Columbus East High School

The Columbus East High School Unified Track and Field team delivered a strong performance Saturday at the IHSAA Unified Track Sectional hosted by Bedford North Lawrence High School, narrowly missing advancement to Regionals with a fourth-place finish. The Olympians totaled 109 team points, finishing just one point behind third-place Whiteland Community, which secured the final Regional qualifying spot with 110 points. Columbus North captured the sectional title with 125 points, while Bedford North Lawrence placed second with 118 points. Under the IHSAA Unified Track tournament format, advancement is determined strictly by team finish, with only the top three teams from each sectional moving on to Regionals. Columbus East opened the meet with a strong performance in the Boys 4x100 Relay, as the team of William Blake, Michael Larsen, Riley Hawley, and Phoenix Cooper won their section in a time of 1:01.25 to earn 10 team points. The Olympians also turned in several impressive efforts in the Mixed 100 Meter Dash. Hunter Bokich claimed a section victory with a time of 23.37, while Jerik Hamilton posted a strong 20.66 finish in his heat. Ellie Burbrink added a time of 18.79 in one of the meet’s fastest sections, and Kolbi Stephenson earned another section win by crossing the line in 15.88. In the Mixed 400 Meter Dash, Adelynn Tembo delivered a personal-record performance to win her section in 1:34.83. Elliana Glick followed with a strong run of 1:22.46, while John Tembo added a solid performance with a time of 1:24.16. Bodhan Stein also competed for the Olympians in the event. Columbus East athletes also shined in the field events. In the Mixed Long Jump, Mayleigh Hardwick earned a second-place finish in her flight with a jump of 5-4.50. Zooey Joy added a fourth-place finish in her flight at 5-5.00, while Bodhan Stein recorded a leap of 4-1.00. Mya Blanton later added another strong performance for the Olympians with a jump of 9-3.00 in Flight 3. The Olympians produced several standout efforts in the Mixed Shot Put as well. Gabrielle Albro finished second in her flight with a throw of 15-3.00, while Eduardo Hernandez placed third in the same flight with a mark of 13-10.00. Jerik Hamilton added a throw of 19-1.00, and Lydia Whiteside closed out the day with a throw of 26-8.75 to tie for second place in Flight 5. Although Columbus East came up just short of a Regional berth, the Olympians remained in contention throughout the meet and continued to showcase the growth of the program with multiple strong finishes and personal-best performances on the sectional stage. Good job Olympians!!