The Columbus North boys and girls cross-country teams are getting some good news as they approach the start of the postseason.
Some of the formerly injured Bull Dogs, including Eli Fischer and Kirsten Ballard, are back and ready to compete in Saturday morning’s Brown County Sectional. The girls race will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by the boys at 11:15 a.m.
“I think each day that goes by, we’re getting a little closer to being healthy,” North boys and girls coach Rick Weinheimer said. “I think we’ll be as strong as we’ve been for awhile when we get to sectional.”
Weinheimer mentioned boys runners John Sluys, Peyton Shelton and Drew Smith and girls runners Kenndey Kerber, Lily Dozier and Emma Smith as competitors who have stepped up in the absence of injured teammates.
“Having some kids out is a negative on one hand, but on the other hand, it’s a positive,” Weinheimer said. “As kids come back, it just makes us stronger.”
The Bull Dogs will be heavy favorites to defend their girls and boys sectional championships. The sixth-ranked North girls and No. 9 Bull Dog boys will be the only ranked teams in the field.
The top five teams and top 10 individuals on non-advancing teams qualify for the Oct. 15 Brown County Regional. The Columbus East boys and girls are shooting for top-three finishes.
“That’s definitely our goal,” East boys coach Ryan Burke said. “I think we can get second. We beat Seymour at the (Hoosier Hills) conference meet, and I think that is going to give us some good momentum going into the sectional.”
Senior Paul Bean won the HHC boys race to lead the Olympians to a fourth-place team finish. The East girls, led by junior Kristen Lyons and Emma Mensendiek, also finished fourth.
Seymour, which finished second in the HHC, could provide a challenge for the North girls.
“We’re shooting to be that third-place team,” East girls coach Jesse Shoaf said. “That’s kind of our goal. We had three (personal records) on Saturday, and we had two other season PRs, so we’re going into it looking good.”
Brown County’s boys and girls, along with Hauser’s boys and Edinburgh’s girls, will vie for top-five team finishes. Hauser has four girls runners, one short of the number needed to score as a team, while Edinburgh and Trinity Lutheran each have one boys runner.
North set for conference
The Columbus North volleyball team will play for fifth through eighth place in the Conference Indiana Tournament Saturday at Franklin Central.
The Bull Dogs will play Bloomington North in its first match at 10 a.m. in the auxiliary gym. Columbus North will then play Terre Haute South or Southport in the placement-round match at 1 p.m., also in the auxiliary gym.
Volleyball draw on horizon
The IHSAA postseason volleyball draw is coming up on Monday.
Columbus East and Columbus North will play in the Class 4A East Central Sectional, and Hauser will host a Class A Sectional. The winners of both of those sectionals will host a one-game regional on Oct. 25.
Hauser would play in the Loogootee Semistate on Oct. 29. One big change this year is that East will host the semistate that Seymour has hosted the past several years.
“The decision was made in the summer,” East athletics director Pete Huse said. “We were asked if we’d be willing to host, and we said we certainly would.”
Huse confirmed that the Olympians also will host a boys basketball sectional this winter. However, since that is the same weekend as the gymnastics regional, the gymnastics has been moved from East to Connersville.
East swim parents to meet
The Columbus East boys and girls swim parent meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday in the school’s pool area.
Team members can arrive at 5:15 p.m. to order suits and equipment. If unable to attend, call boys coach Dave Fribley at 812-342-6097 or girls coach Jill Arnholt at 812-371-3417.
Tickets on sale at East
Tickets for Saturday night’s Columbus East vs. Jeffersonville football game at Lucas Oil Stadium are on sale in the East athletics office until 12:30 p.m. Friday.
Presale tickets are $11 for adults, $8 for kids 3 through 12 years old and free for kids 2 and under. All tickets at the gate are $15.
Senior to host volleyball camp
Columbus North senior Hannah Weaver, with the help of her volleyball teammates, will host a volleyball camp for her senior project Oct. 15 at North High School. Third- and fourth-graders will be from noon to 2 p.m., and fifth- and sixth-graders will be from 3 to 5 p.m.
Instead of cost, campers are asked to bring baby wipes, baby bottles, baby lotion or baby wash. All donations will be given to Clarity (Pregnancy Care Center) for families in need.
For more information, contact Weaver at [email protected]
