Oviedo’s girls weightlifting team, armed with six senior state qualifiers, has high hopes for this week’s FHSAA Class 3A championship meet in Lakeland.

The Lions placed third in the traditional competition last season and hope to better that finish on Wednesday at the RP Funding Center.

“We’ve had good individuals over the years, but as an overall team this is definitely the strongest team I’ve had,” Oviedo coach Danny Evans said.

Pace, a Panhandle power, has won five of the six 3A titles in the past three years and is once again the heavy favorite. Evans said a second-place finish for his Oviedo squad would be “wonderful”.

The Lions swept district and region titles with strong showings by Justice Sampson, Anna Ferrell, Marnee McCue and Olivia Chapman. Samantha Van Adelbert and Sofia Miller round out the state meet lineup.

This is the fourth state meet for McCue.

Miller is a first-timer qualifier for state weightlifting. She played golf for Oviedo in the fall and is also on the Lions lacrosse team.

Other top Orlando area contenders include Gwyneth Jensen of Winter Springs, Caitlynn Carver of St. Cloud, Molly O’Hara of East Ridge, Gia Griffith of Faith Christian and Jayleen Sanchez of Tohopekaliga.

The 2A meet is Thursday, followed by Friday’s 1A championships.

Here is a list of top area qualifiers by weight class with their best totals from district or region meets. O: denotes Olympic style (snatch and clean and jerk); T: denotes traditional (bench press and clean and jerk):

101 pounds

T: Lucy Ilano, Timber Creek, 235

T: Samantha Van Adelbert, 230

T: Gracie Patrick, Hagerty, 230

O: Gracie Patrick, Hagerty, 250

O: Lucy Ilano, Timber Creek, 245

110 pounds

T: Jayleen Sanchez, Tohopekaliga, 275

T: Mariah Turner, Innovation, 265

O Sanchez, 275

O: Dudley Ferrer, Osceola, 250

119 pounds 

T: Marnee McCue, Oviedo, 335

T: Valentina Rodriguez, Innovation, 290

O: Mariam Petit, Lake Howell, 300

O: McCue, 280

O: Carson Roden, Eustis, 280

129 pounds

T: Molly O’Hara, East Ridge, 350

T: Nariya Robertson, Lake Brantley, 325

O: Jordan Schwenneker, Horizon, 325

O: O’Hara, 315

139 pounds

T: Anna Ferrell, Oviedo, 360

T: Gia Griffith, Faith Christian, 350

O: Ferrell, 345

O: Griffith, 345

154 pounds 

T: Gwyneth Jensen, Winter Springs, 375

T: Amirah Newton, East Ridge, 370

O: Caitlynn Carver, St. Cloud, 370

O: Nia Flores, Harmany, 340

O: Victoria Barajas, Tavares, 340

169 pounds 

T: Camila Mandujano, Lake Mary, 335

T: Aliyah Gibbons, Timber Creek, 320

T: Campbell Downing, Hagerty, 320

O: Mandujano, LM, 320

O: Sadie Lindner, Hagerty, 315

183 pounds

T: Ava Solberg, Boone, 330

T: Samantha Arscott, Harmony, 320

O: Jaliel Bellefleur, Ocoee, 290

O: Lilyana Saavedra, Winter Springs, 290

199 pounds

T: Olivia Chapman, Oviedo, 345

T: Jazera Elington, Seminole, 340

O: Elington, 310

O: Eva Guerrier, East River, 290

Unlimited

T: Justice Sampson, Oviedo, 410

T: Autumn Frost, St. Cloud, 390

O: Sampson, 390

O: Frost, 340

Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.