Abbeville High Lady Wildcats finish second at state power lifting meet

Vermilion Parish has become a powerhouse in powerifting.
This past weekend, the powerlifting state meet took place in Kenner, where athletes from Vermilion Parish performed impressively. The parish earned a state runner-up team trophy and nine individual state titles.
Abbeville High did exceptionally well.
The Lady Wildcats powerlifting team secured second place in Division III, while Church Point won the state title.
The Lady Wildcats have not won a state title in powerlifting.
They have finished as runners-up five times, most recently in 2021. In 2023, the Lady Wildcats placed third in the state.The Lady Wildcats brought home three individual state titles and one second-place finish.
Abbeville’s two world champions powerlifters, Khandi Shuford and Brylee Batiste, brought home two individual state titles in their weight class, while Toni Landry won in her weight class.
 Shuford won the 123-pound weight class by almost 200 pounds over the second-place lifter. She had a total lift of 915 pounds; the second-place total weight was 725 pounds.
Shuford’s total of 915 pounds is now a Division III state composite record in the 123-pound class.
Brylee Batiste of Abbeville also set a composite record in the 198-pound weight class, lifting a total of 1,255 pounds. 
The second-place lifter in her weight class lifted 390 pounds less than Batiste.
Tonie Landry of Abbeville won state in the  181-pound weight class with a total lift of 790 pounds - winning by 40 pounds. 
Abbeville’s state runner-up was Melissa Mai in the 132-pound weight class, while teammate Yasmeen Cormier was sixth in the same division.
At Vermilion Catholic, Lene Claire Romero is the Division V state winner in the 132-pound weight class.
 On Friday, she broke the divisional squat record twice, the divisional bench record three times, the composite bench record once, and the total divisional record twice.
She squatted 325 pounds (a new divisional record in her weight class), benched 220 pounds (a new divisional record and new composite record in her weight class), and deadlifted 325 pounds.
Her  870 total pounds is also a new divisional record in the 132-pound weight class. Her total amount lifted with the most in all divisions in the 132-pound weight class.
Gueydan’s Grace Braus won a Division V state title in the 165-pound weight class. She lifted 805 pounds, winning by 30 pounds.
Gueydan’s Lacey Hebert finished second in the super heavyweight division with a total lift of 820 pounds.

Parish boys win four individual titles
Vermilion Parish boy powerlifters wrapped up a competition on Saturday in Division I, II, and III and competed for championships. The boys won four state titles.
Vermilion Parish state championships are Bryand Mao and Aiden Brown of Abbeville High, Ethan Tate of North Vermilion, and Tyrin Doucette of Kaplan High.
In the 132-pound weight class, Abbeville High’s Bryand Mao won with a total lift of 1,070 pounds.
Abbeville’s Aiden Brown won the 181-pound weight class with a total lift of 1,400 pounds. He won by 80 pounds.
Kaplan High’s Tyrin Doucette won the 198-pound weight class with a total lift of 1,550 pounds. He won by 135 pounds.
Ethan Tate of North Vermilion won the 198-pound weight class with a total lift of 1,435. He won by 40 pounds.

Top Six finishers from Vermilion Parish

Below are male athletes who finished in the top six. in their weight class.

Division II

North Vermilion

Ethan Tate - 198 - 1st place
Michael Nguyen - 165 - 3rd place
Devin Galley - 148 - 4th place

Dvision III

Abbeville High
Bryand Mao - 132 - 1st place
Aiden Brwon - 181 - 1st place
Trey Nguyen - 114 - 2nd place
Peter Duong - 114 - 5th place

Erath High
Dylan Broussard - 145 - 3rd Place
Andrew Leblanc -181 - 5th Place
Ryan Cully - 123 - 6th place

Kaplan High
Tyrin Doucette - 198 - 1st Place

Division IV

Vermilion Catholic
Jackson Dubois - 165 - 3rd place
Micah Kiehl - 181 - 3rd place

Delcambre
Ryan St. Marie - 132 - 6th place

Here are the top six girl athletes who finished in the top six from the parish.

Division III
Abbeville
Khandi Shuford - 123 - 1st place
Brylee Batiste - 198 - 1st place.
Tonie Landry - 181 - 1st place
Melissa Mai - 132 - 2nd place
Yasmeen Cormier - 132 - 6th place

Erath
Chloe Knapp - 220 - 2nd place
Pipper Lemaire - 198 - 2nd place
Emma Harrington 181 - 3rd place
Annslee Guidry, 220 - 5th place

Kaplan
Neanna Plowden - 198 - 3rd place

Division II
North Vermilion
Addisyn Lege - 97 - 3rd place
Ava Livings - 220 - 3rd place

Division IV
Delcambre
Daniella Romo-Mendoza - 114 - 4th place
Brooklyn McBroom - 198- 6th place

Division V

VC
Lene-Claire Romero - 132 - 1st place

Gueydan
Grace Braus - 165 - 1st place
Lacey Hebert - SHW - 2nd place