The LSU powerlifting team defended its national crown in combined team lifting this weekend, edging out in-state rival Louisiana Tech by only two points overall.
The team traveled to Orlando, Fla., this weekend to compete in the United States of America Powerlifting Collegiate Championships. All three teams LSU sent had top-three finishes.
“We had a bunch of third and fourth-place finishers,” said Jacob Warner, public liaison for the LSU powerlifting team. “In men’s and women’s we won second, but our combined total was high enough to get a combined championship.”
The highest lifters for LSU were junior Kiela Badeaux, sophomore Kaitlin Stewart and graduate student Cardyl Trionfante.
“Those three were definitely out best lifters from this meet,” Warner said.
Nationals this year featured 50 colleges and more than 275 competitors, both record numbers for the USAPL Collegiate Championships. Warner said the competition was tough and numerous teams put up a fight.
“We had tough competition from Penn State, [Louisiana-Lafayette], Louisiana Tech, and Texas A&M,” Warner said. “They were our top competitors.”
Warner said the season was a great success and the team is going home happy.
“The only thing we could have wanted more is a championship in men’s or women’s,” Warner said. “But we are more than happy. Our main goal was combined and we won it.”
The combined championship is the third in school history, bringing the total number of championships to six.
 
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