1-A AND 3-A NCHSAA CROSS COUNTRY
WEDDINGTON, CHAPEL HILL WIN 3-A; GRAY STONE, WALKERTOWN IN 1-A;
VESS OF A.C. REYNOLDS TAKES SECOND STRAIGHT INDIVIDUAL CROWN
KERNERSVILLE— Weddington made it two team championships in the last three years in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 3-A men’s cross country championships at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex on Saturday.
Led by Mitchell Resor, who finished second overall, Weddington tallied 52 points to 95 for runner-up Chapel Hill. Northern Nash was third at 114.
Sophomore David Melville of Northern Guilford was the individual 3-A champion, winning in 16:12.12 and finishing just over nine seconds ahead of Resor.
In the women’s 3-A championship, senior Anna Vess of Asheville A.C. Reynolds made it two state titles in a row, winning in a time of 18:49.57, about 16 seconds ahead of Katherine Dokholyan of Chapel Hill.
But Dokholyan led a balanced Chapel Hill squad that ran to the team championship with three of the first five 3-A finishers representing the Tigers. Chapel Hill tallied 32 points to 76 for Waxhaw Marvin Ridge and 99 for Weddington.
In the 1-A men’s final, Walkertown, with four runners in the top 18 in the team scoring, captured its first NCHSAA cross country championship and snapped the Bishop McGuinness string of titles at three. Walkertown had 69 points to 89 for second-place Research Triangle, with Raleigh Charter third at 108. Bishop McGuinness finished ninth.
Kyle Rhodes led the way in the men’s 1-A race, winning the event in a time of 17:06.67, over 13 seconds ahead of runner-up Luke Bennett Durham Voyager Academy.
Blakely Moore of Highlands came on strong down the stretch and took top individual honors in the 1-A women’s race, posting a winning time of 20:42.13, just over two seconds ahead of Robbinsville’s Shawnda Martin.
Gray Stone Day of Misenheimer took the team title with 71 points, followed by Bishop McGuinness (87) and Community School of Davidson (117)
The 2-A and 4-A championships were held in the morning session.
2-A AND 4-A NCHSAA CROSS COUNTRY
BROUGHTON'S BROWN WINS SECOND STRAIGHT INDIVIDUAL TITLE; SOME CHAMPIONSHIP STREAKS ARE SNAPPED
KERNERSVILLE— Raleigh Broughton’s Jeremy Brown won his second consecutive individual championship but Broughton’s streak of team championships was snapped in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A men’s cross country championships at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex on Saturday.
Brown, a senior, won in a time of 15:44.62, just under six seconds ahead of Connor Lane of Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons. But Broughton’s streak of team titles was broken after four in a row, as Mount Tabor has four runners among the first 15 scoring in the team competition to record 67 points to Broughton’s 80.
Cardinal Gibbons was third with 85 points.
Nevada Moreno of Raleigh Leesville Road won the 4-A women’s race in dominating fashion, winning by almost 45 seconds over the field with a time of 17:46.50. Defending individual champion Elly Henes of Green Hope finished second.
Gibbons snapped Green Hope’s string of women’s team championships at six in its first foray into the 4-A level, as the Crusaders scored 63 points to 67 for Green Hope. Gibbons was aided by its top three runners finishing in the first 11 in the team scoring. Leesville Road was third with 99 points.
In 2-A men’s competition, senior Frank Kenny of Durham North Carolina School of Science and Math won the individual title by just a half-second, nipping Brevard’s Noah Graham in a time of 16:37.41.
NCSSM won its third consecutive men’s team title with 76 points, four ahead of Durham School of the Arts. Carrboro was third with 135 points.
The Carrboro women continued a strong showing in 2-A cross country, with a Carrboro runner taking top honors for the sixth year in a row. Senior Amanda Hickey took the title in 19:20.75, almost 13 seconds ahead of runner-up Kaitlyn Stone of West Stokes.
However, Brevard nipped Carrboro in very tight team standings, with 77 points to 79 for the runner-up Jaguars, denying Carrboro what would have been its fifth team crown in the last seven years. Brevard had four individual runners in the top 20 in the team scoring. Lake Norman Charter was third with 83 points.
The 1-A and 3-A championships are part of the afternoon session.
