North Carolina
Elle Scott Breaks National High School Record in 100 Breaststroke at North Carolina State Meet
2025 NCISAA Swimming & Diving Championships – Division III
- February 10, 2025
- Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
- Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
- Full Meet Results
A National Record by senior Elle Scott led the Charlotte Country Day girls to their second consecutive North Carolina private schools 3A state title, while the Ravenscroft boys won a nail-biter that came down to the final relay.
Girls’ Recap
Top 5 Teams:
- Charlotte Country Day Buccaneers – 385
- Providence Day Chargers – 314
- Cary Academy Chargers – 313
- Charlotte Latin Hawks – 216
- Durham Academy Cavaliers – 178
US Junior National Team member Elle Scott was the star of the meet, setting a new National Record for independent high school swimmers in the 100 breaststroke final.
She swam 58.56 in prelims to break the record before marking 58.93 in finals at the end of a long day of racing, with both prelims and finals coming on the same day.
Her heats swim broke the record that was set in 2018 by Alex Walsh of Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, done when she was just a sophomore. Walsh swam 58.88 at the Tennessee State Championship meet that year before going on to a decorated career at the University of Virginia, where she is currently a 5th year. Walsh is a two-time Olympian for the USA.
The overall and public schools record still belongs to current USC Trojan Kaitlyn Dobler, who swam 58.35 in 2020.
| Elle Scott | Alex Walsh | Kaitlyn Dobler | |
| 2025 NCISAA | 2018 Tennessee HS State Championships |
2020 Oregon 6A State Championships |
|
| 50y | 27.66 | 27.92 | 27.50 |
| 100y | 30.90 | 30.96 | 30.85 |
| Total Time | 58.56 | 58.88 | 58.35 |
Scott falls somewhere between Walsh and Dobler in terms of opening pace in this race. That sort of falls in line with her general versatility.
She also picked up wins at the meet as the breaststroke leg of Charlotte Country Day’s 200 medley relay, where she split 27.42 on the breaststroke leg. The rest of that team included Taylor Klein (26.08 – backstroke), Caroline Mallard (23.89 – fly), and Cate Wickerham (24.29 – free). Everyone besides Scott returns to that relay next season, and they won the event by almost six-and-a-half seconds.
Scott also won the 200 IM in 1:56.60, and anchored the winning 400 free relay at the end of the meet with a 48.87 closing split. That relay included Esme van Orden (50.95), Kaylee Daniell (51.23), and Wickerham (53.27).
Scott is committed to swim at Cal next season and is already almost a second clear of the Golden Bears’ best breaststroker this season – Margaux McDonald, who swam 59.53 at ACCs last week.
The Purdue commit Mallard, who swam the fly leg on that winning 200 medley relay (and outsplit every butterflier and freestyler in the field) also picked up a dominating win in the 100 fly in 53.34, shaving .02 seconds off her previous best. Her teammate Taylor Klein finished 2nd in 54.00.
Mallard was runner-up in the 50 free in 23.30 behind junior Caden Martin of the Cary Academy Chargers.
Martin also won the 100 free to sweep the sprint free events, touching in 49.35 ahead of van Orden (51.17).
Those are both second-straight state titles for Martin, though last year she swept the events at Arkansas’ 1A-4A state meet. Martin is committed to Virginia for fall 2026.
Along with a pair of runner-up finishes from Caroline He (100 breast in 1:02.39, 200 IM in 1:59.61) helped Cary Academy to a third-place finish after finishing 2nd last year.
Mallard also led CCD to a win in the other relay, the 200 free relay, without Scott. She split 23.38 on the leadoff leg, and joined with Klein (23.32), Kaylee Daniell (23.88), and Van Orden (23.27) for the win.
Meanwhile, Providence Day School jumped from 4th last season to runner-up this season on the strength of a strong middle distance crew. In the 200 free, Zetta Bartee won in a best time of 1:48.82, successfully defending her title from last year, while Clarke Neace finished 3rd in 1:49.48. Neace then won the 500 free in a new best time of 4:47.98 – in an event that she didn’t even swim at last year’s state meet. That’s a 1.51 second drop for her.
Mens’ Recap
Top 5 Teams:
- Ravenscroft Ravens – 339
- Charlotte Latin Hawks – 336
- Cary Academy Chargers – 257
- Durham Academy Cavaliers – 223
- Charlotte Country Day Buccaneers – 222
On the boys’ side, the Ravenscroft Ravens pulled off a narrow three-point upset over the defending champions from Charlotte Latin. Last year, Charlotte Latin won by 196 points. This year, the meet came down to the final lap of the final relay.
With Ravenscroft and Charlotte Latin the heavy favorites on paper, whichever team won the boys’ 400 free relay would take the meet.
The two teams used very different lineup strategies. Ravenscroft led off with their best, Mattaus Rammel, and jumped out to a big lead. Charlotte Latin did just enough to give their best swimmer, Junior National Team member Norvin Clontz, a shot at the end.
But ultimately, Ravenscroft senior Drew Davis, racing from the front, had just enough to hold off Clontz’s 44.58 split at the touch.
Side-by-Side Splits
| Ravenscroft | Charlotte Latin | |||
| 100y | Mattaus Rammel (JR) | 44.78 | Thomas Greathouse (SO) | 46.09 |
| 200y | David Davis (FR) | 47.57 | David Sammons (FR) | 45.34 |
| 300y | Kaleb James (SR) | 46.20 | Bryce Spangler (SR) | 48.05 |
| 400y | Drew Davis (SR) | 45.27 | Norvy Clontz (SR) | 44.58 |
| Final Time | 3:03.82 | 3:04.06 |
Charlotte Latin started the meet off with a win in the 200 medley in 1:32.07, with a team of David Sammons (23.50 – backstroke), Clontz (25.08 – breaststroke), Bryce Spangler (22.66 – fly), and Thomas Greathouse (20.83 – free) winning by a second-and-a-half over Ravenscroft. Sammons is only a freshman, but still managed the second-best backstroke split of the field behind Granger Bartee from Providence Day (22.40).
Sammons swam only a pair of relays at the meet and no individual events.
Ravenscroft’s runner-up effort in the medley relay was led by a 21.13 fly split from Rammel.
Ravenscroft then won the 200 free relay in 1:25.51, with another narrow-win – though this time they were holding off the Cannon Cougars.
Kaleb James (21.26), Frank Hassell (22.28), Jackson Bubar (21.20), and Drew Davis (20.87) took the win with an all senior relay. Cannon was .03 seconds behind, with senior John Kroll splitting 20.46, but Davis again holding on for the win.
A lot of those big relay swimmers showed up again at the top of individual podiums. Bartee, after his electric medley relay leadoff, won the 100 free in 45.04 and the 100 back in 48.48. He ends his high school career with six state titles: two won as a freshman (100 fly and 200 free), then the 100 back as a sophomore, 100 free as a junior, and now both the 100 back and 100 free as a senior.
Kaleb James from Ravenscroft won the 100 breaststroke in 56.78, holding off Bryce Spangler from Charlotte Latin (57.03) in another close race that could have swung the meet.
John Kroll, who nearly overcame Ravenscroft in the 200 free relay, did overcome them in the individual 50 free. He won in 20.61, beating out Rammel in 20.89.
Rammel came back after the diving break to win the 100 fly in 47.68.
Clontz, meanwhile, picked up a win in the 200 free in 1:36.67, an All-America time, over Charlotte Country Day sophomore Santi Alzate-Celin (1:39.00).
In the 500 free later in the session, Alzate-Celin got his clapback, winning in 4:23.83 to Clontz’s 4:25.93.
Those two races were the same finish order between the same two swimmers as last year’s state meet, though last year’s results were a bit faster in those events in general.
Durham Academy’s Ian Platts-Mills won the 200 IM in 1:47.34, setting a new NCISAA Record. That was his first individual state title in his last meet before matriculating to Cal in the fall. He also finished 2nd in the 100 back behind Bartee.
It was an eventful offseason in Chapel Hill, but the North Carolina Tar Heels recovered quite nicely, incorporating a formidable coaching staff and roster in just a few months.
Upon his arrival, head coach Michael Malone was faced with an uphill battle to revamp a roster, but he passed that test with flying colors. North Carolina’s style of play will look vastly different from last season, based on the players it acquired this offseason.
With that in mind, here are predictions for the five most efficient scorers on the Tar Heels’ 2026-27 roster. It is important to note that efficient scoring doesn’t necessarily mean each and every player on this list will also lead the team in scoring.
1. Matt Able
The 6-foot-6, 211-pound forward shot 41.6 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three-point range last season at North Carolina State. That efficiency is a high baseline, as Able will be surrounded by more talent and placed in more advantageous spots in Malone’s system.
At North Carolina, Able could eclipse 40 percent from three-point range and near 50 percent from the field. Able doesn’t require a high volume of shot attempts to produce, which is why he is one of the most exciting players for me to watch next season.
2. Sayon Keita
Again, this doesn’t mean I expect Keita to emerge as one of the leading scorers on the roster. That being said, the former Barcelona center should be operating exclusively near the basket, and the majority of his shot attempts should come from close proximity.
Keita’s offensive production, for the most part, will generate from lobs, put-back dunks, and layups. There will be times Keita will be asked to create his own points in the post, but he will predominantly operate in the paint.
3. Jarin Stevenson
Malone prioritized retaining Stevenson, and the Alabama transfer’s role will expand in 2026. The 6-foot-9, 216-pound forward was an afterthought at the beginning of last season, but in ACC play, Stevenson’s production and efficiency took a major leap.
In the final nine games of the season, with Caleb Wilson out of the lineup, Stevenson averaged 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field. When Stevenson officially re-signed with North Carolina, Malone stated that he envisions the senior forward fulfilling a role similar to Aaron Gordon when Malone coached in Denver. With a potentially elite backcourt, Stevenson will have ample space to drift into, providing manageable looks at the basket.
4. Terrence Brown
Last season at Utah, the 6-foot-3, 174-pound guard shot 45.3 percent from the field, which is very impressive considering that he was a ball-dominant guard in the Big 12. However, Brown struggled from three-point range, shooting 32.7 percent from beyond the arc.
While I expect that to improve under Malone, Brown still expects to be shooting a handful of low-percentage shots along the perimeter. This is not to say that Brown will struggle; rather, it reflects where his shots will come from on the floor.
5. Neoklis Avdalas
The Virginia Tech transfer possesses a versatile skill set and can play both backcourt positions and on the wing. The 6-foot-9, 216-pound guard is a legitimate point guard option, according to his former coaches, and Malone is obviously aware of that.
Last season, Avdalas shot 38.6 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from three-point range, which was a disappointing output. However, those percentages should improve at North Carolina.
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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Waste Management is providing up to $18 million in grants to help clean up additional debris from Hurricane Helene in the western region, state officials said Friday.
According to NCDEQ, applications are being accepted for the Debris Recovery & Disposal grant program, which is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the American Relief Act of 2025.
The program provides up to $18 million in grants to local governments, councils of government, and nongovernment organizations, according to NCDEQ.
State officials said applications are being accepted through Sept. 14. The maximum award is $3 million. The grants may be used for up to three years.
Counties, municipalities, councils of government, and nongovernmental organizations in FEMA-declared disaster areas due to Helene are eligible for the grants, according to NCDEQ.
According to NCDEQ, eligible projects include collecting and disposing of non-hazardous debris from private or public properties, clearing and managing debris at streambanks, floodplains, farmland, and local park lands, and removing debris to improve solid waste and recycling infrastructure.
Applications may be emailed to Chris Hollinger with the Division of Waste Management at chris.hollinger@deq.nc.gov.
State officials advise applicants to email or call Hollinger at 919-707-8284 or contact Jason Watkins at jason.watkins@deq.nc.gov or 336-776-9674 to discuss the eligibility of their project before applying.
More information about applying can be found on the NCDEQ website.
North Carolina
‘Infuriating, heartbreaking’: Raccoon recovering after getting caught in leg trap at Mecklenburg County park
The video above is a live stream of WBTV and affiliated programming, and may not be directly related to the article below.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A raccoon is fighting for its life after it got caught in a leg trap at a Mecklenburg County park this week.
North Carolina Wildlife Rehab said a group of children found the raccoon stuck in a leg trap at a Mecklenburg County park on Thursday, June 18, but did not specify which park.
“This is absurd, infuriating, and heartbreaking,” a spokesperson said. “Just think about how many animals may have already been harmed—and how many babies may have been orphaned because of this.”
Raccoon had heat stroke, front legs trapped
Wildlife Rehab said it’s unclear how long the raccoon was trapped, but both of his front legs were caught.
Thankfully, his legs were not broken; however, he suffered heat stroke and had a body temperature of 105.4 degrees.
“Please keep this sweet boy in your thoughts and prayers as he fights to recover,” a spokesperson said.
Multiple traps found on property
The children reportedly found the trap attached to a fence on an adjoining property, and investigators said officers found several more during their search.
“Thankfully, the kids did not attempt to free the raccoon themselves, though that easily could have happened,” a spokesperson said. “Instead, they immediately got their parents, who then contacted Animal Control.”
Officials said the raccoon was the second animal caught in a leg trap, and both incidents occurred at parks in Mecklenburg County.
Wildlife Rehab said the traps are illegal and cited animal cruelty. In North Carolina, however, foothold traps aren’t entirely illegal, but they’re strictly regulated by state law. They can be used in Mecklenburg County if they comply with state guidelines for trap size, jaw type, and proper tagging.
–> Also read: Trio stole donated blankets, beds from Cabarrus County animal shelter, director says
As of this writing, no arrests have been made, and no charges have been filed.
Copyright 2026 WBTV. All rights reserved.
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