LIVE OAK — Sitting in fourth place at the River Ridge Invitational in mid-December, Suwannee weightlifting coach Dan Marsee and senior standout Brianna Stephens-Woods decided to go big.
With her prowess in the bench press in their back pocket for the traditional event, Marsee and Stephens-Woods pushed her clean and jerk to a new level, leaning on a season of 1-on-1 workouts with assistant coach and former state champion Matti Marsee to help Stephens-Woods reach new heights.
Not only did Stephens-Woods clear the new personal record of 165 pounds to move her into third at the midseason event, but it provided a jolt of confidence that she carried throughout the season.
“I’d never hit that,” Stephens-Woods said. “I tried it at River Ridge where every lifter says their weights feel heavier than anywhere else. I got it and finished third in Olympic which we didn’t think I was going to do. I did it. That really helped.”
That confidence, along with her strength in the bench press, helped Stephens-Woods win an individual state championship in the 129 weight class in traditional as well as finish third in Olympic. It also landed her the title of Lake City Reporter Girls Weightlifter of the Year.
Coming off a junior season in which she finished third in the state in traditional, Suwannee coach Dan Marsee knew the ability that Stephens-Woods had. He also had noticed an uptick in her devotion to the sport, one she began simply to help her in softball.
But there was one hurdle that Marsee thought could stand in the way of Stephens-Woods and a potential state title: her class schedule.
Most of the Bulldogs take Marsee’s weightlifting class, which serves as a jump start to practice, getting in one workout there and leaving just one more workout for after school.
Stephens-Woods, though, wasn’t in the class. That caused some concerns.
“Not having the class, you’d think it wouldn’t help you at all, you’d think it would be a negative but it didn’t really have a negative effect,” Stephens-Woods said.
Marsee added: “I thought (it) was going to be a big problem and it turned out to be the best thing that happened to her because of the amount of one-on-one coaching she was able to get. I just kind of handed her to Matti and said, ‘OK, she’s yours.’ It worked.”
It turned into that blessing because instead of lifting in that crowded weight room with all of her other teammates vying for attention, Stephens-Woods instead stayed an extra hour after practice. That hour was spent working under the watchful of eye of Matti Marsee, correcting technique, finding little areas where Stephens-Woods could release the athleticism and strength inside of her and overcome the tendencies she developed with an injured knee the previous year.
It meant more opportunity to identify the weaknesses in Stephens-Woods’ technique in the clean-and-jerk and snatch events and to correct them.
The weights soon escalated.
“It was different than last year,” Stephens-Woods said. “The weight was basically heavier by not going in the hole and being hurt. You’re just using your arms.”
That tutelage turned into that PR at the River Ridge meet, which she then passed at Power of Christmas. It also helped lead to a sweep of district titles, a region title in the traditional and runner-up finish in Olympic at the regional meet before her gold and bronze finish at state.
It also meant a dream realized.
While Stephens-Woods started weightlifting to get stronger for softball where she is a two-time All-Area selection by the Reporter, a talk with Marsee before the senior season gave her a new direction.
While Marsee saw the athleticism that she possessed as soon as she began weightlifting two years ago and what it could potentially mean, he shared the data that matched that vision ahead of this past year.
“He was looking at everybody’s stats and their numbers, he said if I really locked in I could get second or first at state,” Stephens-Woods said. “For my senior year, I really did want to do that.”
That’s all she needed to hear. For the all-time softball player and part-time weightlifter, suddenly there was more balance. That dedication to weightlifting included making sure to get workouts in during the offseason before or after travel ball tournaments.
It also meant a shift as the postseason began in January.
“She was able to navigate through it and say, ‘I have to turn my volume of throws back here in the postseason to keep my shoulders fresh and healthy to finish out the season,’” Marsee said.
Those fewer throwing sessions paid off with the hardware that she desired. It also helped her set a new PR in the clean and jerk at the state meet where she finished just five pounds behind Wewahitchka’s Bidwell Harper and Andrew Jackson’s Laila Moreland in Olympic while clearing everybody in traditional by at least 15 pounds. She also had her best lifts of the season in each one of the three events at the state meet.
It also finished off the kind of season that athletes dream of with natural growth and progression along the way. It’s what separated Stephens-Woods from so many others.
“She was just steady,” Marsee said. “We knew early that she would have a chance and then every meet she just got better and better and better. Then we knew toward the end, ‘OK, we’re the favorite.’ It was the exact progression that you’d want. There wasn’t a lot of ups and downs with her. She was just so steady.”
ALL-AREA TEAM
19: Jozlyn Montoya
Suwannee, junior
Reached the medal stand at the Class 1A state meet by placing fourth in traditional (290 total) and third in Olympic (270 total); regional runner-up in both events after winning district title in Olympic with a district runner-up finish in traditional.
129: Brianna Stephens-Woods
Suwannee, senior
The LCR’s Girls Weightlifter of the Year won the Class 1A state title in traditional with a 350 total and also reached the medal stand in Olympic with a third-place finish (300 total); swept district titles and won a regional title in traditional to go with a runner-up finish in Olympic.
129: Khloe King
Suwannee, sophomore
Reached the medal stand at the Class 1A state meet by placing fourth in Olympic (265 total) following a pair of third-place finishes at districts and regionals; also placed seventh at state in traditional (280 total) after taking third in both events at districts and regionals.
169: Calinn Daniel
Suwannee, junior
Was runner-up in both traditional (370 total) and Olympic (315 total) at the Class 1A state meet; swept district titles and won a regional title in traditional with a runner-up finish in Olympic.
169: Jordynn Washington
Suwannee, junior
Reached the medal stand at the Class 1A state meet with a fifth-place finish in traditional (310 total) after placing second at districts and third at regionals.
183: Tamira Smith
Suwannee, sophomore
Reached the medal stand at the Class 1A state meet with a pair of sixth-place finishes in traditional (330 total) and Olympic (300 total); was third in traditional and fourth in Olympic at regionals following a pair of runner-up finishes at districts.
199: Felicity May
Suwannee, junior
Reached the medal stand at the Class 1A state meet by placing fourth in Olympic (320 total) following a district title and a second-place finish at regionals.
199: Simari Lott
Suwannee, senior
Reached the medal stand at the Class 1A state meet by placing fifth in Olympic (295 total) following a fourth-place finish at regionals and a runner-up finish at districts; also placed seventh at state in traditional (325 total) after winning a district title with a runner-up finish at regionals.
UNL: Wyllow Davis
Branford, junior
Took home medals at the Class 1A state meet with a third-place finish in Olympic (330 total) and a sixth-place finish in traditional (355 total); regional champ in Olympic and third in traditional after sweeping district titles.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Dan Marsee, Suwannee
Led the Bulldogs to their eighth straight District 4-1A title in traditional and fourth straight in Olympic, a pair of Region 2 titles and a pair of runner-up finishes at the Class 1A state meet. In total, 14 of Marsee’s lifters qualified for state, with the Bulldogs taking home 12 medals.