Mount Tabor wins first boys title in 27 years

Nevada Mareno captures 4A girls race by 44 seconds 

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

US#2 Nevada Mareno of Leesville Road continued her triumphant march through the season by winning the Class 4A girls race in Kernersville by running 17:46.50 and defeating reigning champ Elly Henes of Green Hope by 44 seconds.  

Mareno was the New Balance Nationals Indoor mile winner – a race in which she beat a leg-weary Ryen Frazier – and then didn’t compete during the outdoor track season. Saturday’s meet was wet and muddy and it may have played to her strengths.

PHOTOS by Phil Ponder

Mareno has demonstrated enormous strength all season and it has accelerated her movement through the national rankings.

The other big news in the 4A meet was that Mount Tabor pushed past its Needham Broughton barrier and won the state championship for the first time in 27 years.

Mount Tabor put three in the top six to pull off the mild upset of the four-time defending state champs, 67 to 80.

Broughton still had reason to celebrate as Jeremy Brown won his second straight individual title in 15:44.62 – six seconds ahead of Cardinal Gibbons’ Connor Lane.

Cardinal Gibbons’ girls snapped Green Hope’s six-year streak of titles after moving up to 4A for the first time. The Crusaders scored 63 to Green Hope’s 67 and Leesville Road was third with 99.

In Class 3A, the Weddington boys scored 52 points to win the title for the second time in three years. Sophomore David Melville of Northern Guilford won the race in 16:12.12 and Weddington’s Mitchell Resor finished second.

Anna Vess of A.C. Reynolds won her second 3A title with a time of 18:49.57. She won by 15 seconds. Runner-up Katherine Dokholyan was one of three Chapel Hill runners in the top five and the Tigers scored 32 points for the win.

In Class 2A, Frank Kenny of NCSSM edged Brevard’s Noah Graham in 16:37.41 and also led his team to its third consecutive title.

The Brevard girls beat Carrboro 77-79 for the 2A girls team title, ending Carroboro’s four-year winning streak. Amanda Hickey, however, gave Carrboro an individual champion for the sixth year in a row.

In Class 1A, Walkertown’s boys won their first stat championship with 69 points. Kyle Rhodes won the race in 17:06.67. Blakely Moore of Highlands won the girls race in 20:42.13. Gray Stone Day was the team champion.