Two days before all athletic competition was suspended because of concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 virus last week, Columbus North track and field athletes had one final chance to compete in an indoor meet.
Sophomore Tucker Smith, who threw farther than his school record in the indoor opener a week earlier, bettered that throw again with a toss of 60 feet, 7 inches, to win the shot put at the Bloomington North Indoor Invitational March 11 at Indiana University. Only outdoor marks, however, are considered for school records.
Three Bull Dog girls also won events. Adrienne Salemme took the pole vault (11-0), Emily Herndon captured the shot (36-9 3/4) and Mackenzie Barnett won the 3,200 meters (11 minutes, 21.51 seconds).
Andy Stohr finished second in the boys 3,200 (9:48.64). Reese Kilbarger-Stumpff in the 3,200 (9:55.62) and Clayton Guthrie in the 1,600 (4:47.07) each took fourth.
Third-place finishers for the girls were Emma Long in the high jump (4-10); Alivia Steinkoenig in the shot (33-5); Helena Ho in the 60 (8.15); Kennedy Kerber in the 1,600 (5:34.88) and Ellen White, Claire Wisler, Sydney Morlok and Madysin Perry in the 4×800 relay (11:00.70). Charley Kleinhenz in the pole vault (8-6); La’Monica Smith in the 60 (8.17); and Grace Whaley, Ella Meek, Helen Alderfer and Erin Rawlins in 4×400 relay (4:30.61).
The athletes were attempting to qualify for the March 28 Hoosier State Relays, the state’s unofficial indoor meet, but that has been canceled.
Locals earn academic honors
Brown County senior Allison Stogsdill has been named to the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Academic All-State team.
All four Columbus North senior girls on the Columbus North girls basketball team have been selected honorable mention. North’s Annie Anderson, Riley Eder, Tessa Lomax and Sierra Norman are joined by Columbus East’s Katie Dougherty and South Decatur’s Tori Storm.
North’s Nick Schiavello and Cam Wischmeyer and South Decatur’s Conner Bower and Brogan Howard made honorable mention Academic All-State on the boys side.
IBCA Academic All-State selections must have at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale, a class rank in the top 25 percent of their class and an SAT score of at least 1,100 on the reading and math sections or an ACT composite score of 24.
Panther makes All-HHC
Jennings County senior Aaron Martin has been selected to this year’s All-Hoosier Hills Conference boys basketball team.
Columbus East junior Tyler Boyer made honorable mention. Also named honorable mention were Jennings junior Carson McNulty and sophomore Jacob Vogel.
Local baseball teams ranked
No one is certain when or if the baseball season will start, but the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association released its preseason poll on Tuesday, and both Columbus schools are ranked.
Columbus East, last year’s Class 4A state runner-up, is ranked No. 3 in 4A, while Columbus North is No. 7. Penn is ranked No. 1, and Lake Central is No. 2.
Hauser and Trinity Lutheran both are receiving votes in Class A.
Games, Workout canceled
The South Central All-Area All-Star boys and girls games, which were scheduled for Tuesday at Columbus Christian, have been canceled.
The games feature players chosen for The Republic’s All-Area teams. Those All-Area teams will appear in The Republic in the next couple of weeks.
Also, the Hoosier Basketball Magazine Top 60 Boys Workout scheduled for March 29 at Marian University and the Hoosier Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Classic scheduled for April 19 at Bloomington North have been postponed. Columbus North’s Nick Schiavello had been invited to both.
The North-South All-Star Classic on April 5 at Heritage Hills also has been canceled. No local athletes were scheduled to play in those boys or girls games.
