Columbus East High School

The Columbus East Olympian swim team delivered a strong performance at the IHSAA Sectional championships held at Columbus North High School this past Saturday, finishing fifth overall in a competitive field of 14 teams. Leading the charge was sophomore standout Josh Pendleton, who dominated the freestyle events and secured his place at the upcoming state finals. Pendleton’s Record-Breaking Performance Josh Pendleton was the star of the meet for the Olympians, capturing two individual sectional titles. In the 200-yard freestyle, Pendleton not only claimed first place with a time of 1:43.05 but also established a new school record. He followed that performance with a commanding victory in the 500-yard freestyle. Finishing in 4:37.13, Pendleton outpaced the rest of the field by nearly 39 seconds, effectively lapping the competition to secure his second sectional crown of the day. Team Results and Highlights The Olympians showed depth across multiple events, consistently placing swimmers in the finals to rack up 166 total team points: Relays: The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Pendleton, Ryan Turner, Mason Bean, and Alexander Stilson earned a podium finish, taking third place with a time of 3:23.89. The 200-yard medley relay team (Stilson, Micah Wettschurack, Pendleton, Turner) placed sixth (1:49.61), while the 200-yard freestyle relay team (Wettschurack, Ryan Lienhoop, Marvin Mauer, Bean) finished 11th (1:45.72). Ryan Turner (SR): Turner delivered two seventh-place finishes in the sprint events, clocking 23.80 in the 50-yard freestyle and 51.51 in the 100-yard freestyle. Alexander Stilson (FR): The freshman standout won the "B" final in both the 200-yard freestyle (1:56.84) and the 100-yard backstroke (1:01.33), finishing ninth overall in both events. Mason Bean (SR): Bean contributed significant points with a 10th-place finish in both the 200-yard freestyle (1:56.97) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:29.83). Advancing to State Based on the IHSAA advancement criteria, Josh Pendleton has officially qualified for the state finals in both the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle by virtue of his first-place finishes. While other Olympians performed admirably, their advancement will depend on whether their times fall within the top 32 fastest in the state or meet the specific state time standards. The IHSAA State Championship will take place on February 27th and 28th at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis. Final Team Standings Bloomington South – 500 Bloomington North – 326.5 East Central – 245.5 Edgewood – 184 5. Columbus East – 166 Greensburg – 165 Columbus North – 135 Milan – 129 Batesville – 120 Oldenburg Academy – 90 South Dearborn – 57 Rising Sun – 57 South Ripley – 35 Lawrenceburg – 16