The best high school runners in North Carolina converged on the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex over the weekend for the NCHSAA Cross Country State Championships — and Cabarrus County was well represented across multiple classifications, with standout performances from Mount Pleasant, Jay M. Robinson, Northwest Cabarrus, Concord, Cox Mill, and Hickory Ridge.
Mount Pleasant Leads 4A County Contingent
Mount Pleasant’s boys put together strong individual showings in the 4A championship.
Connor Ballard clocked a time of 18:11.79, finishing 41st overall, while teammate Hampton Garrido crossed in 47th at 18:24.81.
On the girls’ side, Reagan Maiden placed 33rd in 21:40.11, capping a successful season for the Tigers’ distance program.
Robinson and Northwest Stand Out in 5A
J.M. Robinson senior Chase Tompkins delivered one of Cabarrus County’s top finishes of the weekend, taking 19th place in the 5A boys’ race with a time of 16:49.19.
In the 5A girls’ race, Robinson’s Callie Copeland finished 50th (21:51.71) to lead all Cabarrus County girls in that classification.
Northwest Cabarrus was also well represented, with Norah Storm (57th, 22:09.25) and Shaina Chiniwalla (78th, 22:37.14) both finishing strong in their state meet debuts. Concord’s Julia Nebrich rounded out the county’s 5A finishers, placing 100th in 23:30.45.
Hickory Ridge Deepens Its 7A Presence
Hickory Ridge showed impressive depth in both divisions at the 7A level.
On the girls’ side, sophomore Isabella Riley led the Ragin’ Bulls with a 44th-place finish (19:59.42), followed by Caroline Ouellette (81st, 21:13.31), Emily Crutchfield (97th, 21:41.54), Caira Cruz (137th, 23:48.66), Maddie Carron (139th, 24:22.64), and Kinley Russell (143rd, 26:07.63).
For the boys, Hickory Ridge again impressed with a pair of top-30 finishes — Grady Anderson took 19th overall (16:14.91) and Benjamin Rheinecker followed close behind in 26th (16:24.91).
Cox Mill’s Wilson Among State’s Best
Cox Mill junior Kaleb Wilson was one of the top individual finishers from Cabarrus County, clocking an impressive 16:12.09 to finish 17th overall in the 7A boys’ championship — just seconds off the top-10 pace in one of the fastest fields of the day.
Wilson’s teammate Luke Roberts also had a strong showing, placing 43rd with a time of 16:41.30, helping the Chargers maintain their reputation as one of the region’s top large-school distance programs.
Cabarrus County Results
4A Boys
- 41- Connor Ballard (Mount Pleasant) – 18:11.79
- 47 – Hampton Garrido (Mount Pleasant) – 18:24.81
4A Girls
- 33 – Reagan Maiden (Mount Pleasant) – 21:40.11
5A Girls
- 50 – Callie Copeland (JM Robinson) – 21:51.71
- 57 – Norah Storm (Northwest Cabarrus) – 22:09.25
- 78 – Shaina Chiniwalla (Northwest Cabarrus) – 22:37.14
- 100 – Julia Nebrich (Concord) – 23:30.45
5A Boys
- 19 – Chase Topkins (JM Robinson) – 16:49.19
7A Girls
- 44 – Isabella Riley (Hickory Ridge) – 19:59.42
- 81 – Caroline Ouellette (Hickory Ridge) – 21:13.31
- 97 – Emily Crutchfield (Hickory Ridge) – 21:41.54
- 137 – Caira Cruz (Hickory Ridge) – 23:48.66
- 139 – Maddie Carron (Hickory Ridge) – 24:22.64
- 143 – Kinley Russell (Hickory Ridge) – 26:07.63
7A Boys
- 17 – Kaleb Wilson (Cox Mill) – 16:12.09
- 19 – Grady Anderson (Hickory Ridge) – 16:14.91
- 26 – Benjamin Rheinecker (Hickory Ridge) – 16:24.91
- 43 – Luke Roberts (Cox Mill) – 16:41.30
