By Brian Savard
RALEIGH, North Carolina, February 26. CHAPEL Hill faced nail-biting finishes on both ends of competition, but in the end, both the men and women of Chapel Hill stood atop the leader board at the North Carolina 4A Championships.
Before the 2008 championship meet, Chapel Hill had never swept both the men's and women's competition in the same state championship meet.
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Team Scores
The Chapel Hill women broke up a four-year Providence title streak by winning the meet with 240 points. Providence trailed right behind the Tiger women with 234 points while East Chapel Hill conjured up 206 points and took home the third-place honor. Chapel Hill had not won a state championship since 1982 and had not won a title under the 4A classification, which was created in 2002, until 2008.
The Tiger men won in a similar fashion, snapping Enloe's nine-year domination of state championships with a 211 point total over North Mecklenburg's 203.5. Enloe rounded out the top three with 193.5 points. Before the 2008 meet, Chapel Hill had not won under the 4A classification and had not won since 1991.
Women's Individual Results
Chapel Hill took two relay wins. The 200 medley relay quartet of Carly Smith, Marie Pesacreta, Kerry McLaughlin and Alden Dyer posted a 1:48.02 time while the 400 freestyle relay (Pesacreta, McLaughlin, Smith and Dyer) fell just short of the state record with a 3:31.40.
Kirsten Smith from Athens Drive picked up two event wins in her final meet as a high school athlete. Smith started out with an incredible 2:00.58 200 IM before winning the 500 freestyle in 4:55.87. Smith's 200 IM performance reset her own 2:01.08 record the she set in 2006. Smith, a Swimming World five-star recruit, will head south to the University of Florida next season.
Chapel Hill's Carly Smith, who lost handily to Kirsten Smith in the 500 and took third, responded by winning the 100 backstroke in a convincing 55.72 time. In the preliminary heats, Smith took down her own 55.73 state record, which she set in 2007 with a time of 55.61.
Men's Individual Results
Providence snared two relay titles. The Panther 200 medley relay team of David Maxwell, Anderson Sloan, Kip Darmody and Corey Day leapfrogged with Grimsley throughout the entirety of the race, emerging victorious in the end with a 1:37.48 time. The 400 freestyle relay grouping of Maxwell, Graham Webster, Darmody and Day bested the field in 3:12.72 clocking.
Thomas Santoli of North Mecklenburg recorded two event wins, taking the 200 freestyle in 1:43.16 and the 500 freestyle in 4:32.59.
Chris Gunnels, a Chapel Hill senior, was the only other male to win two individual golds. Gunnels took first in the 100 freestyle (46.24) and the 100 backstroke (50.87).
Diving Results
Julie Doran of Holly Springs eked out a win in the women's diving event with a 454.25 score. Jenna Moore of Providence took second (453.60) while Ashley Kopec of North Mecklenburg had the third-best score (389.85).
East Chapel Hill's Nick McCrory finished first in record fashion on the men's side, scoring a 637.30. McCrory held the former mark of 601.90, which he set in 2006.
Results: North Carolina 4A Championships
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