For the first time since 2020, a team other than Swain County has won the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A/2A indoor track & field state championship.

Cummings ended the run of three straight state championships for the Maroon Devils, finishing the day with 80 points — just 5.5 points ahead of Swain County, which finished second.

D’Anna Cotton led the way for Cummings. The junior finished the state meet with three gold medals and one silver medal.

Cotton set a new 1A/2A record in the triple jump (40-09.00) and tied her own record in the high jump (5-06.00). She also placed first in the long jump with a distance of 18-10.00. Her second-place finish came in the 55 meter hurdles where she posted a time of 8.14, just 0.15 seconds behind Jayda Lewis of Corvian Community.

It wasn’t only Cotton for the Cavaliers though. Cummings swept the top three spots in both the long jump and triple jump where Diamond Moore and Brooke Packingham finished second and third respectively in both events.

Packingham also placed third in the 55 meter hurdles behind Cotton and Lewis.

The Cummings 4×200 meter relay team of Honesti Trollinger, Packingham, Jamoni Jones, and Moore placed third.

Swain County’s Arizona Blankenship, one of the most decorated track & field athletes in North Carolina, won three more state championships on Friday night. She set a new 1A/2A record in the 3,200 meter run with a time of 10:45.27, then won the 1,600 meter race with a time of 5:05.53. Blankenship was also on the first-place 4×800 meter relay team for the Maroon Devils.

There were other 1A/2A meet records that fell in Friday’s championship.

Mountain Island Charter’s 4×200 meter relay team of Ajuliah Washington, Sydney Labenson, Harmoni Carter, and Olivia Patterson set a new 1A/2A record with a time of 1:46.16.

The 1,000 meter 1A/2A record was broken twice — Annie Lewis of Swain County won the race with a record-breaking time of 2:56.36, and Maya Little of Pine Lake Prep also beat the previous record and placed second with a time of 2:58.45.

Rachel Key of Wilson Prep placed second in the high jump behind Cotton, but broke the previous 1A/2A record with a height of 5-06.00.

Christ the King, N.C. Science & Math-Durham, and Corvian Community rounded out the top five in the team standings.

Full Results: Track Events

4×800 Meter Relay

1. Swain County (Angelina Lomelli, Arizona Blankenship, Emily Grey Stargell, Annie Lewis) – 9:51.31
2. N.C. Science & Math-Durham (Caroline Downs, Catherine Parker, Charlotte Goebel, Moira Furr) – 10:15.21
3. West Stanly (Kelsey Burelson, McKenzie Clontz, Victoria Shushlyakova, Talua Best) – 10:27.40

55 Meter Hurdles

1. Jayda Lewis (Corvian Community) – 7.99
2. D’Anna Cotton (Cummings) – 8.14
3. Brooke Packingham (Cummings) – 8.26

55 Meter

1. Serenity Harvey (Whiteville) – 7.11
2. Sanai Johnson (T.W. Andrews) – 7.18
3. Aniya Edwards (Elkin) – 7.20

4×200 Meter Relay

1. Mountain Island Charter (Ajuliah Washington, Sydney Labenson, Harmoni Carter, Olivia Patterson) – 1:46.16 [1A/2A Record: Previous record of 1:47.19 set by Cummings in 2016)
2. T.W. Andrews (Mariah Hoy, Kemora Turner-Williams, Jamya Brand, Valerie Gainey) – 1:48.61
3. Cummings (Honesti Trollinger, Brooke Packingham, Jamoni Jones, Diamond Moore) – 1:50.69

1600 Meter

1. Arizona Blankenship (Swain County) – 5:05.53
2. Catherine Parker (N.C. Science & Math-Durham) – 5:08.01
3. Stella Friedman ((N.C. Science & Math-Morganton) – 5:28.35

500 Meter

1. Braelyn Waldeck (Corvian Community) – 1:18.66
2. Gabbie Feaster (Christ the King) – 1:19.09
3. Tasyanna Hughes (Surry Central) – 1:19.67

1000 Meter

1. Annie Lewis (Swain County) – 2:56.36 [1A/2A Record: Previous record of 2:58.68 set by Lauren Tolbert of Highland Tech in 2022]
2. Maya Little (Pine Lake Prep) – 2:58.45 [1A/2A Record: Previous record of 2:58.68 set by Lauren Tolbert of Highland Tech in 2022]
3. Karsyn Huskey (Polk County) – 3:04.66

300 Meter

1. Aniya Edwards (Elkin) – 40.29
2. Serenity Harvey (Whiteville) – 41.00
3. Shari Jackson (South Granville) – 41.16

3200 Meter

1. Arizona Blankenship (Swain County) – 10:45.27 [1A/2A Record: Previous record of 10:48.48 set by Sarah Vance Goodman of T.C. Roberson in 1998]
2. Catherine Parker (N.C. Science & Math-Durham) – 10:51.53
3. Annie Lewis (Swain County) – 11:57.99

4×400 Meter Relay

1. Christ the King (Katie Dulski, Gabbie Feaster, Shea Roche, Madeline Ford) – 4:12.12
2. Swain County (Kazandra Cooper, Audrey Monteith, Melani Linton, Annie Lewis) – 4:16.46
3. Mountain Island Charter (Joslynn Senneh, Sydney Labenson, Olivia Patterson, Carrington Hernandez) – 4:17.57

Full Results: Field Events

Shot Put

1. Ella Riggs (North Surry) – 41-00.00
2. Samantha Woodard (Swain County) – 37-04.25
3. Mirianna Corea (Eastern Randolph) – 37-04.00

Long Jump

1. D’Anna Cotton (Cummings) – 18-10.00
2. Diamond Moore (Cummings) – 18-08.75
3. Brooke Packingham (Cummings) – 17-02.00

High Jump

1. D’Anna Cotton (Cummings) – 5-06.00 [1A/2A Record: Previous record of 5-06.00 set by Hunter Wellborn of Starmount in 2014 and D’Anna Cotton of Cummings in 2024]
2. Rachel Key (Wilson Prep) – 5-06.00 [1A/2A Record: Previous record of 5-06.00 set by Hunter Wellborn of Starmount in 2014 and D’Anna Cotton of Cummings in 2024]
3. Gracie Beane (Randleman) – 5-04.00

Pole Vault

1. Abby Burleson (Avery County) – 11-10.00
2. Claire Morgan (Seaforth) – 10-00.00
3. Geneva Lynch (Bandys) – 9-06.00

Triple Jump

1. D’Anna Cotton (Cummings) – 40-09.00 [1A/2A Record: Previous record of 40-08.00 set by DeAnne Davis of Cummings in 1996]
2. Diamond Moore (Cummings) – 35-07.50
3. Brooke Packingham (Cummings) – 34-11.50

Team Scores

1. Cummings – 80

2. Swain County – 74.5

3. Christ the King – 30

4. N.C. Science & Math-Durham – 28

5. Corvian Community – 26

6. Avery County – 23

7. T.W. Andrews – 20

T8. Mountain Island Charter – 18

T8. Pine Lake Prep – 18

T8. Whiteville – 18

T8. Wilson Prep – 18