatch and 68 in the clean and jerk for a total of 126 kilos. Wallace managed to edge out silver medalist Emily Rygus of Niagara College. Rygus made 55 and 69 for a 124 kilo total.
The top novice female was 71 kilo silver medal winner, Laura Wells, of St. Lawrence College. The male novice trophy was won by Canadore College’s Neil Vandeloo. Vandeloo was the silver medalist in the 102 kilo division.
The 2019 College/University team pennant, based on the points of the top three scoring males and females on each squad, was presented to the host, Canadore Panthers. The Nipissing University Lakers were second. The top high school team was Chippewa Secondary School.
