Chestatee and Flowery Branch student athletes dominated for Team Georgia Weightlifting at the National Junior Weightlifting Championships in Itasca, Ill., last weekend as they won the team titles in both the women’s and men’s division.

These are the first ever team titles at the Junior Division (20 and under) for Team Georgia.

Ellen Kercher (48 kilograms), from Flowery Branch, won her weight class by 16kg/35lb and set personal records in the clean and jerk (75kg/165lb) and total.

Hope Stockel (58kg) from Flowery Branch won the bronze medal by totaling 147kg/324lb Riley Farrow (63 kg) from Chestatee placed fourth with a total of 135kg/297lb.

On Saturday Jenny Arthur (69kg) of Chestatee snatched 82kg, clean and jerking a new Junior American Record of 114kg/252lb for a total of 196kg/431lb.

Megan Poole (75kg) from Chestatee is currently a resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is attending the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

On Sunday, Poole snatched 83kg and cleaned and jerked 95 kg for a total 178kg/391lb. Hailey Drake from Flowery Branch sealed the team championship in the 75kg+ division. The University of Georgia sophomore snatched 55kg, cleaned and jerked 76kg for a total 131kg/282lb and earned Team Georgia four points.

Josh Seabolt (56) from Flowery Branch placed fourth Friday morning and snatched 59 kg/130lb, clean and jerked 77kg/169lb for a total 136kg/299lb.

Ed Ashworth (62kg) from Chestatee, snatched 85kg, clean and jerked 115kg for a total of 200kg/440lb to place fourth. Jimmy McIntyre (69kg) from Flowery Branch went six for six having a perfect day and set two new personal records. McIntyre snatched 103kg/227lb and clean and jerked 132kg/290lb. Nathaniel Peck (69kg) from Chestatee, snatched 92kg, clean and jerked 114kg for a total of 206kg/453lb to capture the Bronze medal.

On Saturday Montrai Tate (77kg) from Chestatee and Chayce Bell (77kg) from Flowery Branch competed by setting personal best efforts in the lifts.

Tate snatched 95kg, clean and jerked 115kg for a total of 210kg/462lb competing in his first National Junior Championship set three personal records. Bell snatched 100kg and cleaned and jerked 123kg for a personal record totals of 223kg/491lb.

Jarad Dunn (94kg) from Flowery Branch opened with a personal record in the snatch with 105kg and his clean and jerk was 130kg on Sunday which gave him a total meet personal record of 235kg/517lb. Dunn In the 105kg class Jackson Brown and Rob Minor from Chestatee and Jacob Matthes from Flowery Branch.

Brown snatched 105kg for a personal record. Minor had 120kg/264lb snatch and clean and jerk of 135kg placing him fourth overall. Matthes only snatched 110kg and recorded a clean and jerk of 153kg.

Jonathan West from Chestatee won the bronze medal by snatching 105kg and clean and jerking 140kg for a total of 245 kg. Jonathan Frick from Flowery Branch snatch 115kg, clean and jerked 150kg for a total of 265kg/583lb and the
silver medal.