East boys take fourth, Panthers sixth in HHC

Josh Pendleton wins two individual events to lead Columbus East

Jan. 31, 2026 at 11:15pm

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The Columbus East boys swimming team finished fourth at the Hoosier Hills Conference meet on Saturday, led by Josh Pendleton's victories in the 200-yard individual medley and 500-yard freestyle. Jennings County placed sixth in the team standings.

Why it matters

The Hoosier Hills Conference is a prestigious high school athletic conference in Indiana, and a strong performance at the conference meet can be a springboard for success at the state championships later in the season.

The details

Pendleton swam 1 minute, 57.98 seconds in the 200 IM and 4:43.52 in the 500 freestyle to win those individual events. He also teamed up with Alex Stilson, Micah Wettschurack and Ryan Turner to take third in the 200 medley relay, and with Turner, Mason Bean and Stilson to place fourth in the 400 freestyle relay. Bean finished sixth in the 200 freestyle and eighth in the 500 freestyle, while Turner took seventh in the 100 freestyle and Wettschurack was eighth in the 100 breaststroke. Jennings County's relay teams of Levi Whitesell, Dillon Johnson, Ayden Chen and Charlie Witt placed fifth in both the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays.

  • The Hoosier Hills Conference boys swimming meet took place on Saturday, January 31, 2026.

The players

Josh Pendleton

A swimmer for the Columbus East Olympians, Pendleton won the 200-yard individual medley and 500-yard freestyle events at the Hoosier Hills Conference meet.

Alex Stilson

A member of the Columbus East 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams that placed in the top four.

Micah Wettschurack

A member of the Columbus East 200 medley relay team that placed third.

Ryan Turner

A member of the Columbus East 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams that placed in the top four, and also placed seventh in the 100 freestyle.

Mason Bean

A Columbus East swimmer who finished sixth in the 200 freestyle and eighth in the 500 freestyle.

Levi Whitesell

A member of the Jennings County 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams that placed fifth.

Dillon Johnson

A member of the Jennings County 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams that placed fifth.

Ayden Chen

A member of the Jennings County 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams that placed fifth.

Charlie Witt

A member of the Jennings County 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams that placed fifth.

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The takeaway

The strong performances by swimmers from Columbus East and Jennings County at the Hoosier Hills Conference meet demonstrate the depth of talent in high school swimming in Indiana, and set the stage for potentially exciting results at the upcoming state championships.