Buckeye girls shine on Senior Night with 77-60 win over Normandy
Buckeye’s girls track and field team gave Senior Night a fitting celebration Tuesday, topping Normandy 77-60 in a Cleveland West Conference dual at Buckeye High School. The Bucks paired a strong team result with a long list of standout efforts, including four event wins on the track, three relay victories and a series of big finishes in the field events.
The relay groups helped set the tone for the night. Buckeye’s 4x800 team of Lily Regiec, Ruby Joy, Lila Hoover and Maycie Bodak opened with a winning time of 11:28.83. The Bucks also claimed the 4x200 as Kylee Kash, Julia King, Nico Anzevino and Erin Salazar crossed first in 1:53.49, then added another victory in the 4x100 behind Leah Bengough, Avery Lewandowski, Grace Pronik and Kash in 54.20. Buckeye closed its relay work with another first-place finish in the 4x400, where Brooke Posatiere, Lewandowski, King and Sophia Regiec posted a 4:38.49.
Buckeye also delivered several individual wins on the track. Kaylee Limbert won the 300 hurdles in 53.93, with Aubrey Keenan giving the Bucks a 1-2 finish by taking second in 55.26. Sophia Regiec captured the 800-meter run in 2:37.08, and Hayleigh Kreeger won the 3200 in 14:04.90. Lily Regiec added a runner-up finish in the 1600 at 6:35.90, while Hailey McDaniel placed third in both the 100 dash at 13.99 and the 400 dash at 1:11.36.
The hurdles group added more points in the 100 hurdles, where Blakely Herman finished second in 16.58 and Emma Bostic took third in 16.87. Bostic also earned a second-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 15 feet, 1 inch. In the high jump, Maddie Gillin cleared 4 feet, 10 inches for second place, continuing a balanced night across the track and field lineup.
Buckeye’s field events were especially productive in the vaults and throws. Ellen Steppebacker won the pole vault at 10 feet, while Leah Bengough was second at 9 feet, 6 inches and Kyla Posatiere placed third at 6 feet. In the shot put, Kerrigan Graves led the way with a winning throw of 29 feet, 2 inches. Juju Lawrence and Maddie Mercer tied for second, each at 27 feet. Graves also took second in the discus with a throw of 79 feet, 3 inches.
Taken together, the depth across sprints, distance races, hurdles, relays and field events gave the Bucks the edge they needed to make Senior Night memorable. Buckeye’s 77-60 victory over Normandy reflected exactly the kind of all-around effort coaches hope to see this time of year, with event wins, key placings and a wave of contributions that turned a celebratory evening into a successful one.
