Columbus East High School

Powered by seven event wins and a strong team effort, the Columbus East boys swim and dive team secured a second-place finish at the Hoosier Hills Conference meet on Saturday, scoring 271 points. Floyd Central’s edged out the Olympians with 317 points. Gavin Day set the tone for East on Thursday, winning the conference diving title and breaking his own 11-dive school record. His performance inspired the swimmers to deliver standout results on Saturday. Keaton Stephenson led the way with victories in the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.17) and 100 freestyle (48.44), while Josh Pendleton claimed wins in the 200 individual medley (2:00.24) and 500 freestyle (4:47.59). Misha Machavariani added to East’s success with a win in the 100 breaststroke (59.98) and a runner-up finish in the 100 butterfly (52.40). The Olympians also took first in the 200 medley relay, with Todd Hundley, Machavariani, Pendleton, and Stephenson clocking a time of 1:40.47. East’s 400 freestyle relay team of Stephenson, Eli Isaacs, Pendleton, and Machavariani finished second (3:18.87), while Jameson Kessler, Ethan Hall, Isaacs, and Hundley placed third in the 200 freestyle relay (1:37.27). Individually, Hundley finished third in the 100 backstroke (57.54) and fourth in the 200 IM (2:06.77), while Hall took fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:58.11). In Thursday’s diving competition, Day’s record-breaking performance was complemented by Kessler’s fourth-place finish. With a strong showing at conference, the Olympians will look to carry their momentum into one last dual meet before kicking off the upcoming postseason starting February 20th.