Columbus North High School

November 17, 2025 - Fresh off an IHSAA State championship, the North boys cross country team, competing as the Columbus Thorn, earned a Midwest Regional title against the best cross country programs in a five-state area (Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri). The squad recorded five top-50 finishes to score just 131 team points, easily separating themselves from the PNXC A club, who finished with 189 team points. The victory earned them a trip to Portland Oregon on December 6 to compete at Nationals as one of only 22 teams from across the nation. Jace Works was the team’s top finisher, earning a 13th-place finish individually (8th among those competing for a team title), completing the course in 15:08.69. Denton Sluder was 18th (11th), Justin Reckers 60th (31st), Joseph Day 71st (36th), Graham Pumphrey 92nd (45th), Sam Steinmetz 107th (54th), Logan Vanzant 140th, and Rohan Norris 198th. The race featured 326 runners. Works (2nd Team) and Sluder (3rd Team) earned All-District honors. The girls earned a 22nd-place finish in their division, scoring 530 team points. Purple Track Club A won the girls division with 131 points. Kodi Smith paced the Columbus Thorn with a 151st-place finish, followed by Sydney Madden (167th), Tristan Works (173rd), Emma Lowther (199th), Maria Gaggiano Camargo (212th), Adira Sluder (230th), and Hazel Sasse (293rd) in the 319 competitor race. Photo: Columbus Thorn boys cross country team won the NXR Midwest Regional in Terre Haute on Sunday, November 16, earning a berth in the NXN Nationals in Portland, Oregon. This will be the third Columbus North team to earn a trip to Nationals, following the 2010 team, who finished third, and the 2011 team, who were ninth.