Buckeye closed out its dual-meet schedule with a solid showing against Medina and Highland on Friday night at the Medina Recreation Center, highlighted by multiple top-three finishes from the girls squad and a standout Senior Night performance from boys swimmer Noah Parrott.
The meet opened with a joint Senior Night recognition for Highland and Buckeye, marking the final dual competition before the championship phase of the season. With that context, many Buckeye girls took on events they had not swum this year and responded with competitive times against the larger Medina and Highland lineups. While the Buckeye girls did not win the overall team scoring, the Bucks produced several podium finishes and encouraging swims that set a positive tone heading into conference and sectional competition.
Junior Maddie Kreeger led the way on the girls side with a pair of third-place finishes against both opponents in freestyle events. Kreeger clocked a 30.61 in the 50-yard freestyle, then returned later in the meet to post a 6:30.48 in the 500-yard freestyle, giving Buckeye reliable points in both a sprint and distance event. Her ability to place in the top three across such different races underscored the versatility Buckeye will lean on in the postseason.
Fellow junior Abby Parrott added two of the strongest individual results of the night, particularly in her backstroke specialty. Parrott finished second against Medina in the 100-yard freestyle with a 1:01.21, then captured a first-place finish against Medina in the 100-yard backstroke, touching in 1:08.44. Those swims helped anchor the middle of the lineup and demonstrated Buckeye’s strength in the stroke events against quality competition.
Buckeye also found success in the relays, with the girls 4×100-yard freestyle relay closing the meet on a high note. The quartet of Bobbie Zarobell, Maddie Dahlquist, Kreeger and Parrott combined for a second-place finish against Highland and a third-place finish against Medina. The relay performance showed the depth of the girls roster and provided another confidence boost with championship relay entries looming.
On the boys side, senior Noah Parrott made the most of his Senior Night. Parrott placed second against both Medina and Highland in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke, continuing what coaches described as a season of consistent, high-level performances. His results added quality points for Buckeye in two demanding events and capped his final dual meet with a pair of strong swims.
With the dual portion of the schedule now complete, Buckeye turns its attention to the championship meets ahead. The times posted in unfamiliar events, the relay success and the veteran leadership from swimmers like Kreeger, the Parrott siblings, Zarobell and Dahlquist provide a solid foundation as the Bucks look to convert regular-season progress into postseason results.
