BUHLER, Kan. — Buhler turned in a commanding performance on its home track Friday, sweeping both team championships at the Buhler Invitational at Crusader Stadium.
The Crusader girls piled up 98.5 points to edge Salina Central (86) and Bishop Carroll (77.5), while the Buhler boys rolled to 110 points, comfortably ahead of runner-up Dodge City (73.5).
Buhler’s girls were fueled by wins in both the sprints and distance events, plus key field event points. Jenna Lackey led the way with a title in the girls pole vault at 10 feet and added a runner-up finish in the 200 meters in 26.20 seconds. Sofia Spies placed third in the 100 in 12.71 and fifth in the 200 in 26.74, while Addysyn Keller captured the girls long jump title with a leap of 16-4.75.
The Crusaders also got a big lift in the distance races. Corbin Starkweather won the girls 3200 in 10:47.42, Isabella Friesen added sixth in 11:28.88, and Buhler’s 4x800 relay team opened the running events with a victory in 9:29.42. Isabella Rivera added a fourth-place finish in the 800 at 2:26.03, and Laney Reiff placed ninth in the 1600 in 5:45.63.
In the relays, Buhler’s girls claimed the 4x100 title in 49.39 and added ninth in the 4x400 in 4:33.22.
Buhler also stacked points in the field events on the girls side. Jessa Losew won the high jump by clearing 5-2, Lauren Welch took third in the javelin at 112-6, and Aidan Howard scored in both throws with an eighth-place finish in the shot put (33-5.5) and ninth in the discus (101-7).
On the boys side, Zach Friesen delivered one of the top individual performances of the day, winning the 110-meter hurdles in 14.71 and later placing first in the 100-meter dash in 11.55. He also helped Buhler’s boys 4x100 relay team race to a first-place finish in 43.24. Landon Martinez made it a one-two finish for Buhler in the 110 hurdles by taking second in 15.47, then came back to win the 300 hurdles in 40.62. Owen Kneisel added fourth in both hurdle races.
In the field, Max Harmony won the boys pole vault at 14-7.5, while Cody Jones and Kodie Applegate tied for third at 11-0. Garrett Gleason finished third in both the high jump (6-2) and long jump (21-0), and Buhler loaded up points in the jumps with Dexter Fleeman taking fourth in the high jump and Bishop Holmes placing eighth.
The Crusaders were especially strong in the throws. Gabe Auxier placed fourth in the discus at 143-1, Carson Roberts finished fourth in the javelin at 150-0, and Myjian Lee-McGlynn added sixth in the javelin (146-1) and ninth in the shot put (44-4.5). Zach Friesen took ninth in the javelin at 140-0, while Roberts also scored in the 300 hurdles.
Buhler’s distance crew also contributed heavily. Gavin Lindahl finished second in the 1600 in 4:23.80 and fifth in the 800 in 2:01.29. Zayden Mendenhall was eighth in the 800, and Ryan Cherry placed seventh in the 3200 in 10:05.79. The boys 4x800 relay added a fifth-place finish in 8:30.35.