Columbus East’s Mason Bean (background) keeps an eye on Columbus North’s Eli Varchenko as they compete in the 500-yard freestyle during Tuesday’s meet in at Columbus East High School.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
The past few years, Columbus East has had the numbers to match Columbus North in what for decades had been a one-sided swimming rivalry.
This year, those numbers are down for the Olympians, and the Bull Frogs have one of their biggest boys and girls teams in recent years. Tuesday evening at East, North took advantage of that to post 99-69 boys and 104-12 girls wins to claim its first sweep of the Olympians since 2019.
“It’s always fun to swim crosstown, especially now with Donner (Swim Club) being one team and kids swimming together,” North coach Mike Cunningham said. “There’s a little more camaraderie. We finally have a nice, strong boys group, and they’re building up and they’re going to get even stronger next year. So we’re excited.”
The East boys won seven of the eight individual events and one of the three relays, but the Bull Frogs had more depth. North took the 200-yard medley (1 minute, 57.37 seconds) and 200 freestyle (1:46.16) relays, and its lone individual victory came from junior Oliver Lifferth in the 100 breaststroke (1:13.45).
“It was fun,” Lifferth said. “I hadn’t swam that. I feel like the atmosphere was pretty good, so that was really nice.”
The Olympians had three double-winners. Mason Bean took the 200 freestyle (2:04.83) and 500 freestyle (5:55.45), Ryan Turner captured the 50 freestyle (25.92) and 100 freestyle (1:00.13) and Josh Pendleton won the 200 individual medley (2:02.87) and 100 butterfly (54.40). Alex Stilson took the 100 backstroke (1:04.70) and East captured the 400 freestyle relay (3:44.35).
“The crosstown meet is always good when the two groups of kids can swim each other and have a little bit of fun,” East coach Doug Trueblood said. “It was fun. We just don’t have numbers to get the twos, the threes, the fours, the fives to get some points. I like it better when we’re swimming a little more competitive with them.
“We had the numbers last year with the boys, and we came out on the positive side,” he added. “They came out on the positive side today. They have a good group.”
North won all 11 girls events against East, which has only two girls swimmers. Sophomore Caroline Crawford was a double winner, taking the 50 freestyle (29.14) and 100 breaststroke (1:22.67).
“I thought it was a really good meet, considering that most of the heats were just North,” Crawford said. “I thought we still did a good job trying our best and going all out.”
Other winners for the Bull Frogs were Sanchita Ponnathpur in the 200 freestyle (2:25.82), Abby Proffitt in the 200 IM (2:35.97), Advika Badve in the 100 butterfly (1:10.20), Mridula Muthukumaran in the 500 freestyle (5:33.83) and Kanav Mehta in the 100 backstroke (1:14.69). North swept the 200 medley (2:11.05), 200 freestyle (2:01.49) and 400 freestyle (4:10.29) relays.
“We still had some great swims,” Cunningham said. “We talked about the importance of being good sports and racing hard, and they stepped up. I’m really proud of this whole team. They’re good sports. They have a good time, and they’re here for each other.”
The Olympians’ Savannah Burton finished third in the 200 freestyle (2:49.10) and 100 backstroke (1:23.76), and Baylee Benefield was third in the 50 freestyle (32.49) and 100 breaststroke (1:41.25).
“Our swimmers are swimming very well,” Trueblood said. “I am very proud of the way the two girls that we have, they are swimming good times. I think every boy today had a best time for the season. So you can’t be upset about that. They’re swimming well. We’re trying to rebuild and get some young kids to come in and join the program. It’s an uphill battle, but we’ll keep fighting it.”
East has two girls and one boy diver who do not have the required list of dives completed, so they have not competed yet this year. With the Olympians not having divers Tuesday, Cunningham agreed not to have his divers compete.
Meanwhile, Trinity Lutheran had four girls and one boy compete exhibition Tuesday. Liz Downey was the fastest swimmer overall in both the girls 50 freestyle (27.04) and 100 freestyle (1:01.73).
“I’m very happy,” Trinity coach Libby Rohr said. “They all have a great mental attitude about everything. They go out there and do their best. They’re here to have fun. They all love the sport, and everyone swam their best tonight.”
BOYS: Columbus North 99, Columbus East 69
200 medley relay: 1. Columbus North (HP Devaguptapu, Oliver Lifferth, Aarush Mahato, Eli McIntier) 1:57.37; 2. Columbus East (Alex Stilson, Micah Wettschurack, Josh Pendleton, Ryan Turner) 1:59.41; 3. Columbus North (Abhay Bhadauria, Xavier Serrahima, Luis Valerdi, Nathan Valentine) 2:11.76.
200 freestyle: 1. Mason Bean (CE) 2:04.83; 2. Stilson (CE) 2:09.80; 3. Devapuptapu (CN) 2:33.89; 4. L. Valerdi (CN) 2:27.23; 5. Valentine (CN) 2:33.82.
200 individual medley: 1. Pendleton (CE) 2:02.87; 2. Mahato (CN) 2:33.16; 3. Isaac Niewedde (CN) 2:29.42; 4. Sarthak Kamble (CN) 2:48.52; 5. Ryan Lienhoop (CE) 3:05.72.
50 freestyle: 1. Turner (CE) 25.92; 2. Eli Varchenko (CN) 26.03; 3. Bhaduria (CN) 29.92; 4. Wettschurack (CE) 29.98; 5. Felix Valerdi (CN) 31.87.
100 butterfly: 1. Pendleton (CE) 54.40; 2. Mahato (CN) 1:00.27; 3. Hudson Clock (CN) 1:04.31; 4. McIntier (CN) 1:11.17.
100 freestyle: 1. Turner (CE) 1:00.13; 2. Xavier Serrahima (CN) 1:03.38; 3. Bhavesh Sathish Kumar (CN) 1:10.03; 4. Marvin Mauer (CE) 1:13.46; 5. F. Valerdi (CN) 1:15.63.
500 freestyle: 1. Bean (CE) 5:55.45; 2. Varchenko (CN) 5:57.12; 3. Devaguptapu (CN) 6:29.63; 4. Bhadauria (CN) 6:40.36; 5. Ethan Kessler (CE) 7:17.45.
200 freestyle relay: 1. Columbus North 1:46.16; 2. Columbus North (Kamble, Lifferth, Varchenko, Niewedde) 1:55.51; 3. Columbus East (Kessler, Lienhoop, Mauer, Bean) 1:58.15.
100 backstroke: 1. Stilson (CE) 1:04.70; 2. Clock (CN) 1:10.87; 3. Aayush Gupta (CN) 1:33.85; 4. Sathish Kumar (CN) 1:35.26.
100 breaststroke: 1. Lifferth (CN) 1:13.45; 2. Serrahima (CN) 1:13.78; 3. Niewedde (CN) 1:13.98; 4. Wettschurack (CE) 1:28.35; 5. Lienhoop (CE) 1:42.14.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Columbus East (Turner, Stilson, Bean, Pendleton) 3:44.35; 2. Columbus North (McIntier, Varchenko, Clock, L. Valerdi) 4:02.03; 3. Columbus North (Serrahima, Devaguptapu, Kamble, Bhaduria) 4:28.80.
GIRLS: Columbus North 104, Columbus East 12
200 medley relay: 1. Columbus North (Advika Badve, Cora Tregoning, Sienna Isaac, Ell Maignan) 2:11.05.
200 freestyle: 1. Sanchita Ponnathpur (CN) 2:25.82; 2. Badve (CN) 2:26.17; 3. Savannah Burton (CE) 2:49.10.
200 individual medley: 1. Abby Proffitt (CN) 2:35.97; 2. Carolina Balogona (CN) 2:46.55.
50 freestyle: 1. Caroline Crawford (CN) 29.14; 2. Brooklyn Pendleton (CN) 29.19; 3. Baylee Benefield (CE) 32.49.
100 butterfly: 1. Badve (CN) 1:10.20; 2. Ponnathpur (CN) 1:18.03.
100 freestyle: 1. Maignan (CN) 1:03.62; 2. Tregoning (CN) 1:03.85.
500 freestyle: 1. Mridula Muthukumaran (CN) 5:33.83; 2. Nandini Kondhard (CN) 6:23.60
200 freestyle relay: 1. Columbus North (Pendleton, Crawford, Kondhare, Isaac) 2:01.49.
100 backstroke: 1. Kanav Mehta (CN) 1:14.69; 2. Bryn Emmitt (CN) 1:20.74; 3. Burton (CE) 1:23.76.
100 breaststroke: 1. Crawford (CN) 1:22.67; 2. Sharon Zhang (CN) 1:32.39; 3. Benefield (CE) 1:41.25.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Columbus North (Tregoning, Kondhare, Muthukumaran, Proffitt) 4:10.29.
