Written By: JP Nicoletta

Saturday, April 18th will feature the Women's Open and Invitational sessions.

9AM - Session 1: Open Women 48Kg, 53Kg and 58Kg
Noon - Session 2: Open Women 63Kg
3PM - Session 3: Open Woment 69Kg, 75kg, +75Kg
6PM - Session 4: Invitational Women
All times are (EST)

Among lifters to compete in the Women's Invitational:

Lindsay Stroker, 53kg, MDUSA. Best official lifts - Snatch 73kg, C&J 93kg.
Lauren Rutan, 58kg, MDUSA. Best official lifts - Snatch 71kg, C&J 92kg.
Nicole Capurso, 63kg, Outlaw Barbell. Crossfit regional and Miami Surge Grid League competitor. Best official lifts - Snatch 74kg, C&J 98kg
Tayler Harris, 69kg/75kg, MDUSA. 6th place (75kg) 2014 American Open. Best official lifts - Snatch 85kg, C&J 108kg.
Rebecca Gerdon, 75kg, MDUSA. Bronze medalist 2014 USAW Nationals. Best official lifts - Snatch 83kg, C&J 105kg.
Jillian Mull, 75kg, Rubber City Weightlifting. Bronze medalist 2014 USAW American Open. Best official lifts -Snatch 83kg, C&J 108kg.
Rachel Davis, +75kg, MDUSA. 6th place 2014 USAW Nationals. Best official lifts - Snatch 94kg, C&J 117 kg.

The Women’s Invitational is an open door.  Stroker’s lifetime best 235.13 Sinclair total from November 2014 is the highest official score of the group coming in.  In her last 3 competitions she’s snatched 68kg twice (bombed at American’s) and Clean & Jerked between 89kg and 92kg.  She’s done more but if she stays in that range she’ll be somewhere in the 220s on Sinclair this Saturday.  Rutan, Capurso and Davis have all been above 220 on Sinclair recently. Capurso has totaled 176kg and 177kg as a 63kg lifter in her last two meets and she has attempted over 100kg in the C&J in competition (last month in NY).  If Rutan can build off a lifetime best total of 162kg at the Arnold last month look for her to be above 220 on Sinclair as well.   If Davis, who lifts in +75kg class can hit a total near her best she is capable of a Sinclair number in 230s (assuming bodyweight similar to recent competitions). 

Jillian Mull and Tayler Harris also cannot be ignored.  Mull is lifting in just her 5^th competition and with a lifetime best Sinclair number of 217.95 it won’t take too many kilos on her total to put her in the mix with the others.  Harris, whose lifetime best Sinclair total is 215.57, recently moved back down to the 69kg class for the Arnold’s in March.  Unfortunately, she didn’t total there but had she made her opening C&J attempt of 106kg she’d have posted a Sinclair total of 239.36. If she is at or close to the 69kg class limit and plays with these kinds of weights she could definitely win.  In other words this will be a can’t miss shootout.

Sunday, April 19th will feature the Men's groups as follows:

8AM – Session 1: Open Men 56Kg, 62Kg, 69Kg, 77Kg
11AM – Session 2: Open Men 85Kg
2PM – Session 3: Open Men 94, 105 and 105+Kg
5PM – Session 4: Invitational Men
All times are (EST)

Among those on the startlist for the Men's Invitational:

 Adam Beytin, 77kg, East Coast Gold. Silver medalist 2014 American Open. Best official lifts - Snatch 135kg, C&J 171kg.
Matt Bergeron, 85kg, MDUSA. Best official lifts - Snatch 126kg, C&J 162kg.
Trevor Britton, 85kg/94kg, MDUSA. Bronze medalist 2014 USAW Nationals (85kg). Best official lifts Snatch - 151kg, C&J 167kg.
Sean Rigsby, +105kg, MDUSA. Bronze medalist 2014 USAW American Open. Best official lifts - Snatch 138kg, C&J 188kg.
Caine Wilkes, +105kg, Wilkes Weightlifting. Top ranked USAW +105kg lifter, 2014 Pan Am and USAW National Champion. Best official lifts - Snatch 182kg, C&J 221 kg.

Caine Wilkes, who’ll be competing again two weeks later at the USAW Regional/Pan-Am Qualifier in St. Louis, is the highest ranked lifter in the competition and favorite to win the big prize.  He’s totaled 400kg in the two  previous competitions he’s entered and has a best ever Sinclair number 407.48. As a Superheavy he’ll have the benefit of sitting back and waiting to see what he’ll need to win.  

That said he’ll still have to lift to win.  Trevor Britton has a lifetime best Sinclair total of 372.7 and can be expected to be above 350 on Sinclair with any total he makes.  Adam Beytin’s best Sinclair number is 384.24 but since he cuts to 77kg a few times a year it’s difficult to predict where he’ll be.  He along with Phil Sabatini, who hasn’t competed since 2012, and Nate Schrader who is primarily a Crossfit competitor, are wild cards.  They could all post big numbers.  

MDUSA notables Ariel Stephens, Travis Cooper and James Tatum are scheduled to compete at the USAW Regional/Pan Am Qualifier to be held in St. Louis April 30 - May 3, 2015.

Event coverage of the 2015 MDUSA RVA Open can be found at FloElite.com. 

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