Lake Norman Charter made school history by claiming their first ever N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A girls swimming & diving state championship at Cary’s Triangle Aquatic Center.

Lake Norman Charter dominated the championship with a score of 300, leaving second-place Orange far behind with 187 points.

On Wednesday, Madilyn Varnum of Lake Norman Charter kicked off the competition with a top finish in diving. She scored 487.70, surpassing Michaela Bentley of Western Alamance who took second place with a score of 376.35.

Lake Norman Charter achieved a top spot in the 400-yard freestyle relay, with Lily Price, Avery Newsome, Skye Yampolsky, and Campbelle Cyrus completing the race in 3:39.78, narrowly beating Central Cabarrus’ team. Lyla Johns, Audrey Wolff, Lilian Vine, and Abbey Cronin came in second with a time of 3:40.20.

Katie Belle Sikes of Orange was recognized as the top swimmer at the event. She achieved first place in the 50 and 100 freestyle events, and was also a member of the winning teams for the 200 yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard medley relay.

Last year’s state championship saw Sikes take home the Most Outstanding Swimmer title, and she has now broken the state record in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 48.76. She had previously held the 3A record in this event.

On Thursday, Carrboro participated in the championship and had previously achieved five consecutive NCHSAA state championship wins. However, the Jaguars ended up in third place with a total of 174 points.

Maya Lambert from Carrboro secured the sole gold medal for the Jaguars on Thursday by taking first place in the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 55.83. She finished over two seconds before North Lincoln’s Savanna Bush (57.96) who came in second.

During the state championship, the NCHSAA honored two swimmers with Sportsmanship Awards. Addison Lasarsky and Sikes from Lake Norman Charter were declared as the recipients of these awards.

3A Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay

1. Orange (Katie Belle Sikes, Riley White, Zoe Jones, Piper White) – 1:50.84

Central Cabarrus relay team consisting of Abbey Cronin, Whitney Johns, Lyla Johns, and Audrey Wolff completed the race in a time of 1 minute and 50.90 seconds.

3. Lake Norman Charter (Lily Price, Presley Horton, Addison Lasarsky, Campbelle Cyrus) – 1:51.55

Relay

The 200-yard freestyle relay for the 3A girls.

Madison Bowen from Croatan finished with a time of 1:53.66.

2. Kathryn Cinson (Fred T. Foard) – 1:55.12

Avery Shuping from Carrboro finished the race in a time of 1 minute and 55.79 seconds.

Girls 200 Yard Individual Medley, 3A division

Kaylee Eggers from Rocky Mount achieved a time of 2:09.77.

Campbelle Cyrus from Lake Norman Charter finished with a time of 2 minutes and 11.45 seconds.

Emma Pitts from Hickory finished the race in 2 minutes and 11.75 seconds.

Girls 3A 50-yard Freestyle

Katie Belle Sikes, with the nickname “Orange”, had a score of 22.38.

2. Lily Hermans from Concord scored 24.54 points.

Ila Turner from South Point had a score of 24.66.

1 Meter Diving for Girls in Division 3A

1. Madilyn Varnum (Lake Norman Charter) – 487.70

2. Michaela Bentley (Western Alamance) – 376.35

Courtney Moore from Western Alamance High School scored 355.80 points.

“One hundred yard butterfly race for girls in the 3A division.”

Maya Lambert from Carrboro had a score of 55.83.

Savanna Bush from North Lincoln scored 57.96 points.

3. The score for Riley White from Orange is 59.06.

3A Girls 100 Yard Freestyle

1. Katie Belle Sikes (Orange) – 48.76#

Abbey Cronin from Central Cabarrus ran a time of 53.11.

Campbelle Cyrus from Lake Norman Charter ran the race in 53.56 seconds.

Girls 3A 500 Yard Freestyle

1. Madison Bowen (Croatan) – 5:03.37

Kathryn Cinson from Fred T. Foard completed the race in 5 minutes and 3.61 seconds.

3. Avery Shuping (Carrboro) – 5:08.84

3A Girls 200 Yard Freestyle

1. Orange (Riley White, Piper White, Ainsley Rasinske, Katie Belle Sikes) – 1:39.23

The team from Carrboro High School (consisting of Maya Lambert, Anna Wesley, Ellie Hill, and Avery Shuping) finished the race in 1 minute and 42.30 seconds.

Lake Norman Charter’s team consisting of Skye Yampolsky, Presley Horton, Addison Lasarsky, and Kristina Rooney completed the race in 1 minute and 43.02 seconds.

100 Yard Backstroke for 3A Girls

Abbey Cronin from Central Cabarrus recorded a time of 56.86.

The score for Savanna Bush from North Lincoln High School was 58.34.

3. Sophia Stinnett (Cedar Ridge) – 1:01.25

The 100 yard breaststroke for Girls in the 3A division.

1. Anya Muminovic (Smithfield-Selma) – 1:07.32

Aley Williams from West Brunswick finished with a time of 1:07.39.

Presley Horton, from Lake Norman Charter, finished with a time of 1:07.59.

3A Girls 400 Yard Freestyle Relay

1. Lake Norman Charter (Lily Price, Avery Newsome, Skye Yampolsky, Campbelle Cyrus) – 3:39.78

2. Central Cabarrus (Lyla Johns, Audrey Wolff, Lilian Vine, Abbey Cronin) – 3:40.20

3. Smithfield-Selma (Francesca DiGiovanni, Anya Muminovic, Teagan Farrell, Payton Millard) – 3:43.29

Source: highschoolot.com