For the second time in three years, the Columbus East wrestlers have won a major academic award.
The Olympians are the 2023 winner of the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association Academic Challenge. The title goes to the team with the highest cumulative GPA among the 32 sectional championship teams.
This is the second time East has won the academic award in the three year history of the program. The Olympians shared the inaugural title with Noblesville in 2021.
East coach Chris Cooper will be presented with a plaque at the IHSWCA Fall Clinic in October.
North, East girls earn call-backs
Several Columbus North and Columbus East girls track athletes have earned call-backs to Tuesday’s Franklin Regional. Beyond the top three in each event from the sectional, who are automatic regional qualifiers, the next-best four performances in each event from the four feeder sectionals to the regional earn call-backs.
North’s Sierra Newell and Mariame Niang in the pole vault, Lana Wisler in the high jump, Moana Steele in the shot put and Kyleigh Wolf in the 1,600 meters, along with the Bull Dogs’ 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams, earned call-backs.
Receiving call-backs for East are Gabbie Meier in the long jump, Megan Tracy in the shot and discus, Emma Gray in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles and Taylor Scott in the 100, along with the Olympians’ 4×800 and 4×400 relay teams.
North’s 4×800 relay team, Lily Baker in the 1,600, Carys Glyn-Jones and Baker in the 800 and Julia Kiesler and Julie Klaus in the 3,200 and East’s 4×100 relay team had automatically qualified on Tuesday with top-three sectional finishes. The Bull Dogs’ 4×800 time was second-fastest in the state among all sectional performances, while Kiesler and Klaus were third- and sixth-fastest in the 3,200, Baker was sixth-fastest in the 1,600 and Glyn-Jones was 10th-fastest in the 800.
Land resigns as JC hoops coach
Josh Land, who led Jennings County to its first regional title in 25 years, has resigned as boys basketball coach to become an assistant principal at the school.
Land went 90-81 in eight years with the Panthers, including 24-3 this season, when he was the Hoosier Basketball Coaches Association District 3 Coach of the Year.
JC grad named Greenwood coach
Jennings County graduate Jenny (Pfeiffer) Finora has been named girls basketball coach at Greenwood.
Finora was an Indiana All-Star at Jennings and went on to play at Kentucky and then professionally for KR Club in Iceland. She has been a coach at Alabama-Huntsville, Coker College and Mars Hill.
NFHS elimnates one-and-ones
The National Federation of High Schools approved a rule change earlier this week to eliminate one-and-one free-throw situations in boys and girls basketball.
Teams now will shoot two shots after the fifth foul in each quarter, and the fouls will reset after each quarter. Previously, teams reached the one-and-one after seven fouls in a half and two shots after 10 fouls in a half.
North-Hauser start pushed back
Today’s Hauser at Columbus North softball game has been moved back to a 6 p.m. start.
The Bull Dogs will be celebrating senior night.
North girls to hold basketball camp
Columbus North girls basketball will hold its summer youth camp May 30 through June 2.
Camp for incoming fifth-through-eighth graders will be from 1 to 3 p.m. daily with a cost of $75. Camp for incoming second-through-fourth graders will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. daily with a cost of $70.
Campers will be instructed by North head coach Brett White and his staff, along with college and high school players. For more information, contact White at whiteb@bcsc.k12.in.us
Information and a flyer can be found online at the Columbus North Athletic website: https://columbusnorthathletics.org/Article/7013
Hauser girls to hold spring mini-camp
The Hauser girls basketball team will host a spring mini-camp May 30 through June 1 at the Hauser High School fieldhouse.
Girls entering Grades 1-through-6 will be from 6 to 7 p.m., and girls entering grades 7-through-12 will be from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. Cost is $30 for Grades 1-through-9 and free for those entering Grades 10-through-12.
For a registration form, or for more information, contact head coach Kyle Shipp at 317-525-2424.
Ted Schultz is sports editor for The Republic. He can be reached at tschultz@therepublic.com or 812-379-5628.
