Lake Norman Charter, Carrboro win NCHSAA 3A swim state championships Thursday

Steve Lyttle
·5 min read

Lake Norman Charter’s girls won their first state championship in swimming and diving Thursday, capturing the state 3A team title.

Meanwhile, the Knights’ Hayden Schroeder broke a state record for the second straight year in winning the boys’ 1-meter diving competition.

Carrboro took the 3A boys’ team title, winning the N.C. High School Athletic Association state championship for the fourth straight year.

Thursday’s 3A meet kicked off three days of state championship competition. The 1A-2A meet is Friday and the 4A meet Saturday. All of the swim competition is at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary.

The Lake Norman Charter girls, who finished with 300 points to runner-up Orange’s 187, won two events.

The team of Lily Price, Avery Newsome, Skye Yampolsky and Campbelle Cyrus took the 400 freestyle relay in a time of 3:39.78, beating runner-up Central Cabarrus by a half-second. In the anchor leg, Cyrus edged out a fast-closing Abbey Cronin of Central Cabarrus in an exciting finish.

The other Lake Norman Charter girls’ victory was in diving, with Madilyn Varnum finishing first.

The only other Charlotte-area state champion in the girls’ events was Cronin, a Central Cabarrus junior, who took the 100 backstroke.

Carrboro held off Lake Norman Charter for the boys’ team title.

But the big story in boys’ competition was Durham School of the Arts’ Lucca Battaglini, a University of California commit, who won the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke, each in record times and each by more than four seconds. Battaglini last year set state records in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly.

Among the boys’ winners was the Forestview 200 medley relay team of William Peyton, Andrew Taylor, Graham Kines and Beckett Tabor.

Winning the outstanding swimmer awards were Battaglini and Orange’s Katie Belle Sikes.

GIRLS’ RESULTS

Team scores: Lake Norman Charter 300; Orange 187; Carrboro 174; Smithfield-Selma 167; Central Cabarrus 163; J.H. Rose 147; North Lincoln 105; Northwest Cabarrus 97; West Brunswick 89; Croatan 80.

(others from Charlotte area) South Point 45; Concord 31; Piedmont 27; East Lincoln 25; Central Academy 24.

Event winners (and top-five Charlotte-area finishers):

Diving: Madilyn Varnum (Lake Norman Charter), 487.70 points; 5. Kate Shepard (Lake Norman Charter), 338.10.

200 medley relay: Orange, 1:50.84; 2. Central Cabarrus, 1:50.9; 3. Lake Norman Charter, 1:51.55; 5. North Lincoln, 1:58.25.

200 freestyle: Madison Bowen (Croatan), 1:53.66; 5. Sky Yampolsky (Lake Norman Charter), 1:57.40.

200 individual medley: Kaylee Eggers (Rocky Mount), 2:09.77; 2. Campbelle Cyrus (Lake Norman Charter), 2:11.45.

50 freestyle: Katie Belle Sikes (Orange), 22.38; 2. Lily Hermans (Concord), 24.54; 3. Ila Turner (South Point), 24.66; 4. Lyla Johns (Central Cabarrus), 24.92.

100 butterfly: Maya Lambert (Carrboro), 55.83; 2. Savanna Bush (North Lincoln), 57.46; 4. Addison Lasarsky (Lake Norman Charter), 59.61; 5. Lyla Johns (Central Cabarrus), 59.75.

100 freestyle: Katie Belle Sikes (Orange), 48.76 (meet record); 2. Abbey Cronin (Central Cabarrus), 53.11; 3. Campbelle Cyrus (Lake Norman charter), 53.56; 4. Ila Turner (South Point), 54.77; 5. Lily Herman (Central Cabarrus), 55.23.

200 freestyle relay: Orange, 1:39.23; 3. Lake Norman Charter, 1:40.02; 5. Northwest Cabarrus, 1:46.00.

100 backstroke: Abbey Cronin (Central Cabarrus), 56.86; 2. Savanna Bush (North Lincoln), 58.34; Lily Price (Lake Norman Charter), 1:01.03.

100 breaststroke: Anya Muminovic (1:07.32); 3. Presley Horton (Lake Norman Charter), 1:07.58; Caylee Hollar (North Lincoln), 1:08.26.

400 freestyle relay: Lake Norman Charter (Lily Price, Avery Newsome, Skye Yampolsky, Campbelle Cyrus), 3:39.78; 2, Central Cabarrus, 3:40.20.

BOYS’ RESULTS

Team scores: Carrboro 237; Lake Norman Charter 198; Durham School of Arts 174; Forestview 151; Croatan 147; West Carteret 125; Central Academy 116; Orange 113; J.H. Rose 113; North Lincoln 101.

(others from Charlotte area) East Lincoln 96; Central Cabarrus 56; South Point 25; Hunter Huss 23; Jay M. Robinson 21; Parkwood 7; Stuart Cramer 1; Northwest Cabarrus 1.

Event winners (and top-five Charlotte-area finishers):

Diving: Hayden Schroeder (Lake Norman Charter), 581.70.

200 medley relay: Forestview (William Peyton, Andrew Taylor, Graham Kines, Beckett Tabor), 1:39.17; 3. Lake Norman Charter, 1:40.74; 5. Central Academy, 1:42.51.

200 freestyle: Andrew Commins (Carrboro), 1:37.96; 4. Rider Warner (East Lincoln), 1:45.10.

200 individual medley: Matt Strada (Carrboro), 1:55.95; 2. William Peyton (Forestview), 1:56.27; 3. Aiden Deluca (North Lincoln), 1:58.38; 4. Carter Williams (Central Academy), 1:59.10.

50 freestyle: William Gray (Durham School of Arts), 21.20; 4. Beckett Tabor (Forestview), 22:08.

100 butterfly: Andrew Commins (Carrboro), 48.33; 4. Jackson Kroh (North Lincoln), 53.42.

100 freestyle: Lucca Battaglini (Durham School of Arts), 42.60 (record); 2. Beckett Tabor (Forestview), 47.36; 5. Benjamin Kimmer (Hunter Huss), 48.94.

200 freestyle relay: Croatan, 1:28.36.

100 backstroke: Lucca Battaglini (Durham School of Arts), 47.30 (record); 2. William Peyton (Forestview), 53.00; 3. Jackson Kroh (North Lincoln), 53.92; 4. Carter Williams (Central Academy), 54.52; 5. Ridger Warner (East Lincoln), 54.81.

100 breaststroke: Trevor Hucal (Swansboro), 59.43; 3. Ethana Licata (Lake Norman Charter), 1:01.25; 4. Timur Atabekov (Jay M. Robinson), 1:01.28; 5. Tellis Bumgarner (Central Cabarrus), 1:01.87.

400 freestyle relay: Carrboro, 3:40.20; 3. Forestview, 3:20.25; 4. Lake Norman Charter, 3:23:02; (Lily Price, Avery Newsome, Skye Yampolsky, Campbelle Cyrus), 3:39.78; 2, Central Cabarrus, 3:40.20. Lake Norman Charter, 3:23:02.