GILLAND, SPANO WIN THIRD CONSECUTIVE INDIVIDUAL CROWNS

IN NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION CROSS COUNTRY

CLEMMONS – Taylor Gilland of Chapel Hill and Kim Spano of North Mecklenburg each won their third consecutive individual championship in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A cross country championships at Tanglewood Park on Saturday.

Gilland, a senior, beat Northwest Guilford’s Seth Crawford to the finish line in the 4-A men’s race by just over six seconds to earn the victory in a time of 15:50.68.

Raleigh Broughton won its second straight men’s 4-A team title with 59 points to 94 for runner-up Chapel Hill. Northwest Guilford was third with 118 points, followed by Morrisville Green Hope (118) and Winston-Salem Mount Tabor (164).

Spano, also a senior, won her third straight title in the women’s 4-A competition in a winning time of 18:04.02, better than 20 seconds faster Carolyn Baskir of East Chapel Hill. However, Baskir helped lead East Chapel Hill to the team title with 94 points to 115 for Green Hope. Watauga was third, followed by Charlotte Myers Park and West Johnston.

Chapel Hill, which had won the last three 4-A women’s crowns, placed seventh.

Asheville T.C. Roberson won its fifth state 3-A women’s team title in succession, tallying 57 points to 84 for runner-up Lake Norman. Monroe Sun Valley was third at 104, followed by Asheville at 117 and Marvin Ridge with 137.

Junior Kenyatta Iyerbele of Charlotte Olympic was the individual 3-A women’s champion, edging T.C. Roberson runners Marie Mauher and Laura Hoer who were second and third, respectively.

Mooresville captured its third consecutive men’s team crown with 69 points, 14 points ahead of second-place Nash Central. Waxhaw Marvin Ridge was third with 109, followed by Asheville with 126 and Eastern Alamance with 133.

Asheville junior John Harwell took top individual honors among the 3-A men in a winning time of 15:57.36, just over 13 seconds ahead of runner-up Steven Bollinger of Olympic.

Visit Winston-Salem is the official host city sponsor of the NCHSAA cross-country championships.

NCHSAA 1-A, 2-A CHAMPIONSHIPS

OWEN WINS SECOND STRAIGHT 2-A MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY CROWN

CLEMMONS – Black Mountain Charles D. Owen won its second straight state team championship in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association men’s 2-A cross country championships at Tanglewood Park on Saturday.

Owen placed five runners among the top 17 scoring positions to tally 56 points, 32 ahead of runner-up West Stanly. Orange was third with 99 points, followed by Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons with 108 and then West Henderson well back in fifth at 207.

West Stanly senior Daniel Yeakley was the individual winner, finishing just over 17 seconds ahead of second place Ben Sterett of Swansboro.

Sarah Rapp led Cardinal Gibbons to the 2-A women‘s team title for the fourth consecutive year, as she won the individual competition in a time of 19:30.36. She finished ahead of Orange runners Mackenzi Robinson and Emily Wirzba.

Gibbons had 45 team points to 68 for Orange in the 2-A women’s standings, followed by Carrboro (102), North Henderson (146) and West Henderson (149).

In 1-A competition, East Wilkes senior Eric Blackburn crossed the finish line just over eight seconds ahead of Polk’s John Spence Wolfe to take the individual title. However, Hayesville won the team championship, with sophomore Tyler Breedlove leading Hayesville with a third-place individual finish.

Hayesville scored 50 points to 63 for runner-up Misenheimer Gray Stone Day. Durham’s North Carolina School of Science and Math placed third with 101 points, followed by Hendersonville (117) and Raleigh Charter (131).

Kernersville Bishop McGuinness overcame Hayesville to win the women’s 1-A crown in a tiebreaker that went to the sixth runner’s finish after both finished with 84 points. Robbinsville was just back in third with 89, while Hendersonville was fourth at 117 and Hampstead Topsail fifth at 139.

Robbinsville’s Faith Trammell won one of the closest races of the day in 19:58.77, less than three seconds ahead of Hendersonville’s Kristen Trout in second place.

Zatha Loewen’s bid for a third consecutive individual crown fell short as the Topsail runner placed seventh overall.

Visit Winston-Salem is the official host city sponsor of the NCHSAA cross-country championships.

Complete results may be found elsewhere on the website under Championship Results, Cross Country.