1A Men – Lincoln Charter grabs team title as Franklin Academy’s Rovnak wins individual
KERNERSVILLE, NC – Franklin Academy’s Aaron Rovnak cruised past the field, posting a time of 16:05.97 in the 1A Men’s Cross Country Championships at Ivey Redmon Park, earning the school’s first individual championship in Men’s Cross Country. Rovnak rolled through the finish nearly 25 seconds clear of second place, as the junior clipped the tape for the victory.
Lincoln Charter sprinted past Bishop McGuinness 42-82, winning the school’s second straight 1A Men’s State Championship in Cross Country. Drew Zink led the way for Lincoln Charter, as he finished second overall in a time of 16:30.27. He was followed to the line by his teammates Cutter Law who finished seventh overall, and Patrick Rice who completed the course in ninth overall. Senior Jonas Guffey and Freshman Matthew Radin rounded out the Lincoln Charter scoring five in 13th and 18th respectively.
Lincoln Charter’s team score of 42 was 40 points better than second place, Bishop McGuinness, with Murphy coming in third at 113. Lincoln Charter averaged 17:14.90 for the course with Bishop McGuinness clocking in at 17:40.07 and Murphy just behind them at 17:52.42. The win was Lincoln Charter’s second Men’s State Championship in the sport.
2A Men – North Lincoln sweeps third straight team title with Thomson earning individual title
KERNERSVILLE, NC – North Lincoln won the school’s fifth team State Championship, and third consecutive 2A title, as the squad swept the honors at the 2A Men’s Cross Country Championships at Ivey Redmon Park. The Knights were led by the individual event champion, Jason Thomson, who became the first Knights’ runner to win an individual Cross Country State Championship. The Senior, Thomson, broke the tape in 15:40.66, a new 2A Cross Country Championships record. His effort broke the mark established by North Henderson’s Aaron Keller in 1996 when he completed the State Championship course in 15:41.0.
North Lincoln runners also came in eighth and ninth overall, as Jacob Scott and Miles Phillips crossed consecutively in 16:17.53 and 16:19.78, respectively. The Knights then got a 16th overall performance from senior Khari Johnson who finished in 16:29.51. He was followed by teammate Alex Wulfhurst who finished 17th overall in a time of 16:37.16.
3A Men’s – Chapel Hill earns 11th State Championship and Watauga’s Cannon grabs individual
KERNERSVILLE, NC – Watauga’s Avery Cannon became the fifth Pioneer to earn the Individual Men’s Cross Country State Championship as he won the 3A race at Ivey Redmon Park. Cannon clipped the tape in 15:39.00 to win the title, bursting by Weddington’s Jake Toomey who finished second with a time of 15:51.98.
Chapel Hill nipped Weddington 61-77 for the Tiger’s 11th team state championship and their first since 2016. The Tigers were led by Ben Hawley who finished sixth overall in a time of 16:11.30. Emil Arangala came in tenth overall, crossing in 16:16.16, with Max Reisinger in 13th at 16:23.06. Senior Owen Rogers came in 19thwith a time of 16:31.36. Freshman Yichen Sun crossed in 25th place with a time of 16:34.63 to close out the Tigers’ scoring five runners. The Tigers averaged 16:23.30 while second-place Weddington averaged 16:25.01.
4A Men – Broughton brings home eighth team title as Panther Creek’s Harrison grabs individual honors
KERNERSVILLE, NC – Panther Creek’s Ian Harrison won the school’s first individual State Championship in Men’s Cross Country. The senior completed the course at Ivey Redmon Park in 15:25.58 outlasting a challenge from Cardinal Gibbons senior, Carson Williams, who crossed in 15:28.53.
Broughton runners combined to win the school’s eighth Men’s Cross Country State Championship and their first since 2016. The Caps were led by senior John Malach who finished fifth overall in a time of 15:48.66. Fellow senior Jack Rooney crossed in tenth with a time of 15:56.66. Junior Landon Soroka was 17th overall with a time of 16:24.85. Senior Cooper Thompson and freshman Dylan Core crossed consecutively, in 23rd and 24th overall respectively, with times of 16:31.29 and 16:32.57. The five combined for a team total of 68 points and an average time of 16:14.81. That mark was well ahead of second place Cardinal Gibbons who compiled 99 points and an average of 16:17.15.
