Olympians Making Waves in Sectional Prelims

The Columbus East boys swimming team turned up the speed Thursday night, putting themselves in prime position for Saturday’s sectional finals. The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Keaton Stephenson, Eli Isaacs, Josh Pendleton, and Misha Machavariani delivered a statement swim, clocking in at 3:21.07—the fastest qualifying time by nearly three seconds over second-place Bloomington South.

Beyond the relay, several Olympians punched their tickets to the sectional finals, with Stephenson qualifying in the 200 and 100 freestyle, Pendleton advancing in the 500 freestyle and 200 individual medley, and Machavariani making waves in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke.

On the Columbus North side, Diego Cotero Tapia advanced in two events, while the Bull Frogs will look to climb the standings in Saturday’s finals and consolations. With state berths on the line, these swimmers will need to bring their best strokes and fastest finishes to the 1:30 p.m. finals as they aim to qualify for the IHSAA State Championships.