Bucks Aim to Build on New Year’s Classic Success at Youngstown State

Buckeye High School’s swimming and diving program returns to the New Year’s Classic at Youngstown State University’s Beeghly Center on Saturday, January 3rd with momentum and clear postseason aspirations. In a 28-team field, the Bucks will use the meet as a key midseason benchmark as they push toward a return trip to the district meet in the back half of the season.

Buckeye distinguished itself in this year’s New Year’s Classic, with the girls team finishing 12th out of 28 teams and the boys placing 11th. The girls totaled 41 points behind standout junior Abby Parrott, who scored all 41 with a pair of second-place finishes and a new school record in the 200-yard freestyle at 2:13.19, along with a 1:05.51 in the 100 backstroke. Fellow junior Maddie Kreeger added important depth with a 16th-place finish in the 100 freestyle (1:07.55) and 11th place in the backstroke (1:21.79), helping solidify Buckeye’s presence in a deep and competitive field.

On the boys side, the Bucks will again look to build around the performance of sprinter-backstroker Noah Parrott. Parrott scored 34 points at the most recent New Year’s Classic, taking second in both the 100 freestyle (54.11) and 100 backstroke (57.67) while hitting personal-best times in each event. His ability to contend near the top of the podium in multiple races gives Buckeye an anchor for the lineup and a reliable source of points against a large, multi-team field.

The program enters this year’s meet encouraged by across-the-board time drops and improving form throughout the roster. Coaches have pointed to the New Year’s Classic as an inflection point for the season, with the meet offering a high-caliber environment that mirrors the intensity and depth of postseason competition. With key returners such as Abby Parrott, Kreeger and Noah Parrott leading the way, the Bucks expect to use the Beeghly Center stage to test their progress, sharpen race strategies and continue trending toward district-qualifying standards.

With every swimmer having shown improvement in recent outings, Buckeye’s focus at Youngstown State will be on converting that progress into results against one of the most competitive fields on the schedule. Strong individual showings and relay contributions at the New Year’s Classic would position the Bucks well for the stretch run, as the team looks to turn midseason momentum into another postseason opportunity.