The North Platte High School IronDawgs powerlifting team wrapped up their 2025-2026 season in spectacular fashion. Competing in the International Drug Free Powerlifting Association (IDFPA) Student and University World Championships in Tampa, Florida, both the girls' and the boys' teams came away with World Champions banners.
"What an absolutely amazing way to wrap up the season, and a truly incredible experience for our team," Coach Arttie Parker expressed. "These kids have worked their tails off raising the funds to get themselves down here, which was a huge process, as this was the first meet we ever competed in that we couldn't drive to. I can't express enough gratitude to our sponsors, to individual donors, and to families who made all of this possible for these kids! We are beyond blessed to have the support base that we have."
For the girls team, this meet was a form of sweet revenge, as they knocked off both the Number One and Number Two teams from the USAPL High School Nationals meet held in Texas this past March.
"This is an invitation-only meet; you can't just show up with a team and lift, so you know the competition is going to be stiff. We knew coming into this meet that Boston Latin and Troy Athens high schools were going to be here, and both placed ahead of our girls at USAPL Nationals. To be able to come in here, and go head-to-head with those schools and come away as winners was awesome! Our girls really showed up! Even Boston Latin's coach told me how impressed he was with the way our girls competed."
All of the NPHS girls placed Top 3 at Worlds, with Carlie Berliner, Karly Knapp, and Iliana Pavlik coming out as champions. Myah Porter, Gabby Gartner, and Lauren Bowers picked up silver medals, while Abbie Hankla, Rylee Kissinger, Jayden McBeain, and Grace Wilke took home bronze. So dominant was the IronDawg girls' showing that the only team that would score more total team points would be Midland University's women's collegiate team.On the boys' side of things, Aadyn Smith was the lone champion for NPHS, but strong second place finishes from Alex Valdivia and Bode Kroon, as well as Cole Tomlinson's bronze, held off Boston Latin for the team title. Also participating for the boys were Mason Stine and Ty Christenson.
For the IronDawgs, this meet capped the careers of Lauren Bowers and Gabby Gartner for the girls, with Gartner planning to compete for the Mid-Plains Community College Lady Knights powerlifting team next season. For the boys, Mason Stine competed in his final meet as an IronDawg, as did Cole Tomlinson, who also learned that he had been selected as a Nebraska winner of the National Positive Athlete Award. Cole will be powerlifting for Dickinson State University in North Dakota.
Next up for the IronDawgs is the annual Cornhusker State Games in July, which serves as the unofficial kickoff for the 2026-27 season, although it will also serve as a senior send-off for this year's lifters who choose to compete one more time for NPHS.
"I can't say enough about what these seniors' leadership has meant to the team this season, and throughout the years as they have grown in the program," Coach Parker explained. "They have been teammates, mentors, coaches, older siblings, and friends to other lifters in this program, and they are going to be missed. To have them all go out with that World Champion banner is truly something special."