NC board rules on Charlotte track team’s state championship appeal. What it decided
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- An appeals board approved Mallard Creek’s appeal, awarding the title.
- Mallard Creek was awarded the state championship after the appeal.
- Officials disqualified Brown citing a taunting-rule violation after a prior warning.
The Mallard Creek boys’ track team has won an appeal after a controversial disqualification initially cost the Mavericks a third straight state championship.
After an emergency meeting from the N.C. High School Athletic Association Board of Directors on Tuesday morning, the Mavericks have been reinstalled as state champions, and they will share the title with Durham’s Jordan high School.
“We are grateful for the decision and appreciate the opportunity to fully participate in the appeals process as it was intended,” Mallard Creek principal Jared Thompson said in a statement. “We are grateful for the opportunity to advocate on behalf of our student-athletes through a process that allowed for careful review and consideration of this matter.”
NC High School Athletic Association commissioner Que Tucker said she recognized how difficult the past few weeks were for Mallard Creek and all of the school communities that were involved in the controversy — and the ultimate decision.
“At the center of the matter are young people who have invested countless hours into their sport and their team,” Tucker said. “We appreciate the work of the Independent Interscholastic Appeals Board and respect the process that led to today’s outcome. We are pleased that this matter has reached a resolution and that the accomplishments of the student-athletes involved can be recognized.”
The Charlotte school’s appeal was heard by a three-member Independent Interscholastic Athletics Appeals Board run by the N.C. State Board of Education. That appeals panel included Dr. Rodney Shotwell (retired Superintendent, Rockingham County Schools), Robert Logan (retired Superintendent, Scotland County Schools) and Alice Lyons (Retired Principal, Heritage Collegiate Leadership Academy).
Last week, the panel met for two hours and heard statements and evidence presented by the N.C. High School Athletic Association and officials from Mallard Creek. The appeal centered around a post-race celebration from Mavericks’ star Nyan Brown after he won a relay race that sealed the championship.
While finishing the 1,600-meter relay, Brown raised his hand, five fingers outstretched. Brown and his coach said he was signaling winning five state titles in a row — three outdoors and two indoors.
A meet official, who said Brown had previously been warned for excessive celebration, disqualified him. Brown and his coach claim they never were told about an initial infraction.
In a statement, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction said the appeals panel concluded that Mallard Creek “had presented clear and convincing evidence that the student-athlete did not engage in unsporting or unacceptable conduct as defined in the track and field competition rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations.” After its ruling, NC DPI said the NCHSAA would then be responsible for any decisions around state championship results.
That led to Tuesday’s emergency meeting, where the NCHSAA Board decided to make Mallard Creek co-champion in the 1,600 relay with Hough in addition to splitting the overall title with Jordan.
Hough finished second in the relay and was declared state champion on the day of the meet following the Mavericks’ DQ.
Background of the appeal
The story of the Mavericks’ track team drew national attention, and outrage on social media, and was covered by several national outlets.
Mavericks coach Sam Willoughby told The Observer, before the decision was announced, that he always knew his team could lose its case, but that it was important to make it.
“I don’t know if any change will happen,” Willoughby said the day before Mallard Creek submitted its appeal. “But we at least want to have a voice.”
On May 16, at the NCHSAA 8A state track championships in Greensboro, Mallard Creek appeared to have locked up a third straight outdoor state championship as star Nyan Brown crossed the finish line in the final race of the day, the boys’ 1,600-meter relay.
As he crossed the finish line, well out in front, Brown held his hand.
Officials disqualified Brown for the act, saying the Mavericks senior had been warned for celebrating in an earlier race.
Willoughby said Brown had not.
“I was not told, and he was not told,” Willoughby told The Observer a few days after the race. “That became a ‘he-say, she-say’ thing. At the end, (the official) claimed she gave Nyan a warning. I kept asking her, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure you had the right kid?’ He said, ‘Coach, she never said anything to me.’”
Earlier in the day, Brown ran the fifth-fastest time in the United States this year in winning the 300-meter hurdles. The N.C. State recruit celebrated in front of a group of cameramen, his back to the other runners, and then hugged teammates and shook hands with at least one competitor.
Meet officials say they gave Brown a warning for violation of a taunting rule, which seeks to prohibit “any action or gesture intended to embarrass, ridicule or demean others.”
By this national rule, athletes are not permitted to celebrate, hold up their hands in victory or clench fists while crossing the finish line or completing a trial. Additionally, the rule says a runner must complete the activity before any celebration begins.
Brown’s 300-meter hurdles celebration was well after he finished the race. The second one, after the relay, was not.
The Observer reviewed hundreds of images shot by NC MileSplit at the state finals and found dozens of athletes celebrating by raising one hand or two hands. Some pointed to the wrists. One held up three fingers to celebrate winning three state titles. Several others held their arms outstretched while looking directly at the group of camera people sitting behind the finish line that Brown did.
“I thought that was just some targeting, maybe they didn’t want us to win for some reason,” Willoughby said. “I don’t know what the reason was. When she threw the flag up as soon as he crossed the line, I knew it was on us. I was like, ‘How can this happen.’”
This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 12:42 PM.
