Two Relay Records Fall as Charlotte Catholic Three-Peats at North Carolina Girls 3A State Meet

Photo Courtesy: NCHSAA Twitter (@NCHSAA)

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The 2020 North Carolina High School Girls’ State Swimming and Diving 3A State Championships took place on Saturday, February 8 at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary, N.C.

A pair of Class 3A relay records were broken during the meet from Cuthbertson in the 4×50 medley relay (1:45.30) and Charlotte Catholic in the 4×50 free relay (1:34.30).

Charlotte Catholic used their impressive depth to claim the team title for the third-straight year, marking their 16th overall championship crown in program history. J.H Rose’s Madeline Smith was named Most Outstanding Swimmer for her two-win performance.

Click HERE for full results and team scores.

Top 5 Team Scores:

1. Charlotte Catholic – 372
2. Marvin Ridge – 220.5
3. Weddington – 204
4. Cuthbertson – 192
5. J.H. Rose – 154

The meet began as Cuthbertson’s Jordan Browning (26.72), Alison Thome (29.19), Avery Murray (25.28), and Leah Sandock (24.11) won the opening 4×50 medley relay in 1:45.30. Their time eclipsed the Class 3A record of 1:45.46 set by Charlotte Catholic in 2018.

Shortly after helping her medley relay team to victory, Thome was back in the water to win a tight 200 IM battle in 2:02.64. Charlotte Catholic’s Madeline Menkhaus took a close second in 2:02.79. Menkhaus, who has verbally committed to Notre Dame, then went on to win the 100 fly in 54.42.

J.H. Rose freshman Madeline Smith cruised to first in the 200 free, stopping the clock in 1:49.38 as the only swimmer in the field under the 1:50-barrier. Her teammate, fellow freshman Emma Hastings, was second in 1:50.59. Smith later earned gold in the 100 free with a time of 50.15, just off the 3A mark of 50.02. Hastings then went on to win the 500 free in 4:53.14 as the first of only three swimmers to crack the five-minute marker.

It was a 1-2 punch for Charlotte Catholic in the 50 free as junior Olivia Rhodes led the charge in a quick 23.44 for the win ahead of teammate Alina Stout who was the runner-up in 23.69. North Guilford’s Maura Schoppa powered home to a win in the 100 back, touching the wall in 55.85 to edge our Piedmont’s Ava Yandle (55.92).

Parkwood junior and NC State commit Kaylee Hamblin got her hands to the wall the fastest in the 100 breast, stopping the clock in 1:02.33 for the second-straight year and just shy of the class mark of 1:02.15. Chapel Hill’s Clara Tate dove to first on the 1-meter board for the second year in a row, finishing first with a total score of 440.10.

Charlotte Catholic’s Rhodes (23.60), Hope Borders (24.02), Abigail Parks (23.33), and Stout (23.35) won the 4×50 free relay in 1:34.30, well over two seconds ahead of the field and fast enough to break Weddington’s 2018 Class 3A mark of 1:34.39. Stout (51.34), Victoria Dichak (52.67), Menkhaus (51.50), and Parks (51.57) also gave Charlotte Catholic a win in the 4×100 free relay after combining in 3:27.08.

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