Cuthbertson, Lincoln Charter, Thomas Jefferson win NCHSAA state cross-country championships
Led by a top two finish in the individual race, Cuthbertson High’s girls won the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A state championship Saturday.
Cuthbertson won for the third straight season.
In 3A, Cuthbertson’s Madeline Hill ran a time of 18:11.91 to win the 3A individual championship, finishing ahead of teammate Alyssa Preisano (18:16.96). Cuthbertson’s Lillian Nasta was fourth.
Weddington’s Elizabeth Ritter finished sixth and Anna Ritter finished eighth.
Cuthbertson had 31 total team points, well ahead of Weddington (46) and Marvin Ridge (106).
Walter Williams High’s Ryan Motondo won the boys race (15:44.93), finishing ahead of a pair of Weddington runners -- Caden Townshend (15:48.47) and Wesley Larson (15:58.14).
Chapel Hill won the boys team title. Weddington was second and Cuthbertson fourth.
▪ Thomas Jefferson’s girls and Lincoln Charter’s boys won 1A state championships, and Highland Tech’s Lauren Tolbert won the 1A girls individual championship.
Franklin Academy’s Aaron Rovnak (16:47.65) won the 1A boys title, but Thomas Jefferson’s Carson Gilliam finished fifth. Other Observer-area top 10 finishers were South Stanly’s Davis Wright (6th, 17:29.17) and Lincoln Charter’s Cutter Law (7th, 17:35.38).
Lincoln Charter had 55 points, to finish well ahead of Community School of Davidson (112) and Murphy (116) in the boys race.
On the girls side, Tolbert ran 19:15.05, to finish ahead of Riverside’s Briley Bickerstaff (19:16.96). Gray Stone Day’s Emberleigh Pauley-Browwn was sixth, Thomas Jefferson’s Kilia Hasty was seventh, Gray Stone Day’s Jenna Freeman was eighth and Pine Lake Prep’s Abby Pike was ninth.
Thomas Jefferson had 88 points to win the team title over Pine Lake Prep (97).
This story was originally published January 23, 2021 at 1:50 PM.
