SCHOOLS

By Adam Powell
Correspondent

CARRBORO RESULTS

Jaguars challenge themselves in star-studded meet in Winston-Salem

On December 12, Carrboro’s men and women’s track teams made their way to the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem for the Northwest Cabarrus December Invitational. It was a chance for the Jaguars to test themselves against some of the top runners, jumpers, and throwers in the entire state. Multiple Jaguars had top ten results in the meet.

Carrboro came together in the men’s 4×800 meter relay and produced a time of 8 minutes, 54.45 seconds. While the Jaguars beat the likes of Charlotte Independence, West Wilkes, and Bishop McGuinness in the race, they lost to first place Matthews Butler (8 minutes, 46.71 seconds).

One of the top performances for Carrboro was put in by junior Max Sparrow, who placed third overall in the men’s long jump (19 feet, 4.5 inches). Sparrow is hopeful to qualify for the State Championships in the event come spring.

Freshman Shane Fitzgerald did well in the men’s 1,600 meter run for CHS, as he placed seventh in a field of 33 runners with a time of 4 minutes, 50.91 seconds. Sophomore Elijah Branch placed 14th (5 minutes, 3.43 seconds).

Sophomore Carter Hunt placed 10th for the Jaguars in the men’s 500 meter dash (1 minute, 13.68 seconds), while junior Henry Lerner placed 11th (1 minute, 13.79 seconds). Senior Hanzo Valentin placed 11th for the Jags in the men’s 1,000 meter run (3 minutes, 1.85 seconds), while junior Isaiah Shaw placed 15th (3 minutes, 14.12 seconds).

For the Carrboro women’s team, the biggest highlight of the day came in the 4×800 meter relay, as the Jaguars won the race with a time of 11 minutes, 38.76 seconds. The Jaguars beat second place Bishop McGuinness by nearly seven seconds.

Two Carrboro women’s standouts placed in the top ten in the 500 meter dash final, as sophomore Ginny Claffey placed fifth (1 minute, 27.29 seconds) and freshman Amelie Reyes placed 10th (1 minute, 28.40 seconds). Claffey also finished in second place for the Jaguars in the women’s high jump (5 feet).

In addition, two CHS runners placed in the top 12 in the 300 meter dash final, as senior Aylin McGowan placed seventh (43.70 seconds) and senior Kiara Evans placed 12th (45.75 seconds). Evans also placed sixth for Carrboro in the women’s long jump (14 feet, 4.25 inches).

Three more Jags placed in the top nine in the women’s 1,600 meter run, as junior Naomi Hirsch placed fourth (5 minutes, 33.52 seconds), senior Bella Reyes placed eighth (6 minutes, 10.13 seconds), and senior Lillian Lagarde placed ninth (6 minutes, 11.84 seconds).

Sophomore Sophia Fargo added a ninth place result in the women’s 1,000 meter run (3 minutes, 41.68 seconds), with freshman Serephine Bracken placing 12th (3 minutes, 47.94 seconds) and sophomore Isabela Serre placing 13th (3 minutes, 48 seconds).

EAST CHAPEL HILL RESULTS

On Saturday, December 13, East Chapel Hill competed at the inaugural Northern Durham Poler Bear event against several local schools. Several Wildcats had top ten performances in both men’s and women’s events.

Wildcats women’s freshman standout prevails in 300 meter dash

Freshman Maeve Louthan won the women’s 300 meter dash (44.88 seconds) for East Chapel Hill at the Northern Durham meet, while sophomore Ellen Argersinger placed eighth in the same race (51.04 seconds).

Junior Ivy Havrilesky added a third place finish in the women’s 500 meter dash (2 minutes even), senior Tulia Gilliiom placed fourth in the women’s 1,600 meter run (6 minutes, 43.95 seconds), sophomore Charlotte Hicks placed sixth in the women’s 1,000 meter run (4 minutes, 0.79 seconds) and freshman Isabell Van Hoy placed ninth in the women’s 1,000 meter run (4 minutes, 15.87 seconds). Senior Minerva Shoffner added a ninth place finish in the women’s 1,600 meter competition (7 minutes, 14.60 seconds).

East Chapel Hill had four of the top ten competitors in the women’s 55 meter dash, as Louthan placed third (7.98 seconds), freshman Lucy Rieter placed eighth (8.34 seconds), and teammates Argersinger and Tali Kirschner, a senior, tied for ninth place (8.50 seconds).

The Wildcats competed in the women’s 4×200 meter relay at the meet, placing second overall (2 minutes, 0.32 seconds).

Freshman Norman Burian had a strong performance for the Wildcats in the men’s 1,600 meter run, as the distance standout placed fourth (5 minutes, 3.01 seconds) in a field of 13 runners. Junior Nikolai Dela Torre finished in sixth place in the men’s shot put (29 feet, 5.5 inches).

In addition, ECHHS claimed three of the top ten spots in the men’s 500 meter dash, as freshman Leif Johnson placed sixth (1 minute, 17.98 seconds), senior Oscar Burgess placed eighth (1 minute, 19.06 seconds), and senior Philip Kirtley placed tenth (1 minute, 24.08 seconds).

Wildcats continue strong performances at Southeast Alamance Polar Bear

East Chapel Hill also made its way to Haw River on December 16 for another Polar Bear meet, this one at Southeast Alamance High School. The Wildcats again had numerous notable performances.

For the ECHHS women’s team, junior Olivia Jooste placed fourth in the 55 meter dash (7.76 seconds), while also placing second in the women’s 300 meter dash (44.57 seconds). The Wildcats swept each of the top three positions in the women’s 300 meter dash competition, as sophomore Avery Ellis placed first (43.70 seconds), Jooste placed second, and sophomore Elia Toledo placed third (44.86 seconds).

Senior Ava Maughan got a second place finish for East Chapel Hill in the women’s 500 meter run (1 minute, 18.29 seconds), while four Wildcats finished in the top nine in the women’s 1,000 meter run. Freshman Amelia Lockamy placed first (3 minutes, 17.27 seconds), senior Laura Chekan placed third (3 minutes, 39.45 seconds), senior Pri Finkral placed eighth (4 minutes, 4.68 seconds), and freshman Emma Chou finished ninth (4 minutes, 9 seconds).

Three more top eight finishes came in the women’s 1,600 meter run, as freshman Elorie Minter placed third (5 minutes, 58.50 seconds), junior Ivy Ellis placed fourth (6 minutes, 8.48 seconds), and sophomore Tess Neville placed eighth (6 minutes, 44.40 seconds).

Junior Norah Parnell raced alone in the women’s 3,200 meter run, producing a time of 11 minutes, 56 seconds. Senior Claire Broz added a second place result for ECHHS in the women’s shot put (26 feet, 7.5 inches).

The Wildcats also finished third in the women’s 4×200 meter relay (1 minute, 54.75 seconds), beating the likes of Southeast Alamance, Chapel Hill, Seaforth, and Cedar Ridge, but coming up short against Orange and Burlington Cummings.

When the team scoring was counted up, East Chapel Hill won the meet, scoring 62 points as a team to defeat second place Cummings (39 points) and third place Seaforth (27 points).

Reiter has big day for Wildcats at Southeast Alamance Polar Bear

For the Wildcats men’s team, junior Alex Reiter won the men’s 300 meter dash (38.03 seconds) and 55 meter hurdles (7.72 seconds) races, while placing second in the men’s 55 meter dash (6.80 seconds). East Chapel Hill swept the top three positions in the men’s 300 meter dash, as Reiter won the race, senior Carter Langston placed second (39.45 seconds), and senior Eli Woods placed third (39.77 seconds).

East Chapel Hill claimed three of the top eight spots in the men’s 500 meter run, as Reiter placed second (1 minute, 10.72 seconds), freshman Jude Kelm placed sixth (1 minute, 16.46 seconds), and junior Bruce Graddy placed eighth (1 minute, 17.09 seconds).

In the men’s 1,000 meter run, East Chapel Hill took six of the top nine spots, as senior Gianluca Vavalle placed second (2 minutes, 39.24 seconds), junior Rhys Lockamy placed third (2 minutes, 39.84 seconds), freshman Robert Clipp placed fourth (2 minutes, 52.85 seconds), sophomore Christopher McEntee placed sixth (2 minutes, 57.55 seconds), junior Ignacio Benzoni placed eighth (2 minutes, 59.73 seconds), and sophomore Luke Nash placed ninth (3 minutes, 0.44 seconds).

More success came for the Wildcats in the men’s 1,600 meter run, as sophomore Oliver Grofic won with a time of 5 minutes, 9.80 seconds. In the men’s 3,200 meter run, senior Leo Fortson placed third (11 minutes, 30.04 seconds), and sophomore Cole Finkral placed fourth (11 minutes, 42.68 seconds).

East Chapel Hill added a fourth place finish in the men’s 4×200 meter relay (1 minute, 40.56 seconds). Langston got a sixth place result in the men’s long jump (18 feet, 8 inches), while sophomore Leo George placed seventh (18 feet, 4 inches).

In the team scoring, the Wildcats finished in second with 66 points, behind first place Chapel Hill’s 82 points.

CHAPEL HILL RESULTS

Tigers win men’s relay, individual events in Alamance County

Chapel Hill’s men’s and women’s track teams made their way to Mebane on December 11, where they made an appearance at Fred Brady Stadium on the campus of Eastern Alamance High School.

Chapel Hill placed first in the men’s 4×200 meter relay, as the Tigers defeated host Eastern Alamance as well as Southeast Alamance with a time of 1 minute, 33.11 seconds. The Tigers also got an individual victory in the meet from sophomore Liam Nervo-Jabaut, who won the men’s high jump competition (6 feet clearance). Junior Maxwell Swingler placed third for CHHS in the high jump (5 feet, 6 inches) and seventh in the shot put (34 feet).

Junior Patrick Schilling placed second in the men’s triple jump (38 feet, 11 inches) and also placed fourth for the Tigers in the men’s 55 meter hurdles (8.66 seconds). Junior Yichen Zhao added a third place result in the men’s triple jump (36 feet, 3 inches), while sophomore Sam Vinson-Hume placed third in the men’s pole vault (10 feet clearance).

Sophomore Dominic Miller finished in third place for the Tigers in the men’s long jump, as he cleared 19 feet, 5 inches. Miller was one of four Tigers to finish in the top eight in the event, as sophomore Victor Soong placed sixth (18 feet, 4 inches), junior Hoang Linh Gaskin placed seventh (17 feet, 9 inches), and sophomore Eloy Brayshaw placed eighth (17 feet, 8 inches). Soong also placed fourth in the pole vault event (9 feet).

The Tigers had three runners finish in the top eight in the men’s 55 meter dash, as sophomore John Roach placed third (6.83 seconds), senior Joey Mcfee placed seventh (7.10 seconds), and sophomore Dominic Miller placed eighth (7.11 seconds). Freshman Luke Brown added a fourth place result in the men’s 1,000 meter run (3 minutes, 7.10 seconds).

Chapel Hill also fared well in the men’s 300 meter dash, with six of the top nine overall finishers. Nervo-Jabaut placed second (37.60 seconds), Roach placed fourth (38.13 seconds), freshman C.J. Thomas placed fifth (38.56 seconds), Mcfee placed sixth (38.62 seconds), Swingler placed eighth (40.41 seconds), and Schilling placed ninth (40.94 seconds).

In the men’s 500 meter dash discipline, CHHS freshman Simon Lee finished in sixth place (1 minute, 18.02 seconds), and fellow freshman William Barham tied for ninth place (1 minute, 20.80 seconds). 

Tiger women produce top finishes at out-of-county meet

In addition to the successes of the CHHS men’s team, the Tigers women’s squad also had some top performances at the Eastern Alamance December 11 Polar Bear meet.

Senior Aleah Weight won a pair of events, as she placed first in both the women’s high jump (4 feet, 10 inches) and long jump (18 feet, 8.5 inches) competitions. Teammates Paige Thomas and Annie Hayes finished second and third, respectively, in the high jump, with Thomas, a senior, clearing 4 feet, 6 inches, and Hayes, a junior, clearing 4 feet, 2 inches.

Freshman Nova Stromberg placed second for the Tigers in the women’s 1,000 meter run (3 minutes, 40.46 seconds), and the Tigers also placed second as a team in the women’s 4×200 meter relay event (1 minute, 48.27 seconds).

Chapel Hill also represented itself very well in the women’s 300 meter dash, as Thomas placed second (44.18 seconds), Davis placed third (44.36 seconds), and freshman Aniah Loewen placed tenth (51.02 seconds). Senior Gloria Aped added a fourth place result in the women’s triple jump (26 feet, 3 inches), while freshman Sadie Hoffman placed fourth in the women’s shot put (25 feet, 10 inches). 

Davis also placed fifth in the women’s long jump (14 feet, 5.5 inches), while senior Laila Jones-Grady placed fifth in the women’s 55 meter dash (7.88 seconds).

Tigers return to action, win Southeast Alamance meet

Chapel Hill returned to Alamance County on December 16, as the Tigers made their way to Southeast Alamance High School’s Polar Bear competition. It was a great day for the Tigers men’s team, as they won the team scoring, besting East Chapel Hill. It was also a solid day for the Chapel Hill women’s team, who finished in fourth place.

For the CHHS men’s team, sophomore Dominic Miller got a win for the Tigers in the long jump, as he leapt 20 feet, 9 inches to claim victory by a full seven inches over his next-closest competitor. Freshman Cohen Martin placed second in the men’s 1,600 meter run (5 minutes, 28.15 seconds), giving the Tigers a key scoring boost.

Junior Patrick Schilling won the men’s triple jump (40 feet), and added a third place finish in the men’s 55 meter hurdles (8.79 seconds). The Tigers also came together as a team to win the men’s 4×200 meter relay competition (1 minute, 33.78 seconds). Chapel Hill also prevailed in the men’s 4×400 meter relay (3 minutes, 42.03 seconds) as they pushed to victory at the meet.

Junior Maxwell Swingler won the men’s shot put (42 feet, 7 inches), finished in second place in the men’s high jump (5 feet, 6 inches) and in fourth place in the men’s 300 meter dash (40.36 seconds). Freshman teammate Simon Lee finished fifth in the men’s 500 meter run (1 minute, 16.38 seconds).

In other events, sophomore Sam Hinson-Hume placed second in the men’s pole vault (9 feet, 6 inches), junior Yichen Zhao placed second in the triple jump (38 feet, 2.5 inches) and third in the men’s high jump (5 feet, 4 inches), and junior Hoang Linh Gaskin placed fourth in the men’s long jump (19 feet, 2.5 inches).

In the 55 meter dash competition, sophomore Dominic Miller placed sixth for the Tigers (7.01 seconds), while senior Joey McFee placed eighth (7.03 seconds).

Elliott Cotrell and freshman Luke Brown added top ten individual finishes for Chapel Hill, as Cotrell placed 10th in the men’s 500 meter run (1 minute, 17.71 seconds), and Brown placed 10th in the 1,000 meter run (3 minutes, 6.13 seconds).

For the CHHS women’s team, senior Aleah Weight won the 55 meter dash (7.17 seconds) and placed second in the women’s high jump (5 feet, 2 inches). Freshman Sadie Hoffman got another win for the Tigers in the women’s shot put (27 feet, 6 inches). Competing alone, senior Gloria Apedo placed first in the women’s triple jump (27 feet, 7 inches).

Junior Annie Hayes placed fourth in the women’s high jump (4 feet, 4 inches) and fifth in the women’s long jump (13 feet, 6.5 inches). Chapel Hill also placed fifth in the women’s 4×200 meter relay (2 minutes, 2.44 seconds), while freshman Mila Wedding placed ninth in the women’s 300 meter dash (49.22 seconds). 

Adam Powell has been a correspondent for The Local Reporter since 2023. A 2001 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Powell has served as managing editor of multiple local publications, including the News of Orange County, the Mebane Enterprise, the Caswell Messenger, and the ACC Sports Journal. The author of four books. Adam currently resides in Mebane with his wife Julie and children Colt and Jenna. This reporter can be reached at:Information@TheLocal Reporter.press