Columbus East High School

On Thursday night at Columbus North High School, the Columbus East Olympian boys track and field team delivered a series of strong performances to claim third place in the 2025 IHSAA Sectional, scoring 89.5 points as a team. Standout efforts across sprints, distance events, hurdles, relays, and field disciplines highlighted the depth and balance of this year’s squad. In the short sprints, junior Blake Moss advanced from preliminaries with an 11.71-second effort to place sixth in the 100-meter final in 11.73. Senior Kadyn Johnson-Bey, despite a promising 11.74 in prelims, was unable to finish the final. On the curves, neither Moss nor Johnson-Bey advanced past the 200-meter preliminaries, though Johnson-Bey recorded a season-best 25.51. Senior Austin Menefee powered to a podium finish in the 400 meters, placing third in Section 3 with a time of 51.10, while junior Deonte Study clocked 56.84 for 11th. In the 800 meters, sophomore Maddox Hult earned fifth in Section 2 with a 2:11.13, and freshman Cullen Fullerton ran 2:20.29 to place 16th overall. The distance corps also turned in solid results: sophomore Norman Dickson raced to seventh in the 1600 meters at 4:48.28, with junior Lorren Westerfeld not far behind in 10th at 4:58.49. In the 3200, junior Elijah Clore finished seventh in 10:38.84, and senior Jackson Brookes took ninth at 10:59.32. Freshman Henry Eickmeyer showcased his versatility in the hurdles, placing sixth in the 110-meter final in 17.96 after an 18.09 in prelims. He then went on to secure third in his 300-meter hurdles section with a season-best 43.28. The relay squads were among the night’s brightest spots. The 4x100 team of Brody Miller, Keaton Lawson, Blake Moss, and Kadyn Johnson-Bey sprinted to third in Section 2, posting a 45.32. In the 4x400, Johnson-Bey, Ryder Meek, Lawson, and Menefee combined for a runner-up 3:35.97 in Section 2. The 4x800 quartet—Chance Knapp, Liam Witsey, Riley Wilson, and Brady Witsey—rounded out their race in 9:11.63 for fifth in Section 3. In the field events, junior Keaton Lawson claimed the sectional high jump crown, clearing 6-0 (1.82m) on his final attempt, and added a third-place finish in the long jump at 19-11 (6.07m). Sophomore Ryder Meek also cleared 6-0 to take second in the high jump. Senior Ezekiel Weatherford vaulted to third in the pole vault at 9-0 (2.74m). On the throwing circle, senior Jared Brooks placed fourth in the shot put with a top throw of 45-3.5 (13.80m) and runner-up in the discus at 140-2 (42.72m); freshman Cayden Smith added a 14th-place shot of 35-10.5 (10.93m). Junior Evan Simo rounded out discus scoring with a sixth-place 130-6 (39.77m). With a balanced scoring attack and several top-three individual finishes, the Olympians are looking forward to regional action for it's student-athletes. Link to meet results: https://indiana.tfrrs.org/results/92418/m/IHSAA_Sectional_25_Boys?team_hnd=28873