All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

B-U claims 11 conference titles, finishes second at Big 10 Swim Championships on Saturday

Cadence Vincent (File photo by Brian Bergstrom / My Buckhannon)

BRIDGEPORT — The Buckhannon-Upshur High School girls and boys swim teams collected 11 gold medals, two conference records and a second-place overall finish at the Big 10 Championships in Bridgeport on Saturday.

The host Indians won the combined team event, with B-U finishing second, just ahead of Elkins and Fairmont Senior.

“We had several personal best swims today,” B-U head coach Jennifer Bennett said Saturday night. “The kids have really been working hard in practice. It was nice to see that hard work pay off today.”

B-U’s Cadence Vincent set two Big 10 records. In just the third event of the day, she obliterated the record in the 200-yard freestyle, with her time of 1:52.23 more than seven seconds faster than the previous mark of 1:59.41, set in 2017 by Adrianna Abruzzino. She then set a new standard in the 100-yard butterfly, with her time of 56.47 topping Maggie Miller’s 2015 mark of 58.01.

Vincent, a senior, is set to swim at the University of Alabama next year.

Alayna Whitehair also collected a pair of conference titles for the B-U girls, winning the 200-yard IM in 2:20.67 and the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:11.36. Two Lady Buccaneer relays — the 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle, each featuring the quartet of Rylee Yardley, Whitehair, Vincent and Lillian Fetty — also swam to first-place finishes.

Rounding out the scoring for the girls were Chole Blonn and Cate O’Neill in the 100-yard free (third and fifth), Yardley in the 100-yard back (eighth), Sammie Shay in the 200-yard IM (ninth), and Fetty in the 500-yard free (10th).

Overall, the Lady Bucs placed fourth, behind Fairmont Senior, Bridgeport and Elkins.

For the B-U boys, Preston Bennett — who’s committed to swim at WVU next year — led the way by claiming Big 10 titles in the 200-yard freestyle (1:49.35) and 500-yard free (5:07.81). Teammate Reis Leonard also earned an individual gold medal in the 100-yeard breaststroke (1:03.88).

The quartet of Bennett, Leonard, Carter Zuliani and Owen Caynor swam to a Big 10 title in thrilling fashion in the 200-yard medley relay (1:47.81), where they edged RCB by just one second. The same group also claimed gold in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:33.93).

In the other individual events, Zuliani and Caynor finished second and sixth, respectively, in the 50-yard freestyle; Zuliani nabbed eighth in the 100-yard fly; Leonard placed fourth in the 100-yard free; and Caynor also finished fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke.

The Buccaneers finished third overall, behind RCB and Bridgeport.

Click here to see the full results from Saturday’s meet.

Share this story:

Local Businesses

RECENT Stories

Upshur County Commission partners with development authority, eyes $550k in grants for proposed rec hub

The Upshur County Commission partnered with the Development Authority and authorized applications for $550,000 in grants, as well as a joint property transfer, to support construction of the proposed John C. Allen Regional Hub recreation complex.

High Point Construction takes over lead in men’s golf league

High Point Construction took the top spot in the Buckhannon Country Club Bob Cupp Memorial Golf League after defeating Sam’s Pizza, while Highland Landscaping and Feola’s Flowers tied for second place.

Task force arrests three for selling Delta 8 to people under age 21, issues four additional warrants

After a year-long investigation, the Mountain Region Drug and Violent Crime Task Force arrested multiple individuals and issued warrants in Upshur County for allegedly selling Delta 8 THC products to individuals under 21.

ATV crash kills 65-year-old woman in Upshur County

Patricia L. Campbell, 65, of Ohio, died after being ejected from an ATV rollover crash in Upshur County on July 4; the investigation continues.

Willard Hampton Rice, Jr.

Willard Hampton Rice, Jr., 84, of Sandusky, a retired Ford Motor Company employee who enjoyed hunting and spending time with family, passed away July 3 and is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Buckhannon Banter: Get the local lowdown for July 2, 2025

This week in Buckhannon, local organizations plan events and clinics — including a big July 4th celebration — and several community initiatives aim to engage residents of all ages.

Emergency agencies stress need for coordinated incident plans during large events with road closures

Emergency officials emphasized the need for incident action plans and coordination with public safety agencies for large events that close major streets, citing upcoming car shows and other street-closure events to ensure fast, safe emergency responses.
BUHS Sports

B-U now in Class AAAA in all sports; moved to new South Region after WVSSAC restructuring

Buckhannon-Upshur High School will compete in Class AAAA — the highest division — for all sports and has been moved to the new South Region under a two-year realignment by the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission.

Stockert Youth and Community Center Board Meeting Agenda: July 3, 2025

The Stockert Youth and Community Center Board will meet July 3, 2025, with an agenda set to discuss organizational matters and upcoming events.