In its first year of existence, Yelm High School’s boys powerlifting team brought home a state championship on Saturday, May 4, at Northwest Christian High School in Lacey. The meet featured competition from 1A through 4A classifications.
Yelm had three individuals win a state championship, including senior Tucker Myszkowski (114 pounds), junior Andrei Buban (123) and junior Mason Embrey (138). The Tornados also had three second-place finishes from sophomore Luke Brown (181) and seniors Landen Barger and Colin West, who tied in the unlimited classification.
“Tucker, Andrei and Mason came in first place and did what they had to do. The nice thing about them is Tucker set the bench press record in his weight class. He’s 114 pounds, and he benched 160 pounds,” Yelm’s powerlifting coach Thomas Hoghaug said. “Andrei Buban, at 123 pounds, squatted 305 pounds and set a new squat record. Mason Embrey set three records, but then someone beat him on his deadlift. He also set the overall total record of 1,100 pounds.”
As a team, the Tornados finished in first with 47 points. Olympia placed second with 34 points, Shelton third with 26 points, Elma fourth place with 22 points, and River Ridge fifth with 20 points.
“I felt relieved once we secured the championship,” Hoghaug said. “It was very nerve-wracking and stressful throughout the day because there was a lot of great competition. There were almost 190 kids competing and a lot of good lifters. It was a big relief once we secured the championship.”
He added that over 20 teams were featured at the competition, and 19 competitors from Yelm participated and lifted weights at the event.
West, club president of YHS’s powerlifting program, lit up when talking about the team’s championship victory. He said it felt amazing bringing home another state championship to Yelm. He was a member of the 2022 3A state football championship team.
“This is the second championship that I’ve ever been to, and it feels awesome to be a part of something like this,” West said. “I was the second person Hog came to when starting the club. It feels good to finally be a part of something, not just in the background.”
Junior Ethan Owens, fourth-place finisher at state, said knowing how close YHS’s powerlifting team members are makes winning the state championship even better.
“We’re always helping and supporting each other during our lifts, and that’s one of the great things about our team. We’re always there for each other,” Owens said. “After we heard that we won state, we were so happy. We ran over to Hog and gave him a big hug, and he had a big smile on his face. It definitely meant a lot to him, too.”
Hoghaug thanked YHS physical education teachers and weight-lifting instructors Jason Ronquillo and Cayla Gable for their help in preparing the program’s athletes during the season and at the state championship.
YELM RESULTS
BOYS
First Place
Senior Tucker Myszkowski (114-pound division): 255 squat, 165 bench, 275 deadlift
Junior Andrei Buban (123): 305 squat, 165 bench, 365 deadlift
Junior Mason Embrey (148): 405 squat, 235 bench, 460 deadlift
Second Place
Senior Landen Barger (Unlimited): 535 squat, 345 bench, 545 deadlift
Senior Colin West (Unlimited, tied with Barger): 560 squat, 300 bench, 565 deadlift
Sophomore Luke Brown (181): 415 squat, 275 bench, 540 deadlift
Third Place
Senior Giovani Sanchez (198): 405 squat, 295 bench, 475 deadlift
Fourth Place
Junior Ethan Owens (165): 370 squat, 255 bench, 395 deadlift
Junior Try Keena (181): 405 squat, 315 bench, 430 deadlift
Fifth Place
Sophomore Keoni Pablo (123): 220 squat, 145 bench, 315 deadlift
Junior Tyler Gray (165): 365 squat, 195 bench, 435 deadlift
Eighth Place
Freshman Noah Brewer (132): 275 squat, 150 bench, 272 deadlift
Girls
First Place
Senior Emma Norman (105): 155 squat, 90 bench, 235 deadlift
Fifth Place
Senior Kiana Neir (165): 235 squat, 140 bench, 275 deadlift
Eighth Place
Sophomore Madelyn Lawson (181): 175 squat, 95 bench, 285 deadlift
Ninth Place
Senior Sophia Garbarini (181): 135 squat, 90 bench, 245 deadlift
