RALEIGH – Despite a tremendous performance by Kyle Hites of Lenoir Hibriten, Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons held off Hibriten to win the men’s team championship in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 1-A/2-A swimming and diving championships at the Willis Casey Aquatic Center on the N.C. State University campus on Saturday.
The Gibbons women also rolled to their third consecutive state title.
Hites was entered in the maximum four events, including the 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay in which his teams set new state records. He also won the 200 individual medley and set a new state 1-A/2-A standard with a time of 1:01.69 in winning the 100 breaststroke.
Hites shared meet Most Valuable Performer honors with Carrboro’s Kenneth Ryan, who won the 100 backstroke and set a new classification record in the 50 free.
Gibbons tallied 313 points to 263 for runner-up Hibriten in the men’s team standings, with first-year high school Carrboro in third with 169. Durham School of the Arts was fourth with 146 and defending men’s champ East Lincoln fifth at 139.
In the women’s competition, Cardinal Gibbons had little trouble en route to the title, winning by a whopping 253 points. Gibbons scored 416 to 163 for Elkin, followed by Carrboro at 151, West Davidson at 149 and Durham School of the Arts with 124.
West Davidson’s Kelly Ann Baird was the MVP of the women’s meet, winning both the 200 free and 500 free. She set a new 1-A/2-A mark in the 500 free with a time that earned automatic All-American honors.
This was the seventh annual separate 1-A/2-A championship in swimming and diving. Wendy’s and the Carolinas Ford Dealers are the presenting sponsors of the NCHSAA sports programs.

COMPLETE TEAM SCORES AND INDIVIDUAL RESULTS CAN BE FOUND ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB SITE IN THE CHAMPIONSHP RESULTS SECTION, THEN CLICK ON SWIMMING AND LOOK FOR 2008 RESULTS