EL DORADO, Kan. — Buhler High School turned in dominant performances Friday at the El Dorado Invitational, finishing second in the boys standings and third on the girls side at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex.
The Crusader boys piled up 98 points to place runner-up behind Kapaun Mt. Carmel, while the girls scored 93 points to take third in a tightly contested team race .
Buhler’s strength in the field events set the tone early, led by senior Max Harmony, who won the boys pole vault at 14 feet. Teammates Kodie Applegate and Cody Jones added third- and fourth-place finishes, respectively, giving the Crusaders a dominant showing in the event .
In the throws, Buhler continued to stack points. Gabe Auxier led the boys discus with a runner-up finish at 143-8, while Gabriel Edmund and William Griffin added top-10 marks. In the shot put, Myjian Lee-McGlynn placed third at 47-7.25, with John Aldrich also scoring for Buhler .
On the track, Zach Friesen delivered one of the meet’s top performances, winning the boys 110-meter hurdles in 14.53 seconds. Buhler swept three of the top four spots in the race, with Landon Martinez (third) and Owen Kneisel (fourth) adding to the team total .
Martinez also placed third in the 300 hurdles, while Kneisel added a fourth-place finish, continuing Buhler’s dominance in the hurdle events.
In the jumps, Garrett Gleason led the way with a third-place finish in the long jump (20-10.5) and added another third-place showing in the high jump (6-0). Bishop Holmes contributed with a fifth-place finish in the high jump and added points in the triple jump .
Distance events also proved productive. Gavin Lindahl placed third in the boys 3,200 meters (9:30.46), while Zayden Mendenhall added an eighth-place finish. In the 1,600, Ryan Cherry led Buhler with a 10th-place showing .
On the girls side, Buhler’s distance group shined. Corbin Starkweather placed second in the 1,600 (4:59.09) and followed it with another runner-up finish in the 3,200 (11:01.54). Isabella Friesen added a third-place finish in the 3,200, giving Buhler multiple podium finishes in the distance events .
Laney Reiff added a fourth-place finish in the 800, while the 4x800 relay team placed third.
In the sprints, Sofia Spies led the Crusaders with a third-place finish in the 100 meters (12.52) and added sixth in the 200. Jenna Lackey also earned a podium finish, taking third in the 200 (26.34) .
The girls field events also produced key points. Aidan Howard won the discus with a throw of 106-2 and added a seventh-place finish in the shot put. Kara Friesen scored in both the long jump and triple jump, while Lackey added a third-place finish in the pole vault .
Buhler’s relay teams contributed across the board, highlighted by a third-place finish in the boys 4x100 and a fourth-place showing from the girls 4x100 squad.