WINSTON-SALEM – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association hosts the 2024 Indoor Track and Field State Championships at the JDL Fast Track.
Swain County, T.W. Andrews win 1A/2A Indoor Track and Field Titles
The Maroon Devils denied Cummings its 12th NCHSAA Indoor Track and Field Championship by tallying just two more points than the Cavaliers.
Swain County sophomore Annie Lewis won the 1000-meter race, and junior Arizona Blankenship won the 1600 and took second in the 3200. Swain County also won the 4×800 Meter Relay.
Cummings was led by sophomore D’Anna Cotton as she won the 55 Hurdles, High Jump and Long Jump and took second in the Triple Jump. She tied the 1A/2A record in the High Jump. Cotton was named Most Outstanding Performer for her showing on Saturday.
In the Men’s Competition, T.W. Andrews racked up 85 points to win its second Indoor Track and Field Championship and first since 1992. Defending champions, East Burke finished in second with 66 points.
The Red Raiders won four events in the meet as senior Correy McManus won the 55 Meter Dash, junior Ja’Neil Harris won the 300 – setting a new 1A/2A meet record – and senior Jeremiah King won the 55 Hurdles. The 4×200 relay team also finished first, and the 4×400 relay team finished second.
Senior Kenneth Byrd powered East Burke as he won the High Jump, took second in 55 Hurdles and Pole Vault, and third in the Long Jump. He was named the MOP for the second straight year.
Northeastern senior Junior Payton-Kimble shattered his own 1A/2A Meet record in the shot put with a throw of 60-02.75. Last year he threw a 55-09.
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting good sportsmanship and has partnered with the NC Farm Bureau to recognize two athletes from each State Championship event with the NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Awards. The Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2024 1A/2A Indoor Track and Field Championships were Angelina Lomelli from Swain County, Taylor Jordan from Cummings, Zaman Thomas from T.W. Andrews, and Avery Fraley from East Burke.
Dudley Women Go Back-to-back, Croatan Men Win Second Title in Three Years
In the women’s competition, the Dudley Panthers defended their 2023 title, and in the men’s competition, the Croatan Cougars won for the second time in three years.
Dudley scored 62 points in the team competition, 18 points ahead of Atkins in second place.
For the Panthers, Madison Crowder and Senadzi Ranklin took second and third in the 55 Hurdles, and Serenitie Johnson took second in the Triple Jump. The 4×400 relay team also earned a second-place finish.
The win gives Dudley four Indoor Women’s titles as they also went back-to-back in 1989 and 1990.
Southern Guilford junior Elizabeth Deen was named the Most Outstanding Performer as she won the Triple Jump, took second in the Long Jump, and took fourth in the 55 Hurdles.
Three new 3A State Meet Records were set in the women’s competition Saturday. Statesville’s Janiya Johnson posted 6.91 in the 55 Meter Dash. West Henderson’s Emma Hall ran a 7.94 in the 55 Hurdles, and Ashbrook’s Camryn Massey posted a throw of 45-06.25 in the Shot Put.
In the men’s competition, Croatan racked up 84.5 points to finish more than 27 points ahead of Franklin, the defending champions, in second place. The win gives the Cougars’ men’s program four Indoor titles as they won the 1A/2A Championship in 2018 and 2019 and the 3A title in 2022.
The Cougars picked up five first-place finishes in the meet as senior Luke Nicolajsen won the 300, senior Andrew Wahlgren won the 1000, and senior Jake Carroll won the Pole Vault. Croatan also won but the 4×400 and 4×800 relays.
Franklin was powered senior Elijan Cochran on the day as he won the Most Outstanding Performer award after he finished second in the 300 Meter and 55 Hurdles and took third in the Long Jump. Dudley’s Le’Ezra Brown also had a strong performance as he won both the 55 Meter Dash and the 55 Hurdles, setting a new 3A Meet Record in the hurdles.
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting good sportsmanship and has partnered with the NC Farm Bureau to recognize two athletes from each State Championship event with the NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Awards. The Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2024 3A Indoor Track and Field Championships are Jalee Brown from Dudley, Onyi Ezeigbo from Atkins, Andrew Wahlgren from Croatan, and David Rogers from Franklin.
Men’s Final Standings
1. Croatan, 84.5.
2. Franklin 57.333
3. Dudley, 53.5
4. Central Academy of Tech, 37
5. Union Pines, 28.
Women’s Final Standings
1. Dudley, 62.
2. Atkins, 44
3. Croatan, 40
4. Franklin, 38
5. West Carteret, 32
Cuthbertson Women Win Again, and Mount Tabor Claims Men’s Indoor Title
The Cavaliers scored 58 points in the event, 15 more than Olympic which finished as runner-up. Cuthbertson won the 3A Indoor title from 2017-2020, and COVID-19 temporarily halted their streak as no championships were held in 2021. The Cavaliers have now won three consecutive 4A title
Cuthberton’s Justine Preisano and Charlotte Bell took first and second in the 1000 Meter, and in the 1600, Bell won for the second year in a row, breaking her own state record time in the process, and Presiano took third.
Rolesville senior Joslyn Hamilton was named the Most Outstanding Performer in the event as she won both the 55 Meter Dash and the 55 Meter Hurdles, setting a new state record in the process.
Cardinal Gibbons 4×800 Meter Relay team also set a new state record with a time of 9.18.21.
In the men’s competition, Mount Tabor edged Weddington by just three points and Cuthbertson, the two-time defending champions, was less than three points behind Weddington in third. The 2024 4A Indoor Track and Field Championship is the third for the Spartans but the first since 2002.
Mount Tabor was led by senior Jordan Wolverton, who took home the Most Outstanding Performer award as he won the high jump, took second in the long jump, and third in the 55 Meter Hurdles.
In the 300-meter race, Clayton’s CJ Martin set a new 4A Meet record with a time of 34.36, and Parkland’s Micah Walker, who finished in second, also bested the old 4A Meet record but finished one-hundredth of a second behind Martin.
Green Hope set a new state record in the 4×800 Meter Relay with a time of 7:55.99, topping the old record by more than 1 second.
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting good sportsmanship and has partnered with the NC Farm Bureau to recognize two athletes from each State Championship event with the NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Awards. The Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2024 4A Indoor Track and Field Championships were Marrisa Watts from Cuthbertson, I’ja Walter from Olympic, Jordan Wolverton from Mount Tabor, and Ian Mas from Weddington.
Men – Team Rankings
1. Mount Tabor, 41.
2. Weddington, 38
3. Cuthbertson, 35.14
4. Reagan, 34.64
5. Marvin Ridge, 31.29
Women – Team Rankings
1. Cuthbertson, 58
2. Olympic, 43
3. Marvin Ridge, 36.
4. Mallard Creek, 28
T5. Cardinal Gibbons, 26
T5. Mount Tabor, 26
