RIO RANCHO – Local lifters made their presence felt Friday at the 2026 NMAA Boys Powerlifting State Championships, as Kirtland Central and Bloomfield both secured individual state titles and top-10 team finishes.
Lovington High School walked away with the Class 4A team trophy, amassing 39 points at the Rio Rancho Events Center. Kirtland Central finished in seventh place with 13 points, while Bloomfield followed closely in eighth with 12 points. Shiprock High School tied for 15th overall.
In the 114-pound weight class, Ethan Billey of Kirtland Central earned his third state championship. Billey posted an impressive total of 715 pounds, outlifting runner-up David Sedillo of Belen by 45 pounds.
Bloomfield’s Cristian Medrano dominated the Super Heavyweight (SHW) division to take home gold. Medrano hoisted a total of 1,360 pounds, comfortably clearing the 1,275-pound effort of Lovington’s Ruben Anguiano.
Area Highlights
Kirtland Central and Bloomfield saw several other athletes climb the podium:
114 lbs: Shiprock’s Arnold Yazzie took third place with a 645-pound total.
181 lbs: Bloomfield’s Ambrose Gonzalez earned a bronze medal with a total of 1,085 pounds, while Kirtland Central’s Kaleb Shondee finished fourth at 1,025 pounds.
242 lbs: Alex Leuhrs of Bloomfield secured a fourth-place finish with 1,165 pounds.
220 lbs: Kirtland Central’s Zachary Lewis placed fifth, totaling 1,060 pounds.
SHW: Cohen Harvey of Kirtland Central joined Medrano on the podium, taking third place with 1,250 pounds.
Behind an individual state championship performance from Haleigh Doyle, the Piedra Vista High School girls powerlifting team secured a top-five finish at the 2026 NMAA Class 5A State Championships on Saturday.
Doyle dominated the 97-pound weight class at the Rio Rancho Events Center, posting a total lift of 515 pounds. Her mark bested runner-up Pauline Siazon of Carlsbad by 65 pounds, giving the Panthers an early surge in the standings.
Piedra Vista finished fifth overall in a field of 22 teams, tallying 18 points. Carlsbad took the state team title with 32 points, narrowly edging out Alamogordo (30).
Two other Panthers earned silver medals in highly competitive divisions. In the 123-pound class, Aalysa Estrada claimed second place with a total of 602.50 pounds, finishing just behind Alamogordo’s Alloriah Reynolds.
In the 220-pound class, Toni Hogue delivered a massive 910-pound total to take second, trailing only Lillianna Cortez of Hobbs (930).
Rylan Valdez added a final point for PV with a fifth-place finish in the 148-pound division, totaling 660 pounds.
Farmington High School also broke into the scoring column. Paislegh Felder earned a fifth-place medal in the 123-pound class with a 585-pound total, placing the Scorpions 20th in the team standings.
Bloomfield High’s Amaya Williamson stood atop the podium Saturday, claiming an individual state championship at the 2026 NMAA Class 4A Girls Powerlifting State Championships at the Rio Rancho Events Center.
Williamson dominated the 123-pound weight class, posting a total weight of 630 pounds to outlift Lovington’s Xailee Agosto (595). Her performance anchored the Bobcats to a 10th-place team finish with 10 points.
Esmeralda Gonzalez also provided a spark for Bloomfield, earning a third-place finish in the 181-pound class with a total lift of 665 pounds.
Kirtland Central and Shiprock high schools also made their presence felt among the state’s best. The Broncos’ Glorianna Gutierrez came tantalizingly close to a title in the 148-pound division, securing second place with a total of 655 pounds—just 10 pounds shy of the top mark. Her silver-medal performance placed Kirtland Central in a tie for 13th in the team standings.
In the 220-pound class, Shiprock’s Jaiden Harrison earned a bronze medal, lifting a total of 670 pounds to help the Chieftains finish tied for 15th overall.
Lovington took home the 4A team state title with 31 points, narrowly edging out Portales (30) and Grants (26).
Local Individual Results
97 lbs: 1. Haleigh Doyle (Piedra Vista), 515
123 lbs: 1. Amaya Williamson (Bloomfield), 630; 2. Aalysa Estrada (Piedra Vista), 602.5; 5. Paislegh Felder (Farmington), 585
148 lbs: 2. Glorianna Gutierrez (Kirtland Central), 655; 5. Rylan Valdez (Piedra Vista), 660
181 lbs: 3. Esmeralda Gonzalez (Bloomfield), 665
220 lbs: 2. Toni Hogue (Piedra Vista), 910; 3. Jaiden Harrison (Shiprock), 670