Columbus East sophomore Josh Pendleton had his best swimming meet of the season and career Saturday at the Columbus North Sectional.

Pendleton is in good position to swim in the Boys Swimming State Finals in two events, and that begins with the prelims on Friday.

Pendleton swam to sectional victories in the 500-yard freestyle (4 minutes, 37.13 seconds) and the 200 freestyle (1:43.05), which broke a school record set by Keaton Stevenson last year. He also swam a school record in the 100 freestyle (47.37) when he was the starting block for the 400 freestyle relay team, besting Kenny Crapse’s 2008 100 freestyle record of 47.63.

The state finals meet begins with the prelims at 6 p.m. Friday at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. The top-eight swimmers advance to the finals, with the next eight finishers (9-through-16) qualifying for the consolation finals, which will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Pendleton has the experience swimming in the state finals meet. As a freshman last year, he finished ninth in the 500 freestyle and swam on the 18th-place 400 freestyle team.

“With already having been in the state before, it definitely calms the nerves because I’ve done it before, so that should help,” Pendleton said.

Columbus East’s Josh Pendleton is all smiles after winning the 500-meter freestyle at Saturday’s Columbus North Sectional.

Nicholas Shaw | For the Republic

Pendleton put himself in good position to make it to Saturday. He is seeded 15th in the 200 freestyle and seventh in the 500 freestyle. He swam the 500 freestyle in 4:34.07 in last year’s state meet, which would put him in the conversation for a top-five finish in the 500 based on the seed times of the other swimmers ahead of him.

“I just have to have a good race and racing the people in my heat and having my best swim on prelims. I can’t save it for the finals,” Pendleton added.

Pendleton has a coach on staff that has swam on the big stage before in East assistant coach Michael Brinegar. Brinegar won the 500 freestyle as a freshman at Columbus North in 2015 and swam in the 800- and 1500-meter freestyle events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

“He’s been doing really well. He’s a good job this year of progressing in practice. He’s doing better than he has last year, and we’ve seen that in all the meets he’s had,” Brinegar said. “He didn’t swim at the 200 free last year at sectional, but this was his fastest 200 free time, so we’re pretty excited about that. His 100 free was also good. He got up and broke our school record. He was two-tenths off in prelims and broke it in the finals. It’s been a fun year, and seeing Josh progress has been good.”

Pendleton likely would need to improve at least two seconds from his sectional time to have a chance to make the finals in the 200 freestyle.

“I definitely want to try to be top-eight in prelim for both of the swims and be as high as I can in the finals and do my very best to drop time,” Pendleton said.

JASPER — After narrowly missing out on a trip to state last year, Dagan Kleffman left little to chance this season.

The Columbus North junior finished fifth in Tuesday’s Jasper Diving Regional. The top eight qualified for this weekend’s Boys Swimming and Diving State Finals.

Kleffman scored a personal-best 405.1 for 11 dives. Dathan Schramm of Center Grove won with a 544.00.

“I’m real excited,” Kleffman said. “I absolutely cannot wait for Saturday. I have a few things to fix, but I am excited to fix them for Saturday.”

Another North diver, senior Gary Streeval finished ninth with a personal-best 320.05, about seven points out of the eighth and final qualifying spot.

The state finals get under way with swimming prelims at 6 p.m. Friday at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. Columbus East sophomore Josh Pendleton will be swimming the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events.

The diving prelims start at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by semifinals. Swimming consolations and finals begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, with the diving finals starting around 1:30 p.m.

MALE

Lincoln Cooper // Columbus East junior wrestler

Cooper went 3-1 Friday and Saturday to finish third at 190 pounds and lead the Olympians to an eighth-place team finish in the Boys Wrestling State Finals.

His performance last week: “Just being that environment and doing my best, I feel like I could have done a lot better, though.”

Do you do anything special to prepare? “I just try to keep my weight in check.”

Favorite drink: “Out of season, Root Beer. In season, just water.”

Favorite food: “I like Chinese food.”

Favorite class: “I like to take Arts classes like Ceramics or 2D Art.”

Favorite sports team: “I like Oklahoma State wrestling.”

Favorite athlete: “(former Crown Point and current Ohio State wrestler) Jesse Mendez”

Role model: “My dad (Adam Cooper).”

Best advice: “Try your best, and your mom will love you the next day.”

Athletics goal: “To win team state with my team next year.”

If you could travel anywhere: “Hawaii, because it has nice beaches, and it’s all about nature.”

FEMALE

Olivia Wise // Columbus Christian senior basketball player

Olivia Wise

Wise led the Crusaders with 19 points in Friday’s 49-27 win at I-Town Prep and scored 14 points in Saturday’s 69-31 win against Northpoint Christian.

Her performance last week: “What I think I’m learning is to have more confidence on the block in the post. I’ve been waiting to unlock my confidence, so I’m excited to see my progress in that area.”

Do you do anything special to prepare? “I mainly just be careful with what I eat, drink a lot of water and get rest. I find it helpful if I had a productive day at school.”

Favorite drink: “I only drink water, but sometimes a Spin Drift on a hot day.”

Favorite food: “Burrito bowl or Chicken Alfredo”

Favorite class: “I took a Creative Writing class last year, and I loved it.”

Favorite sports team: “My Columbus Christian basketball team”

Favorite athlete: “One of my friends who plays for Hanover, Macy Cline”

Role model: “Jesus Christ, my best friend and savior. Then, second is my mom (Diane Wise), who is a Godly woman.”

Best advice: “Though you may strive all your life to find purpose, the only real fulfillment is found in having a relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Athletics goal: “I’d like to play for Taylor University. I’m taking a gap year, but I’m going to Taylor after that.”

If you could travel anywhere: “For my gap year, I’m doing a ton of traveling, and what I’m most excited for is Switzerland for the beauty of creation and hiking.”

Columbus Christian trailed 52-46 after three quarters Tuesday before rallying for a 63-60 boys basketball win against Indiana Deaf.

Elijah Fields led the Crusaders (12-16) with 17 points. Adam Haines scored 11, Judah Carlson had eight and en Carter added seven.

EDINBURGH — Edinburgh picked up its fourth consecutive boys basketball victory Tuesday, a 53-46 win against Eminence.

Bailey Totten scored 20 points, and Max Dodson had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks to lead the Lancers (9-13). Samson Parkhurst added 10 points.

NORTH VERNON — Jennings County led 53-47 after three quarters Tuesday, but Scottsburg rallied for a 75-67 boys basketball victory.

Jeremiah Davis scored 22 points, and Johnny Elkins had 21 to lead the Panthers (10-13). Aaron Lewis and Nate Dixon each added seven.

Missouri’s opening day of trout season at the state’s four trout parks is an anomaly in the world of trout fishing, and that’s what makes the day so special. In a sport often defined by solitude, silence and strict catch-and-release ethics, Missouri has created something entirely different. At Bennett Spring State Park, Montauk State Park, Roaring River State Park and Maramec Spring Park, crowds are welcome and fish are kept. Joy is shared across generations during a unique celebration of trout fishing.

On March 1, the annual opening day of trout season, the trout parks are not quiet places. They are alive with energy. Anglers crowd shoulder to shoulder in some spots along spring-fed streams. If it’s cold, wood fires will glow in 55-gallon drums before dawn. Coffee is shared with strangers. Children bounce around with youthful zest. When whistle blows, lines hit the water all at once. Instantly, trout are bending rods It’s crowded in the most wonderful way.

To outsiders, photos of anglers standing elbow to elbow may look chaotic. In ways it can be. For some, perhaps even unpleasant. But those images and thoughts miss the point. What happens at Missouri’s trout parks, especially on opening day, is not about personal achievement or chasing trophies. It is about participation. It’s about being part of something bigger than yourself. It’s celebrating fishing as a shared cultural experience.

Children with Snoopy poles fish next to old-timers wielding bamboo fly rods. Parents pass along traditions they learned from their own parents. Grandparents sit bundled in lawn chairs, watching their families do something they have loved for decades. For many, the trout opener is a holiday as meaningful as any on the calendar. It marks the coming spring, as winter loosens its grip.

Each park brings its own personality to this statewide celebration. Bennett Spring is the most popular for good reason. Its massive spring is one of the largest in the state, producing roughly 100 million gallons of cold, crystal clear water each day to feed the Niangua River. Bennett caters to anglers of all skill levels, with clearly designated areas for fly fishing and bait fishing, making it an ideal family destination. It is welcoming, accessible, and steeped in tradition.

Montauk, set at the headwaters of the Current River, feels different. More natural. More secluded. Towering trees create shaded stretches where trout stack up along undercut banks waiting for a well-placed fly or spinner. For many anglers, Montauk offers a western trout river feel. It provides those brief windows when drifting a caddis fly leads to the soft rise of a rainbow.

Roaring River is tucked into a deep Ozark valley in the state’s southwest corner. The water is narrow and intimate. Wading is limited, which makes it especially friendly for children and new anglers who can safely fish from shore. The park’s history includes work completed by Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. This adds a sense of place that goes beyond fishing. Missouri’s state-record rainbow trout is from Roaring River and feels like every deep pool could be hiding the next.

Maramec Spring is the only trout park not owned by the state. Operated by the James Foundation on the site of the historic Maramec Iron Works, it offers anglers a chance to fish through history. Stone ruins and ironworks remnants line the spring branch, reminding visitors that Missouri’s conservation story is inseparable from its industrial past. At Maramec, trout fishing and history blend into a single experience.

The fishing at all four parks is managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, which stocks trout nightly throughout the season from March 1 to Oct. 31. These hatchery-raised fish are meant to be caught and kept and turned into dinner. The clarity of purpose is another big part of what makes the parks so appealing. No one is going to judge you for placing a limit of trout on a stringer. Instead, you’ll receive smiles and high-fives. Anglers are actually encouraged to take fish home, clean them, cook them and share a meal. This tradition is an important layer of the entire experience.

Missouri’s trout parks are entry points into fishing. They have to be among the top places in the country where more “first fish” are caught than anywhere else. They’re gateways that turn curious kids into lifelong anglers. In a time when recruitment and retention are constant concerns in conservation, the importance of this role for these wonderful destinations cannot be overstated.

The culture surrounding the parks reflects this openness. Fly anglers and bait fishermen coexist. Skill levels vary wildly, but the shared goals are simply to catch trout, enjoy the time and make memories. Serious anglers who prefer solitude can always return later in the season when crowds thin and the parks offer more solitude. Especially during the middle of the week. But on opening day the crowds are the flavor, not the flaw.

Missouri’s trout parks are not trying to be Montana tailwaters or remote alpine streams. They are something else entirely. They are communal, celebratory and unapologetically inclusive. They reflect a conservation ethos that values people as much as fish and understands the importance of traditions.

If you have never experienced Missouri’s trout parks on opening day, you owe it to yourself to do so. Bring your kids. Bring your friends. Bring a lawn chair, a thermos of coffee and a willingness to fish next to and smile at strangers. Take trout home for dinner and be part of one of the most genuine annual fishing celebrations in the country.

See you down the trail…

Brandon Butler writes an outdoors column for The Republic. Send comments to sports@therepublic.com. For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.

COMING UP

Indiana Sentinels hockey

Friday vs. Port Huron, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday vs. Port Huron, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday vs. Port Huron, 1:30 p.m.

IU Columbus women’s basketball

Today at Rio Grande in RSC Tournament, 5:30 p.m.

IU Columbus baseball

Today vs. Siena Heights (Mich.), noon (DH)

Friday at Oakland City, 4 p.m.

Saturday at Oakland City, 1 p.m. (DH)

IU Columbus softball

Saturday vs. Grace Christian, 2 p.m. (DH)

March 6 vs. West Virginia Tech, noon (DH)

March 7 vs. Rio Grande, noon (DH)

Indiana Pacers

Thursday vs. Hornets, 7 p.m.

Sunday vs. Grizzlies, 5 p.m.

March 4 at Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Indiana University men’s basketball

Sunday vs. Michigan State, 3:45 p.m. (CBS)

March 4 vs. Minnesota, 6:30 p.m. (BTN)

March 7 at Ohio State, 5:30 p.m. (FOX)

Purdue men’s basketball

Thursday vs. Michigan State, 8 p.m. (Peacock)

Sunday at Ohio State, 1:30 p.m. (CBS)

March 4 at Northwestern, 8:30 p.m. (BTN)

Indiana University women’s basketball

Today at Rutgers, 7 p.m. (B1G+)

Saturday vs. Penn State, 2 p.m. (B1G+)

NASCAR Cup Series

Sunday at Austin, Texas, 3:30 p.m. (FOX)

March 8 at Avondale, Ariz., 3:30 p.m. (FS1)

March 15 at Las Vegas, 4 p.m. (FS1)

IndyCar Series

Sunday at St. Petersburg, Fla., noon (FOX)

March 7 at Avondale, Ariz., 3 p.m. (FOX)

March 15 at Arlington, Texas, 12:30 p.m. (FOX)

SPORTS ON TV TODAY

Men’s college basketball

Maryland at Nebraska, 7 p.m. (BTN)

Omaha at S. Dakota, 7 p.m. (CBSSN)

Florida at Texas, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

Illinois St. at N. Iowa, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)

Butler at Villanova, 7 p.m. (FS1)

St. John’s at UConn, 7 p.m. (Peacock)

Georgia at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. (SEC)

Pittsburgh at Stanford, 8 p.m. (ACC)

Ohio St. at Iowa, 9 p.m. (BTN)

UNLV at Grand Canyon, 9 p.m. (CBSSN)

Texas A&M at Arkansas, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

Mississippi St. at Alabama, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)

Kansas St. at Colorado, 9 p.m. (FS1)

DePaul at Creighton, 9 p.m. (Peacock)

LSU at Mississippi, 9 p.m. (SEC)

SMU at Californiam 10 p.m. (SEC)

Wisconsin at Oregon, 11 p.m. (BTN)

Santa Clara at Saint Mary’s, 11 p.m. (CBSSN)

Washington St. at Loyola Marymount, 11 p.m. (ESPNU)

Utah St. at San Diego St., 11 p.m. (FS1)

Women’s college basketball

Michigan at Ohio St., 8 p.m. (Peacock)

College softball

Mississippi St. at Georgia Tech, 6 p.m. (ACC)

Golf

LPGA Tour: HSBC Women’s World Championship, 8:30 p.m. (Golf)

MLB Spring Training

Tigers vs. Phillies, 1 p.m. (MLB)

Angeles vs. Padres, 4 p.m. (MLB)

NBA

Thunder at Pistons, 7:40 p.m. (ESPN)

Celtics at Nuggets, 10:10 p.m. (ESPN)

NHL

Maple Leafs at Lightning, 7:30 p.m. (TNT/TRU)

Golden Knights at Kings, 10 p.m. (TNT/TRU)

Men’s soccer

CONCACAF U-20 Championship Qualifier Group Stage: Antigua & Barbuda vs. British Virgin Islands, 11:50 a.m. (FS2)

UEFA Champions League: Galatasaray at Juventus FC, Knockout Stage – Leg 2, 3 p.m. (CBSSN)

CONCACAF U-20 Championship Qualifier Group Stage: Puerto Rico vs. Bonaire, Group B, 3:50 p.m. (FS2)

CONCACAF Champions League: O&M FC at FC Cincinnati, First Round – Leg 1, 6:55 p.m. (FS2)

CONCACAF Champions League: Cartaginés at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, First Round – Leg 1, 9:25 p.m. (FS2)

CONCACAF Champions League: Sporting San Miguelito at Los Angeles Galaxy, First Round – Leg 1, 11:25 p.m. (FS2)

Tennis

Dubai-ATP Early Rounds, 5 a.m. (Tennis)

Acapulco-ATP, Dubai-ATP, Austin-WTA, Santiago-ATP & Merida-WTA Early Rounds, 10 a.m. (Tennis)

Women’s volleyball

Major League Volleyball: Salt Lake at Austin, 8 p.m. (USA)