SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
BUHLER, Kan. — Buhler High School dominated its home track Friday, sweeping both the boys and girls team titles at the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Division III track and field championships with standout performances across sprints, distance races, jumps, and throws.
The Buhler girls piled up 216 points to easily outdistance McPherson (108) and Circle (74) for the team crown. The Crusader boys followed suit, winning the title with 176.5 points ahead of McPherson (100.5) and Circle (76).
Sophomore Lillie Ledford led the charge for Buhler’s girls team, sweeping the 100 meters (12.46), 200 meters (25.81), and 400 meters (1:00.32), while helping the 4x100 relay win in 51.33 seconds. The 4x400 squad capped the night with another gold in 4:11.99. Jenna Lackey and Sofia Spies added a 2-3 finish in the 200, while Spies also placed second in the 100 and third in long jump (16-6.25).
In the field, Buhler went 1-2 in pole vault behind Lackey (9-6) and Khloe Blackwell (9-0), and got a boost from Ava Koster and Ashlynn Gumm, who both cleared 5-0 to tie for second in high jump. Ryan Gotti claimed the javelin title with a throw of 117-0, and Charley Baxter (second in shot put, eighth in javelin) and Aidan Howard (second in discus, fifth in shot) chipped in valuable throws points.
On the boys side, Buhler showcased its hurdle dominance by sweeping the top three in the 110-meter hurdles: Zach Friesen (14.86), Landon Martinez (15.19), and Aidan Anderson (15.89). Martinez later won the 300 hurdles (40.25), with Anderson and Owen Kneisel completing another 1-2-3 finish.
Freshman Garrett Gleason starred in the jumps, winning both high jump (6-0) and long jump (20-1.75), while Max Harmony cleared 13-6 to win pole vault. Buhler also captured the 4x100 relay in 43.80 seconds and took third in both the 4x400 and 4x800.
Gavin Lindahl and Henry Trumpp highlighted the boys distance efforts, finishing first and second in the 3200 and narrowly missing a 1-2 finish in the 1600. Andrew Morgan, Zayden Mendenhall and Samuel Hougham also contributed strong mid-distance efforts in the 800.