Battaglini Swims 19.3 in the 50 Free as Carrboro Boys, Lake Norman Girls Win NC 3A Titles

3A NCHSAA Swimming and Diving State Championships

• February 8, 2024
• Cary, NC
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Results on Meet Mobile “2024 3A State NCHSAA Championships”

Team Scores:

Boys:

1. Carrboro – 237
2. Lake Norman Charter – 198
3. Durham School of the Arts – 174
4. Forestview – 151
5. Croatan – 147

Girls:

1. Lake Norman Charter – 300
2. Orange – 187
3. Carrboro – 174
4. Smithfield-Selma – 167
5. Central Cabarrus – 163

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) 3A State Public Schools Championship Meet was held in Cary, NC on February 8, 2024. Classifications in the state of North Carolina are based on “a combination of average daily membership (ADM), success in State Cup playoffs over the past three seasons and Identified Student Population (ISP), which denotes how many students in a school receive some form of government assistance”, according to NCHSAA guidelines. Generally, the 3A meet serves medium size schools across the state.

The capacity crowd at the Triangle Aquatics Center was treated to a third straight 3A boys’ state title for Carrboro High School. The Jaguars scored in 12 individual events, including seven top 8 finishes, four top three finishes, and three state titles.  

Senior Andy Commins, an Auburn commit, who was a double event winner in 2023, set the tone for the Jags swimming to victory in the 200 freestyle (1:37.96) and 100 butterfly (48.33) and finished his high school career tracking down Croatan High School’s Paul Padgett (48.57) on his anchor leg (45.42) to secure the 400 freestyle relay victory. Commings teammate, senior Matt Strada also won the 200 individual medley (1:55.95), cutting nearly five seconds off his 6th place finishing time (2:00.78) in 2023. 

Durham School of the Arts (DSA) senior and Cal commit Lucca Battaglini finished his storied NCHSAA career breaking two more all class state records in the 100 FR (42.60) and 100 BK (47.30), adding to his overall  state records in the 50 FR (19.47) and 100 FL (46.94) both set in the 2023 3A meet. Battaglini also posted a blazing 21.91 backstroke split on the DSA 200 medley relay, over four seconds faster than the entire field.  In his seventh race of the day, Battaglini led off his 200 freestyle relay in 19.36. While the NCHSAA does not recognize relay splits as individual state records, the time was  just 0.16 off the National Public School record that was set by Aiden Hayes from Oklahoma in 2021. Battaglini won the 50 Freestyle at Winter Juniors in Columbus, Ohio this past December in a time of 19.06. 

While the DSA lacked the necessary depth to win a team title, the magnet school located in downtown Durham added another individual state championship in the boys’ 50 freestyle.  Off the dive, senior William Gray established a half-body length lead that he never relinquished, finishing in 21.20. 

Orange Junior Luke Roman dropped 12 seconds off his time from last year’s state championships (4:52.97) to win the 500 freestyle (4:41.62). The time was a personal best by over four seconds.

Swansboro’s Sophomore Trevor Hucal, who did not even final in last year’s state meet in any event, controlled the 100 breaststroke from start to finish winning the race in 59.43. Hucal’s best time coming into the season was 1:03.88.

In relay competition, in addition to the Carrboro victory in the 400 freestyle relay, Forestview High School’s William Peyton, Andrew Taylor, Graham Kines, and Beckett Tabor posted a 1:39.17 to win the 200 medley relay by over 1 second.  Croatan High School’s Matej Roth, Nathan Michalowicz, Rylan Feimster, and Paul Padgett teamed up to take the title in the 200 freestyle relay winning in a time of 1:28.36.      

Senior Hayden Schroeder of Lake Norman Charter dominated the one-meter diving competition winning his 3rd straight 3A state title by over 170 points scoring 581.70. 

Girls’ Recap

On the girls’ side, Lake Norman Charter dominated the meet, without winning a single individual swimming event, scoring 300 points en route to a 113 point victory over runner-up Orange High School.  

Lake Norman capped off their championship performance with a team victory in the 400 freestyle relay (3:39.78). Freshman Campbelle Cyrus was the leading point scorer for the Knights with 33 points.  Cyrus picked up a silver medal in the 200 individual medley (2:11.45) and a bronze in the 100 freestyle (53.56).

Orange High School’s Senior Katie Belle Sikes became the first NCHSAA female swimmer to break the 49 second barrier touching the wall in a 48.76 to take gold in the 100 FR.  Sikes also defended her title in the 50 FR (22.38) winning the race by over two seconds.  With Sike’s contributions, Orange also won the 200 medley relay (1:50.84) and 200 freestyle relay (1:39.23) .  In the 200 medley, Sikes split 25.41 on the backstroke leg to give her teammates – Riley White, Zoe Jones, and Piper White – a full second lead on the opening 50. Sikes dropped a 22.19 anchoring the 200 freestyle relay to a three second victory.  Riley White, Piper White, and Ainsley Rasinske teamed up with Sikes to secure her fourth victory of the night. 

Croatan High School Junior Madison Bowen was the only other double event winner in the girls’ competition, swimming to victories in the 200 FR (1:53.66) and 500 FR (5:03.37).  Bowen was the defending 3A state champion in the 200 FR.    

Rocky Mount Senior Kaylee Eggers won the 200 individual medley, dominating the race from start to finish to win in a time of 2:09.77. This was Eggers first state title of her NCHSAA career. 

Senior Maya Lambert of Carrboro defended her 100 butterfly state title in a time of 55.83.  Lambert, who appeared to win the 200 individual medley earlier in the night was DQ’d on her cross-over turn transition from backstroke to breaststroke.

Central Cabarrus’ Abbey Cronin, a junior, was victorious in the 100 backstroke (56.86) defending her 2023 title winning the event by nearly two seconds.  

In the final girls’ individual event of the evening, Smithfield-Selma’s Sophomore Anya Muminovic touched out West Brunswick Junior Aley Williams (1:07.32/1:07.39) to take the crown in the 100 breaststroke.      

Senior diver Madilyn Varnum of Lake Norman Charter won her 3rd straight 3A state title scoring 487.70 points to win by over 100.