Columbus North High School

April 16, 2025 - Sixteen Columbus North student athletes will participate in a collegiate signing ceremony hosted by the Columbus North Athletics Department on Wednesday, April 16 in the CNHS Cafeteria beginning at 5:30 pm. Each athlete will be presented by Athletic Director Brian Lewis and a representative from their high school coaching staff. Family, friends, and teammates of each athlete will be in attendance. Student athletes participating in this ceremony represent Columbus North boys cross country, boys track and field, softball, bowling, cheerleading, baseball, wrestling, and football programs. These student athletes’ future colleges or universities represent the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III level, the NJCAA, and the NAIA. The Bull Dog student athletes participating in the April 16 ceremony will join ten other Class of 2025 signees who participated in similar signing ceremonies early this school year. April 16 signees include the following: Neal White is signing to run cross country and track and field at Division 1 Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Neal was three-times name to the Conference Indiana All-Conference team in cross country, and earned All-State honors in cross country. He was a two-time sectional champion and named MVP for cross country twice. He earned the Bull Dog Award in track and field, ranks sixth in program history for the 5k in cross country, and has recorded a program top-ten performance in the 3200m. Neal plans to study computer science and pursue training in cybersecurity while at Purdue. Lily Retz is signing to play softball at NAIA IU Columbus in Columbus, Indiana. Lily appeared in 21 varsity games in the 2023-24 season and collected 65 plate appearances. She had eleven hits and six RBI for her junior season. She’s off to a great start her senior year, starting each game at first base, batting .500, and already recording a pair of home runs in just five games. She also leads the team with a .964 fielding percentage this season. Lily plans to study criminal justice while at IU Columbus with the hopes of becoming a correctional officer and potentially a lawyer. Destinee Allman is also signing to play softball at NAIA IU Columbus. Destinee appeared in twelve games as a junior and hit .324 in 38 plate appearances. She had twelve hits, including a double during her junior campaign. She has been rock solid in the outfield early in her senior season and has scored three times for the Bull Dogs so far this season. Destinee plans to study biology at IU Columbus and hopes to become an anesthesiologist down the road. Landon Million is signing to bowl at NCAA Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a three-time sectional bowling champion, a regional champion, and a semi-state runner-up. He had the highest per-game average in the conference, has been a team captain for four years, and was fourth at the All-State tournament. Landon has been named All-State Honorable Mention four times as well as being named to the All-Conference team four times. While at Marian, Landon plans to study chemical engineering. Mia Nickels is signing to cheer at Franklin College, a Division 3 school in Franklin, Indiana. Mia was part of the Game Day Competitive Cheer Squad that finished eighth nationally this past February, their second consecutive top-ten finish. Mia received the “Most Spirited” Award from teammates following both her junior and senior cheer seasons. Mia plans to study accounting and finance during her time at Franklin College. Lindsey Thompson is signing to cheer at Division 1 the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Indiana. Lindsey was part of the Game Day Competitive Cheer Squad that twiced finished in the top ten in their division at the national competition. She was a two-time UCA All-American, and was a UCA staff nominee. Lindsey, who also had an offer to cheer at Marian University, will study nursing while at USI with plans to become either a neonatal ICU nurse or a pediatric ICU nurse. Cami Kleffman is also signing to cheer at the University of Southern Indiana. Cami is another member of the high-ranking Game Day Competitive Cheer Squad and was a UCA All-American. She served as squad captain her senior season, and was awarded both the Bull Dog Award and the Ariel Award by her team and coaches. Cami plans to study biology and wants to become a veterinarian some day. Joey Fry is signing to play baseball at Parkland College, a NJCAA junior college in Champaign, Illinois. Joey is a three-year letterwinner (hoping to make it four after this season) and a three-year starter for the Bull Dog baseball team. He was part of the 2023 sectional championship team. Joey has a 5-2 career record on the mound for North in 16 appearances on the mound. He has a 3.4 ERA and has struck out 47 batters in his career. He chose Parkland after considering offers from Earlham, Anderson, Olney Central, Franklin, and Marian. Joey will pursue a finance degree while at Parkland. Lane Schrader is signing to play baseball at NJCAA Vincennes University in VIncennes, Indiana. Lanehas earned three varsity letters leading up to his senior season, appearing in 21 varsity games in his career. He was also a member of the 2023 sectional championship team. He was named the Offensive Player of the Year and the Most Valuable Pitcher while on the JV team. Lane has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in his 21 varsity games in 31 total chances. Lane will pursue a career in firefighting. Jayce Emmitt is signing to play baseball at Division 3 Bluffton University in Bluffton, Ohio. Jayce is also pursuing his fourth varsity letter in baseball. He was named JV Pitcher of the year and JV co-MVP. He was All-Conference Honorable Mention as a junior and has a .259 batting average in 108 plate appearances. Jayce also had a decorated career in football, earning two varsity letters, being named All-Conference Honorable Mention twice, and Academic All-State following his senior season. He plans to study sports management during his time at Bluffton University. Evan Saevre is signing to wrestle at Lakeland University, a Division 3 institution in Plymouth, Wisconsin. He chose Lakeland after considering offers from Manchester and Trine. Evan, a four-year letterwinner in wrestling, was a team captain, and earned the Bull Dog Award. Another multi-sport athlete at Columbus North, was named All-Conference, All-State, and co-Defensive MVP of the Bull Dog football team. He set a single season record for tackles for loss, and tied the single season sack record at Columbus North. He shared The Republic Football Player of the Year award. While at Lakeland, Evan will pursue a degree in psychology. Justice Thornton is signing to wrestle at the University of the Cumberlands, an NAIA university in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Justice was a four-time All-Conference wrestler, team MVP, and two-time The Republic Wrestler of the Year. He was a three-time sectional champion, a three-time regional champion, a three-time state qualifier, and placed at the State Championships twice. He recorded a career record of 142-17. His 89% winning percentage marks a program record for a career. While at the University of the Cumberlands, Justice plans to study finance. Garrett Long is signing to play football at Division 1 Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Garrett selected Kent State after considering offers from Indiana State, Eastern Kentucky, Butler, Western Illinois, and Thomas More. He was twice named to the All-Conference Indiana team, was named All-Area by The Republic two times, was IFCA 6A Senior All-State, and was named team MVP after the Bull Dogs won the Conference Indiana title in 2024. White at Kent State, Garrett plans to study business. Elijah Smith is signing to play football at Division 3 Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Eli was named All-Area Honorable Mention by The Republic following his senior season after helping the Bull Dogs win the Conference Indiana title. Eli appeared in twelve career varsity games and posted ten receptions, including four receiving touchdowns while splitting time at tight end. He also received an offer from Bluffton University, but selected Mount St. Joseph where he will study business. Gino Prescott is signing to play football at Indiana Wesleyan University, an NAIA institution in Marion, Indiana. He also received offers from St. Francis and Trine Universities. Gino was named first-team All-Conference Indiana, named to the IFCA 6A Senior All-State team, and was a Region 10 All-Star selection. He was named Offensive MVP following both his junior and senior seasons, and The Republic selected him as the co-Player of the Year. Gino was also named the 2024 NAACP Outstanding Athlete. Gino will study exercise science at Indiana Wesleyan. Jackson Haston is signing to play football at Division 3 Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana. He was named All-Conference Indiana, the team’s Special Teams MVP, and twice named to The Republic All-Area team. He was a three-year letterwinner and a two-year starter in the defensive secondary, a team captain, and earned Academic All-State honors following his senior season. Jackson also received offers from Wabash, Hanover, and Trine before selecting Franklin College. He will study digital marketing while playing for the Grizzlies. This will be the final collegiate signing ceremony for the Columbus North Class of 2025 athletes. Other athletes who have yet to commit may have their own private ceremonies held between now and the end of the school year.