Buckeye boys finish third at rain-delayed Keystone festival

Buckeye’s boys track and field team battled through wet conditions and a one-hour delay caused by thunderstorms to finish third overall Friday night at the Keystone Track & Field Festival in LaGrange. The Bucks scored 74 points in a 15-team field, led by a first-place run from Brady Salazar in the 400 meters and a strong set of distance, sprint relay and throwing performances.

Salazar delivered Buckeye’s top finish on the track, winning the 400 in 49.98 seconds. Dimitry Pshonyak also turned in one of the meet’s standout efforts in the 1600, finishing in 4:23.36. Brayden Bonnett added a third-place result in the 100 with a time of 11.18, while Gavin Waibel placed fourth in the 800 at 2:03.56 and Joe Stahl was sixth in the same event in 2:04.54. Nolan Rieth contributed points in the 1600 as well, taking sixth in 4:52.18.

Buckeye also scored consistently in the relays. The 4x200 team of Eddie Hondroudakis, Cael Miller, Salazar and Bonnett placed second in 1:32.13, giving the Bucks one of their best finishes of the evening. The 4x400 team of Hondroudakis, Rieth, Waibel and Salazar took third in 3:36.60, while the 4x100 group of Lucas Balaban, Miller, Hondroudakis and Bonnett finished fourth in 45.58. In the 4x800, Waibel, Brant Anderson, Paul Abbott and Rieth placed fourth with a time of 8:38.29.

The throwing events added another important boost to Buckeye’s team total. Denis Shevchenko placed second in the discus with a throw of 143 feet, 6 inches and added a fourth-place finish in the shot put at 43-3. Those points helped the Bucks stay near the top of the standings on a night when depth across multiple events proved critical.

Taken together, the results matched the tone of the meet summary: Buckeye’s boys battled through the rain and came away with a third-place finish at Keystone. With a victory from Salazar, high placements from Shevchenko, Bonnett and the relay teams, and valuable distance points from Pshonyak, Waibel, Stahl and Rieth, the Bucks put together a complete performance despite the difficult conditions.