LAKELAND — Ava Jowdy partially attributes her leg strength to power skating, as opposed to powerlifting.

More than a decade's worth of hockey played on the outskirts of Boston gave Jowdy a base upon which to build when she arrived at Spruce Creek in 2020 and decided to take up a new sport. After four years of training, the senior heavyweight capped a decorated high school career Friday with her first state championship.

Jowdy earned gold in the Florida High School Athletic Association's Class 3A unlimited Olympic competition at the RP Funding Center. She matched her own school record in the clean and jerk with a final lift of 215 pounds, and converted on two snatch attempts, maxing out at 180 on the day.

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"I'm very happy about it," said Jowdy, who finished second as a junior. "Tying last year and losing (on a body weight tiebreaker) just made me more hungry."

Jowdy, who will continue competing next yeat at Lindenwood University in Missouri, was the lone winner on the opening day of the FHSAA's girls weightlifting championships; competitors in Classes 2A and 1A will take to the platform Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. She also placed third in traditional scoring, with a 405 total (215 clean and jerk, 190 bench press).

Hawks teammate Alliyah Mills, in her debut trip to the state meet, brought home a couple of bronze medals in the 169-pound division. She posted an Olympic total of 360, and a traditional total of 380.

"It was really fun coming here. I'm happy I made it all the way," Mills, a senior, said. "I wish I would have hit some of the lifts I wanted to, but I still got (personal bests) all the way. I set my sights on a little bit of high numbers, but if I ever do weightlifting again, I think I will get them. I'm proud of everything."

Spruce Creek produced the top team showings in the Class 3A standings; finishing seventh in Olympic and eighth in traditional. Pace swept the team competitions, and Winter Springs was the runner-up in both events.

Flagler Palm Coast had a pair of lifters earn places on the podium for their Olympic performances.

Nya Williams finished fifth in the 110-pound class with a 255 total score (115 snatch, 140 clean and jerk), and heavyweight Zoey Gotera came in third (140 snatch, 195 clean and jerk) as she was successful on each of her first two attempts.

"I haven't hit my 200 (clean and jerk) in a while. But if I had hit it today, it wouldn't have made any difference," said Gotera, a three-time state qualifier.

"I'm happy I'm on the podium for once, sad that my career is over. … I'm pretty satisfied. Under Coach (Duane) Hagstrom, I improved a lot."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: FHSAA weightlifting: Spruce Creek heavyweight Ava Jowdy wins title