“It was fairly new to me last year,” Gonzalez said. “I have learned a lot about the sport. I love teaching and it’s been important to help my teammates achieve their goals and to support them.”Gonzalez also competes with the flag football team and has been a cheerleader at Archbishop McCarthy. She will attend Florida […]
“It was fairly new to me last year,” Gonzalez said. “I have learned a lot about the sport. I love teaching and it’s been important to help my teammates achieve their goals and to support them.”Gonzalez also competes with the flag football team and has been a cheerleader at Archbishop McCarthy. She will attend Florida Atlantic University and is planning to continue to train in weightlifting. She has previously competed in tournaments outside of high school, including the CrossFit Storm Summer Slam competition.“I love setting my goals high and I pushed myself this year,” Gonzalez said. “It was a great feeling and accomplishment to win districts and regionals. I am proud of myself with the numbers I have been able to hit now in two years. It was a challenge for me and it’s very rewarding. I have grown so much as a lifter.”Gonzalez placed first at the district tournament and regional championship in both the traditional and Olympic categories during her senior campaign.Gonzalez placed second in the Olympic category and finished third in the traditional competition in the 139-pound weight class to earn two medals at the FHSAA Class 2A state championship. She recorded a 195 in the clean-and-jerk and 135 in the snatch for a 330 total in the Olympic competition. She also registered a 145 in the bench press for a 340 total in the traditional category.“I love weightlifting and being strong makes me feel good about myself,” Gonzalez said.Archbishop McCarthy senior Sophia Gonzalez finished as the only runner-up competitor from Broward and Palm Beach at the state championship among participating athletes across three classifications. The standout senior was selected as the Sun Sentinel girls weightlifter of the year.“I was super dedicated with my training this season and all the hours lifting in practice,” Gonzalez said. “It takes a lot of discipline. I really improved and I did the little things that made a difference to accomplish my goals. I was able to stay consistent. I credit all my coaches. I received a lot of support from my family. My dad really pushed me and kept me motivated to work hard.”The senior captain helped lead the Mavericks to capture the district championship and they placed third in both categories at the regional tournament.Gonzalez joined the weightlifting team beginning in her junior season and excelled under the direction of coach Heidi Bowser. She also trains at CrossFit Fort Lauderdale and credited coach Pablo Roman.
