Weightlifting team going to Nationals

The Sacramento State Weightlifting Team is going to Florida in December for the American Open.

The Open will feature around 250 weightlifters from around the country.

Seven of the 11 members of this year's squad are first-time qualifiers to national competition. But coach Bill Kutzer anticipates that his team will do well despite their rookie status, but they will face stiff competition.

"There's a lot of good lifters there. It takes a while to get used to competing at that level. There will be some top competitors who will make the Olympic Team in 2000," Kutzer said. "I'd be happy if we just placed fifth out of the top 10, given the level of talent we'll be going up against."

The women's team has gone together as a whole to the Nationals in years past, but the men have never gone all together before until now.

"Last year, we had a total of five in the Open (three men, two women). This year, we've doubled our numbers with 11 (8 men, three women)."

The team has made progress in its training and preparation for the Nationals. And Kutzer hopes the team's progress will be at its peak in Orlando.

"Their training is going pretty well. We're pretty healthy, but you want to peak at the right time. We just finished the first cycle of our 2-cycle yearly training plan. We seem to be peaking pretty good, but in 3 weeks we'll know the results, how they lift," he said.

Kutzer said he will be looking more for individual lifter success than team success. He thinks that once they get the hang of things on their own at the national level, they'll be able to score higher as a whole.

Justin Carvalho, at the 105+ kg weight class, is the biggest lifter size-wise.

"Justin's improved real well since last year (at the Nationals)," Kutzer said.

Carvalho finished as the top scorer in his class with a total of 290 kg at last month's National Collegiate Championships. In addition, he's in the top 15 nationwide in the hammer throw and what Kutzer calls a "national-caliber competitor," and the team has a chance for at least one case of individual success at the Open.