WINSTON-SALEM – Knightdale held off Cary, clinching the team championship on the final event, to win the men’s title on Saturday night in the 27^th annual North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A indoor track and field championships at JDL Fast Track.

Knightdale held a slim lead entering the final event, the 1600 meter relay, but won the event to clinch its second consecutive championship. Knightdale shared the title with Southeast Guilford a year ago.

Knightdale held a 65-54 edge over runner-up Cary, followed by Southeast Raleigh (43), Fayetteville Terry Sanford (31) and Jamestown Ragsdale (23). A total of 50 schools scored points in the men’s meet.

Cary senior Bakri Abushouk, who won the NCHSAA 4-A individual cross country title in the fall, had a tremendous meet, capturing three individual titles to earn Most Valuable Performer honors. He took first place in the 1000, 1600 and 3200.

Jon Beyle of East Chapel Hill broke a 23-year old all-classification record in the shot put with a distance of 61 feet, 10 inches—just short of four feet beyond the old mark. The Knightdale four by 400 relay team finished in a time of 8:01.07, better than four seconds faster than the former overall record.

In the women’s meet, Tyra Lea led Wakefield to its third straight women’s title. Lea won the triple jump and took first in a record time in the 300 meters to earn MVP honors.

Wakefield tallied 80 points to 72 for second-place Southeast Raleigh. Winston-Salem Parkland was third with 32 points, followed by Asheville T.C. Roberson (31) and Cary Green Hope (29). There were 40 schools which scored in the women’s meet.

Sabrina Moore, a senior at North Mecklenburg, was a double winner with victories in both the long jump and the 55 dash. Wakefield’s Kristen Lee cleared 12 feet, six inches in the pole vault for a new all-classification mark.

CARY— Records fell all over the place as Charlotte Catholic rolled to its eighth consecutive 3A women’s title on Friday night in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 3A swimming and diving championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center.

Catholic rolled to victory with a whopping 469 points in earning its 12th straight NCHSAA crown over two different classifications. Waxhaw Marvin Ridge was second with 258, followed by Chapel Hill (228), Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (184) and Concord Jay Robinson (133). A total of 30 schools scored in the women’s competition.

Nora McCullagh and Lauren Rhodes were double individual winners for the state champs, with McCullagh winning the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke and Rhodes taking the 100 free and 200 free. Rhodes shattered her own state 3A mark in the 200 by well over two seconds, in a time of 1:47.98.

McCullagh was named the Most Valuable Performer in the women’s meet, as she achieved All-American Automatic times in both of her individual events and set a new all-classification record in the 50 free with a blistering 22.92 seconds. She also swam on two victorious relay teams.

In all, the Cougar women set nine new state 3A records, including five all-classification marks, and won all but two events. The Cougars set an all-classification record in the 200 medley relay with a winning time of 1:45.52, established a new mark in the 200 free relay by over two seconds, and set a new 400 free relay mark record. Catholic’s Elsa Welshofer sprinted to a time of 54.69 seconds in the 100 fly, another all-classification record.

Cardinal Gibbons held on to win its fourth consecutive state 3A men’s crown and sixth in a row over two classifications, led by Bailey Maloney. Maloney, who took top honors in both the 50 free and 100 free and swam the anchor leg on the record-setting 200 free relay team and the winning 400 free relay, was the MVP of the men’s championship.

Gibbons recorded 312 points to 283 for Charlotte Catholic, followed by Chapel Hill (212), Jay Robinson (149) and Marvin Ridge (132). A total of 40 schools recorded points in the men’s meet.

Dalton Shaw of Greenville D.H. Conley established a new 3A record in the 200 IM in 1:51.63, breaking an eight-year old mark previously held by Southwest Guilford’s Chris Spooner.

CARY— Emily Allen helped lead Cornelius W.A. Hough to its second consecutive team title on Thursday night in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A swimming and diving championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center.

Allen won both the 50 and the 100 freestyle events and swam the anchor legs on two victorious relay teams to lift Hough to the crown and earn Most Valuable Performer honors, Allen set new NCHSAA all-classification records in both her individual events with All-American Automatic times in both.

Hough scored 323 points to 236 for runner-up Cary Green Hope. Cary Panther Creek was third at 182, followed by Charlotte Providence (167), Greensboro Grimsley (160) and Cary (159). A total of 35 schools scored in the women’s meet.

It was the ninth time in the last 12 years that a Charlotte-Mecklenburg school won the NCHSAA state 4-A women’s crown, with Providence earning six of those between 2002 and ’09.

Hannah Moore of Green Hope captured top honors in both the 100 backstroke and the 500 free and also swam the leadoff leg on the first-place 200 medley relay team. She set a new all-classification record of 54.37 seconds in the 100 back, breaking the old mark but just .03 of a second.

South Mecklenburg’s Alexandra Martelle also took two individual titles, winning both the 100 breaststroke and the 200 individual medley.

Green Hope, which won a pair of relay events, captured the men’s championship by scoring 259 points, with Hough in second at 190. The Green Hope state title snapped a string of four consecutive crowns won by Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools on the men’s side.

South Mecklenburg was third with 175, followed by East Chapel Hill (168) and defending state champ Providence (157). There were 44 schools scoring points in the men’s meet.

Colin Ellington of Holly Springs was the MVP of the men’s meet. Ellington was a double winner, finishing first in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 free. He established a new all-classification state record in the 100 free of 44.87 seconds and had All-American Automatic times in both events.

John Manchester of Hough also swam to two individual titles, taking both the 100 backstroke and the 200 free.