- December 5, 2025
The Pirates' Chiara Longo clean-and-jerks during districts. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Chiara Longo prepares to lift the bar at districts. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas coach Sara Novak smiles as she talks with another coach during districts. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas lifter Savannah Evans prepares to lift at districts. Photo by Ray Boone
Nia Felton clean-and-jerks at districts. Photo by Ray Boone
Gabriela Homen clean-and-jerks during the district meet. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas coach Sara Novak smiles as she talks with another coach during districts. Photo by Ray Boone
Katie Welker smiles with her first-place ribbon at districts. Photo by Ray Boone
The Pirates pose with the first-place trophy. It was the fourth straight district title for Matanzas. Photo by Ray Boone
A Matanzas lifter holds up the first-place trophy. It was the Pirates' fourth straight district title. Photo by Ray Boone
When the Pirates’ Katie Welker crouched onto the mat and gripped the bar for the clean-and-jerk, the last event of the afternoon, she focused. The nerves disappeared.
She had one thing on her mind.
“All I wanted was the four-peat,” she said.
Matanzas’ girls weightlifting team competed in the the district meet on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at Pedro Menendez High School. The Pirates scored a team total of 78, blowing past second place Pedro Menendez by 22 points. It was the Pirates’ fourth consecutive district championship. It was also the first time in school history that any sports team has won districts four years in a row.
“It’s been a trend for us to come out and beat Pedro — always,” Welker said. “They want to beat us so badly. We put it all in and work hard every day.”
The Pirates had five individual champions: First-time lifter Jaden Marsala, competing in the 101-pound weight class, bench pressed 95 pounds and clean-and-jerked 80 pounds; Welker, a staple for the Pirates in the 110 class, benched 125 and clean-and-jerked 110; Tayler Phillips, who was 80 pounds ahead of second place in the 169 class, benched and clean-and-jerked 135; Juliana Smith, lifting in the 199 class, benched and clean-and-jerked 140; and unlimited lifter Chiara Longo benched 175 and clean-and-jerked 145.
And of the 20 girls who lifted, 17 of them scored in the top six in each weight class, qualifying them for regionals.
“It shows that the hard work and dedication that they’ve put in — what they want, they can get,” Pirates coach Sara Novak said. “Obviously, what we’re doing physically and mentally in the weight room is working. And the most important thing to me is that wherever they are they can be confident and own what they can do.”
However, Novak said she believes the main ingredient to the team’s success over the past four years is due to the relationships she has formed with each athlete.
“Everyone one of these girls knows that I love them and would do anything for them, and I really believe that feeling is mutual,” she said. “When girls feel good about themselves and have 100% support behind them, their limits are endless and that was proven tonight.”
