Michael Brinegar competes in the Tokyo Olympics.
Submitted and file photos
COVID cancellations were the big sports story of 2020. Those cancellations and fan limitations severely decreased in 2021, paving the way for some other big stories to land toward the top of The Republic’s Top 10 Sports Stories of 2021.
1. Michael Brinegar competes in Tokyo Olympics.
Brinegar had a summer to remember. The Columbus native and Indiana University redshirt junior qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in two swimming events in June, becoming only the second athlete from Columbus to make an Olympic team. In late July, he finished 17th in the Olympics in both the 800-meter freestyle and 1,500 freestyle. In October, he and other Olympic athletes from Indiana, were honored with the Sagamore of the Wabash award by Gov. Eric Holcomb.
2. Columbus North girls team, boys individual Reese Kilbarger-Stumpff win cross-country state titles.
Although the North boys did not repeat as team champions, Kilbarger-Stumpff, a senior, was a surprise individual winner at the state finals, leading the Bull Dogs to a third-place team finish in late October. A couple hours later, the North girls captured their second state team title in school history and their first since 2009.
3. North’s Tucker Smith sets state shot put records, wins Gatorade Indiana Track and Field Player of the Year and All-American honors.
Despite being only a junior at Columbus North in the spring, Smith rewrote the record books in the shot put. He broke the all-time state record twice with a best of 69 feet, 7 inches in late May and broke the state meet record with a 67-11 1/4 toss in early June. In July, Smith was named Indiana’s Gatorade Track and Field Player of the Year, and in December, he was named an All-American by Track and Field News.
4. Josh Holley qualifies for Boston Marathon.
Holley has been trying for several years to qualify for the Boston Marathon. In early November, he became one of only a handful of Special Olympics athletes ever to qualify for the iconic race when he broke the three-hour barrier, which was the standard for his age group with a 2:53:55 clocking in the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. The Columbus North and Purdue graduate plans to run the Boston Marathon in April.
5. Ali Patberg helps lead IU women’s basketball to Elite Eight.
Patberg was a driving force behind the Hoosiers’ best season in school history. The Columbus North graduate was the third-leading scorer on an IU team that made the Elite Eight for the first time. A couple days after the season, Patberg announced that she would take advantage of the extra year granted to athletes by the NCAA because of COVID, and once again has the Hoosiers in the top 10 in the nation.
6. Tony Stewart wins TQ Midget race on night track is renamed “Tony Stewart Speedway.”
Last fall, local racing officials started talking about renaming the track at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds after Tony Stewart, and in late June, it came to fruition. A few hours after a dedication ceremony and a rain and lightning delay, Stewart won the three-quarter midget feature race at the fair.
7. North’s Emily Moore wins state title on balance beam, finishes second in all-around competition in gymnastics.
Moore had come close to winning a state title her first two years, but as a junior, she captured the elusive crown with a victory on the balance beam. Moore also finished second in the all-around competition and third on the bars and floor to lead the Bull Dogs to a sixth-place team finish at the state finals in March.
8. Tough Mudder, Mill Race Half Marathon events return after one-year hiatus.
The Mill Race half marathon returned in September after being held only virtually in 2020, but the full marathon was canceled because of concerns of COVID and finding enough volunteers to staff the entire race course. The Tough Mudder race also was back in July at Ceraland after being away for a year following its 2019 debut.
9. Alan and Chris Walsh’s horse California Angel competes in Breeders Cup.
Four months after their trainer bought a filly for $5,500 at an auction in Florida, Columbus couple Alan and Chris Walsh watched California Angel earn $120,000 for winning the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Grade Two event in Lexington, Kentucky. That qualified California Angel to compete in the prestigious Breeders Cup Nov. 5 in California.
10. School records fall.
Several longstanding school records were broken by local athletes and teams in 2021. Among the more notable ones, Columbus North softball won 25 games en route to winning a regional title, and pitcher-shortstop Maddi Rutan hit a school-record 15 home runs as a sophomore. In the fall, Columbus East senior Chris Quisenberry broke school records for career goals scored and single-season goals scored, and North senior Jenna Lang broke the school record for career goals scored before she sustained a season-ending MCL and PCL injury.
