Christoval state champ powerlifter Abbey Lee ready for next level
Amy McDaniel
Christoval High School’s Abbey Lee hopes all her heavy lifting takes her around the world.
The senior state-champion powerlifter will continue her athletic career at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri, where she also hopes to earn a nursing degree and see more than just the Concho Valley.
“My mom is a nurse so I always wanted to be a nurse and travel the world,” said Lee, who made her college plans official Friday at a signing ceremony in Christoval.
Lee, who won the 2021 Class 2A state powerlifting title in her weight class by lifting 1,000 total pounds over the three lifts: squat, bench and deadlift. Her total was 150 more pounds than the second-place finisher.
The lifelong Christoval resident said she initially took up the sport “just to be with friends but I ended up really enjoying it.”
Still a relatively new sport in Texas, Lee will join a fledgling program at Missouri Valley, which is an NAIA school located east of Kansas City, Missouri.
“The coach was very up front with me; it’s a newer program,” said Lee, who had other options like Midland University in Freemont, Nebraska, or Ottawa University in Kansas. “They have a beautiful campus and I really liked their weight room.”
Lee saw immediate success her first year in the sport. She was fourth as a freshman at the state meet. She was a qualifier to the canceled 2020 meet before claiming the state title as a junior.
She lifted 380 in squat, 245 in the bench press and 375 in the dead lift, which was 35 pounds more than her previous best of 965.
Her goal for her senior year is not only to repeat as state champ but to increase her lift total.
“Just to be better than last year,” Lee said. “It was surprising actually. It felt really good. I worked through COVID and the work finally paid off.”
Lee said she loves the “family atmosphere” of powerlifting. Even your competition is rooting for you to do your best, she said.
Lee holds a Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association west regional record in the bench press. The state powerlifting meet is in March.
Amy McDaniel is a multimedia sports journalist. Send news tips to amy.mcdaniel@gosanangelo.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.