BRIDGEPORT – Eight Buckhannon-Upshur High School swimmers are headed to the West Virginia State Championships after a strong performance at the Region 3 Swim Meet last weekend.

Cadence Vincent and Preston Bennett are wrapping up their senior seasons in record-breaking fashion, with each B-U swimmer setting new regional standards at Saturday’s meet. Both Vincent and Bennett were also named to the prestigious All-Region Team.

Vincent broke her own 2021 records in both the 50 free (23.23) and 100 free (50.50) – the latter of which she won by more than 9 seconds. She was also a member of the winning 200-yard free relay (1:47.72) and second-place 200-yard medley relay (2:00.97). Both relays featured the quartet of Alayna Whitehair, Lillian Fetty, Rylee Yardley and Vincent.

Bennett, meanwhile, broke his 2022 record in the 200 free, winning in a time of 1:48.62. He also claimed an individual gold in the 500 free (5:01.74) and was a member of the winning 200-yard medley relay (1:46.41) and second-place 200-yard free relay (1:35.43). Owen Caynor, Reis Leonard, Carter Zuliani and Bennett swam both B-U relays.

In addition to the relays, Leonard and Zuliani each qualified for states in two individual events. Leonard placed third in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:05.53) and fourth in the 100-yard free (53.15), while Zuliani punched his ticket to states by finishing fifth in both the 50 free (23.37) and 100 free (54.02).

Caynor also qualified for states in the 50 free with a seventh-place swim (24.96).

For the B-U girls, Whitehair is headed to states after finishing second in the 200-yard IM (2:21.18) and third in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:11.28), while Fetty also qualified in the 200 free after finishing in eighth place (2:26.26).

Both B-U teams finished third in the overall team rankings. Bridgeport won the girl’s regional title, with Elkins in second, while Robert C. Byrd and Bridgeport went one-two on the boy’s side.

The West Virginia State Championships will be held February 16-18, 2023 at the Mylan Park Aquatic Center in Morgantown.

See the complete regional results by clicking here.