It was 12 years in the making but well worth the effort.
The building blocks for the first state championship in program history at McAllen Memorial High were set in 2014 when McAllen ISD began its powerlifting program. Joe Guerra was hired as coach for both the boys and the girls teams.
“It was really hard in the beginning,” Guerra said in reference to outfitting his girls team. “Sometimes, it’s a taboo for girls to be lifting. I’ve had many, many conversations with parents about the safety and how girls can still be athletic and have muscle.”
Over time, that attitude began to change.
“What I’m seeing now is they are embracing an athletic mind set…the growth has been in confidence,” he said.
In 2017, one of his girls made it all the way to the state powerlifting meet. Confidence rose even more as the cycle of success began to feed on itself. The girls program has now produced at least one state qualifier a year for 10 straight years (2017-26). In fact, the floodgates opened this spring as the girls program won the state’s team powerlifting championship and two girls brought home individual state titles.
The State Championship was held at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg on March 21. The Mustangs were one of about 50 schools competing in Class 5A, Division 1.
In powerlifting, competitors add the total of their best lift in three different areas – squat, bench press and deadlift. They compete in different weight classes.
Mustang senior Amanda Soria-Cueto competed at the state meet two years ago as a sophomore and finished third as a junior. She was determined to win the gold medal this year. It was an uphill battle though as she fought through a back injury that sidelined her from October into early January.
“I had to go to physical therapy for two months,” she said. “It was very discouraging. I eventually got through that and, little by little, got back my confidence.”
Despite the setback, she maintained her routine by coming to the weight room with her teammates.
“I would come in early in the morning, at six in the morning, to do my physical therapy and then I would just help around the weight room. I was really proud of myself for being able to do that because I thought I would not even have a senior season for awhile.”
It marked quite a cap to her senior year as she won the gold medal in the 165-pound weight division, setting a new state record with an astonishing combined lift of 1,100 pounds.
Coach Guerra highlighted Amanda’s mental fortitude.
“When we talk about the mental game, I really think about Amanda because her growth is just huge (from) her sophomore year to her senior year,” Guerra said.
Another senior, Jaky Reyna, brought home a gold medal for the second straight year in the 123-pound weight division. Coach Guerra describes her as self-driven, very competitive and someone who welcomes the pressure to perform.
“You can have goals and accomplishments as yourself but that also contributes to your team,” Reyna said. “Pressure builds your character. That’s part of the sport, part of life also.”
Reyna joined powerlifting as a freshman simply because she wanted to try something new. She recalled a conversation she had with Coach Guerra about her influence on teammates three years later.
“He told me, ‘there’s other girls out there that want to be in your shoes. You make it look so easy even though it isn’t,’ ” Reyna said. “I know that day, if I would not have heard that, maybe I would not have put more work in than I was already doing. So, I think that did make a big difference.”
The state wins by Reyna and Soria-Cueto’s brings the girls program to nine individual state championships in the last 10 years. Coach Guerra added that success builds its own momentum.
“Winning is your best recruiter,” Guerra said. “It’s a culture that we built a long time ago. Our seniors, when they leave, they leave the underclassmen a blue print on how to run the following year. They love the process as much as they love winning. You have to be self-driven. The numbers don’t lie. If you put (effort) into the weight room, you’re going to see it.”
Here is a breakdown for each Mustang who competed at the state meet.
Arleth Rodriguez (97 pounds, 3rd place, 270 lb. squat, 120 lb. bench press, 245 lb. deadlift, total 635 lbs.), Lily Contreras (114 pounds, 2nd place, 325 lb. squat, 170 lb. bench, 325 lb. deadlift, total 820 lbs.), Jaky Reyna (123 pounds, 1st place, 385 lb. squat, 210 lb. bench, 335 lb. deadlift, total 925 lbs.), Raelynn Torres (148 pounds, 5th place, 370 lb. squat, 230 lb. bench, 320 lb. deadlift, total 920 lbs.), Amanda Soria-Cueto (165 pounds, 1st place, 475 lb. squat, 250 lb. bench, 370 lb. deadlift, total state record 1,100 lbs.), Mya Herrera (165 pounds, 12th place, 350 lb. squat, 230 lb. bench, 330 lb. deadlift, total 880 lbs.), Adrianne Waller (181 pounds, 8th place, 390 lb. squat, 220 lb. bench, 315 lb. deadlift, total 925 lbs.), Carolina Herrera (198 pounds, 2nd place, 470 lb. squat, 245 lb. bench, 395 lb. deadlift, total 1,110 lbs.).
PHOTO CAPTIONS
At top, two members of the 2025-26 state girls powerlifting champions from Memorial High stand back-to-back. They are Amanda Soria-Cueto (left) and Jaky Reyna. Both are seniors and both won individual state championships in different weight classes this spring.
Above, Memorial seniors Amanda Soria-Cueto (left) and Jaky Reyna stand with their awards. Amanda won a state title this year and Jaky won a state title for the 2nd straight year. Both helped the Mustangs win the girls state powerlifting title - the first in program history.