Month: April 2022

This Sunday in Augusta, the winner of the Master’s Golf Tournament will be awarded the Green Jacket. On Saturday Night Live, a host that is invited back five times (like Tom Hanks, Paul Rudd, the Rock, and Steve Martin) is awarded the Five-Timers Club robe. At Hillsboroughsports.com, we decided to induct our first member into the Four-Timers Club. And the first member is Cedar Ridge softball third baseman Takia Nichols, who becomes the first athlete to win Athlete of the Week four times in her career. In the opening week of the season, Nichols set the school record with seven RBIs, including two home runs as the Red Wolves defeated East Chapel Hill 20-2 at Wildcats Softball Stadium. Three days later, Nichols went 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs in the Red Wolves’ 10-5 win over Falls Lake. Nichols has committed to play at North Carolina Central University. She is the all-time home run leader in Cedar Ridge softball history 30. Se is also the first Cedar Ridge player in history with over 100 RBIs. After practice on Monday, Takia was presented with the Burgundy Robe, which will be the prize for all future inductees of the Four-Timers Club from Cedar Ridge. All Orange inductees will be presented with an Orange robe. On Monday night, the presenters were Takia’s classmates, shortstop Ava Lowry and centerfielder Olivia Aitkin. Takia is a fitting first inductee into the most exclusive club in Hilllsborough, the Four-Timers Club. Cedar Ridge returns to action on Wednesday with a road trip to Northern Durham.

On the verge of becoming the first Cedar Ridge wrestler with 100 career wins since 2007, junior Fernando Martinez has earned another honor.

Martinez was named the Central Carolina Conference 106-145 pound Wrestler of the Year and was named to the All-Conference team. It follows a season where Martinez won the 3A Mideast Regional Championship at Union Pines High School in Cameron. He was the only grappler from Cedar Ridge or Orange High Schools to place in the 3A State Championships. Martinez defeated Union Pines’ Jayden Crawford 9-7 to win the 113-pound Mideast Regional Championship on February 12.

A week later, Martinez finished fifth in the 3A State Championships at the Greensboro Coliseum. He pinned Skylar Oxford of West Carteret in 3:57 in his final match of the year. It was the best finish by a Cedar Ridge wrestler in the state championships since Adam Howard, who finished 5th at 152 pounds in 2013.

This season, Martinez finished 42-10 to place his career record at 97-26. Martinez’s sophomore year was limited to 24 matches due to the pandemic. If he had a standard season in 2020-2021, chances are he would be knocking on the door of the school record for most wins, held by Chandler Collins with 166 victories from 2003-2007.

As it is, Martinez is in sixth place on Cedar Ridge’s all-time wins list, one victory behind Darius McLeod, who competed from 2015-2019.

Joining Martinez on the All-Central Carolina Conference team for wrestlers at 106-145 pounds was Cedar Ridge freshman Leo Oguntoyinbo. Competing at 132 and 138 pounds, Oguntoyinbo opened the season with three wins as the Red Wolves defeated Person, Jordan and Panther Creek in a quad-match at Red Wolves Gymnasium on November 17. Oguntoyinbo is also the goalkeeper for the Cedar Ridge lacrosse team.

Orange had five wrestlers named All-Conference at 106-145 pounds: Kale Womble (113), Braden Crawford (120), Dillon Heffernan (126), Jared Hutchins (132), and Avery Clark (145).

Womble went 18-11 as the Orange wrestling team advanced to the Eastern Regional championship match in the 3A State Dual Team Tournament. Womble pinned Northwood’s Sunday Oo to help the Panthers beat the Chargers 45-27 in the opening round in Hillsborough.

Crawford qualified for the state championships as a freshman. He went 31-15 in his opening season with the Panthers. Crawford finished fourth in the Eastern Alamance Invitational in Mebane on December 18. He went on to finish third in the Quentin Crosby Invitational at Grimsley High in Greensboro. At the Mideast Regionals, Crawford came in fourth.

Heffernan was the runner-up at 126 pounds of the Mideast Regionals. He ended the year 26-9. Heffernan, a junior, won the 126-pound championship at the Crosby Invitational, defeating Allen Cohen of Morehead High 6-5 in the final. Heffernan came in third at the Jim King/Orange Invitational on December 4. At the Eastern Alamance Invitational, Heffernan came in second place.

Hutchins, a sophomore, finished third in the Mideast Regionals, winning the consolation final match over Finnius McCafferty 10-6. He ended the year 28-10 after winning two matches in the consolation round of the state championships. Hutchins won the championship of the Crosby Invitational at 132 pounds, defeating Donovan Edwards of Southwest Guilford 10-4 in the final match. Hutchins also came in third at the JKO, as well as second place at the Eastern Alamance Invitational.

Clark went 24-13 in his senior season. He reached the state championships after a third place finish in the Mideast Regionals. Clark came in fourth in the JKO. Clark came in third place at the Eastern Alamance Invitational. In the state dual playoffs, Clark pinned Wilson Fike’s Jackson Davis as the Panthers won 51-24 to advance to the regional semifinals.

Shots came from 25 yards away, from out on the flanks and point blank range.

Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Addie Reid had to feel like a baseball catcher with all the balls flying at her from various directions against Orange on Monday night. Officially, she made 14 saves, but the Lady Panthers fired off at least a dozen more than sailed over and wide of Reid’s goal at Red Wolves Stadium.

Regardless, she remained undeterred until Orange finally broke through midway through the second half.

Sophomore Emma Wimsatt scored off a rebound on a corner kick triggered by freshman Elliana Sullivan Gaddy with 20:21 remaining in regulation as Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 2-1 on Monday night. Wimsatt set up the corner when a long pass intended for junior Kitcia Castanada was sent over the end line by Cedar Ridge. The corner by Gaddy was headed by midfielder Sydney Rogers from 15 yards away off the left post. The rebounded bounced to Castanada, who sent a shot off the right foot off the left post again. The ball bounced right to Wimsatt, who chipped it into the corner of the net for the decisive goal.

The Panthers chipped and chipped at the Red Wolves throughout the half, dominating possession and 50-50 balls following numerous goal kicks by Cedar Ridge. Orange outshot Cedar Ridge 16-4.

“We tell them we you have the open shot, take the shot,” said Orange coach Jacki Mignosa. “Because we have a lot of good, talented girls that can put that ball in the net. But we knew pretty quickly that the goalkeeper (Reid) was going to make a lot of saves. So then our strategy at halftime was to get the ball in the box and just cause chaos. That’s how we were going to get the ball in the net.”

Orange’s Bella Brown set up the opening goal in the seventh minute. Brown a senior co-Captain, stripped the ball from a Cedar Ridge defender, dribbled past another and fired from the right edge of the box from 19 yards. Reid blocked the shot, but the rebound went directly to Gaddy, who knocked it into the net with 33:11 remaining in the first half.

Cedar Ridge notched the equalizing goal when Susanna DeMarchi intercepted a pass and fed junior forward Lillian Dyslin, who beat a Panther defender to the ball. Dyslin secured possession at the end of the left box, switched to the right foot to send the Orange defender down to the turn and fired the shot into the middle of the net.

The Red Wolves’ best chance to score in the second half came after Orange was whistled for kicking the ball back to goalkeeper Abby Monteith. The Red Wolves got an indirect free kick from 16 yards inside the box, but the shot by DeMarchi was blocked by Rogers, who triggered a counter that led to a shot by Brown that missed wide.

Orange (4-3-1 overall, 3-1 in the Central Carolina Conference), which is searching for its first trip to the state playoff since 2017, is tied for second place in the CCC. They are scheduled to host Person on Wednesday night in Hillsborough.

“We’ve practiced winning the ball out of the air a lot,” Mignosa said. “We can’t let it bounce and then wait on it. We’ve got the get to the ball. They’ve done a good job at really using what we’ve done at practice and put it into the game.”

Cedar Ridge (3-2, 0-2) travels to Eastern Alamance on Wednesday night, then hosts Person on Thursday. The Red Wolves started the season with victories against South Granville and Clover Garden School. Fleury Nicholson scored two goals for the Red Wolves against the Vikings. Against Clover, Nicholson and junior Ianna Pfeifer each had a hat trick, while DeMarchi scored two goals.

Men’s Tennis: Cedar Ridge 6, Western Alamance 3 With three conference dual matches remaining, the Cedar Ridge men’s tennis team is still atop the Central Carolina Conference with a 7-0 record. On Monday, the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance in Elon to complete a season sweep of the Warriors.

Cedar Ridge junior Josh Mayhew remained undefeated on the year with a 6-0, 6-0 victory at #1 singles. Mayhew, who became the first Cedar Ridge player to reach the 3A State Championship match last season, is 9-0 this spring. At #1 doubles, Mayhew teamed with sophomore Lev Bearman to win 8-2, which ensured a Red Wolf team victory.

Cedar Ridge won four singles matches to take a 4-2 lead going into doubles action. Sophomore Holden Rachlin defeated Jacob Howell 6-2, 6-2. Rachlin improved to 8-2 in his first season at varsity. At #5, junior Seth Upchurch prevailed 6-4, 6-2 for his fourth singles win of the season. Senior Derrick Stephens earned a 6-4, 6-4 win over Western Alamance’s Evan Gwin.

The Red Wolves’ (7-3 overall, 7-0 in the CCC) match against Northwood, which was rained out on March 24, was in the process of being resumed on Tuesday in Hillsborough before it was interrupted by rain. The Red Wolves also have two matches against Walter Williams still on its slate. One is a regularly scheduled match set for Wednesday in Hillsborough. The other is a make-up trip to Burlington for a date that was rained out on March 16. If the Red Wolves win two of its final three conference matches, they will clinch at least a tie for the conference championship.

Orange 5, Williams 4: The Orange men’s tennis team went into spring break on a four-match winning streak. On March 24, the Panthers defeated the Bulldogs in its most dramatic win of the season. The doubles team of Justin Conover and Porter Pelphrey trailed the #1 team from Williams 7-4, but rallied to win the final five games and captured the match 9-7, which ensured an Orange victory over the Bulldogs.

The Panthers and the Bulldogs split the six singles matches. Orange freshman Cameron Foster had the longest match of the day against Williams’ Nathan Amyot, which went to a third seed. Foster won the tiebreaker, and the match, 11-9 after winning the opening set 6-3. Amyot took the second set 6-1.

Orange junior Tristan Plummer won at #5 singles 6-0, 6-1. At #6 singles, Orange’s Brendan Kassler won when he opponent didn’t finish the match.

Northwood 5, Orange 4: The Chargers, who are currently second in the CCC, held off Orange in Hillsborough on Monday. Three of the singles matches went to tiebreakers, including the opening match where Conover defeated Northwood’s Jio Sumogod 7-5, 7-6 (12-10). It was Conover’s ninth overall win of the season. Orange junior Nathan Pavalonis won in three sets at #4 singles against Mason Erman. Pavalonis won 6-4, 2-6, 10-7.

Orange’s doubles team of Tristan Plummer and Tate Clark won at #2 8-6. Conover teamed with Pelphrey to win at #1 doubles 8-6.

Golf: The fourth Central Carolina Conference men’s golf match of the season was held at the Preserve Golf Course in Pittsboro on Monday. Orange finished fourth in the team standings. Junior Thomas Loch and senior Jacob Thompson, each of whom just finished basketball season for Orange, had identical 44 scores for the Panthers. Josh Roberts and Ryder Lee each carded a 48 for Orange. Brad Marochak and Cooper Zinn also competed for Orange.

Cedar Ridge came in tie for fifth in the team standings, matching Eastern Alamance with 190 team strokes. Ward Mann was the top Red Wolf on the day, finishing with a 46. Rowan Parker carded a 47 for Cedar Ridge, while Bradley Monschein, who qualified for the 3A Central Regional last year, had a 48.

Western Alamance had the top team score.

Two matches have already been held this season at Occoneechee Golf Club in Hillsborough. Loch led Orange in the opening two rounds. He shot a season-best 40 during a match on March 24. Thompson had a 44.

The Orange women’s soccer team had to keep battling against Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Stadium. With the game tied 1-1, Orange fired shot after shot at Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Addie Reid, who finished with 14 saves. Finally, with 20:21 remaining in the game, Ella Wimsatt took a rebound off a corner kick and tapped it into the net to put the Lady Panthers ahead 2-1. It turned out to be the game-winning goal as Orange improved to 4-3-1 on the season. Cedar Ridge got the equalizing goal from Fleury Nicholson, a freshman striker, on an assist from sophomore Susanna DeMarci. Freshman Elliana Sullivan Gaddy scored the opening goal for the Lady Panthers. It was Sullivan Gaddy’s second goal of the year. Orange is now 3-1 in the Central Carolina Conference, tied with Western Alamance for 1st place. It’s Orange’s third straight win over its crosstown rival. Orange will host Person on Wednesday. The Red Wolves travels to Mebane to face Eastern Alamance on Wednesday night, then return home to take on Person in Red Wolves Stadium on Thursday.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior women’s soccer striker Sydney Rogers. This season, Rogers has scored five goals for Orange as the Lady Panthers started 3-3-1. On March 8, Orange won its Central Carolina Conference opener with a 3-1 victory at Western Alamance in Elon. Rogers scored a goal for Orange, along with Cora Bailey and Elliana Sullivan Gaddy. On March 11, Rogers scored two goals as Orange defeated Northwood 3-2 at Chargers Soccer Park in Pittsboro. Rogers also scored the game-winner as Orange won at Northwood for the first time since 2015. On March 15, Orange defeated Northern Durham 6-1 at Armstrong Stadium in Durham. Rogers added another two goals for Orange. The Lady Panthers are 2-1 in the Central Carolina Conference as they travel to Cedar Ridge tonight to face the Red Wolves. Rogers stays busy with soccer at Orange and is looking to capitalize off its 11-5 season in 2021, when they finished 7-3 in the Big 8 Conference and narrowly missed out on a playoff spot.

Photo courtesy of nccueaglepride.com

Marvin Jones: Former Cedar Ridge high jumper Marvin Jones had another top-five finish this weekend for the North Carolina Central Eagles track & field team. Competing in the VertKlasse Meeting at High Point University, Jones finished 2nd in the high jump. Jones’ leap of 2.10 meters was behind only Beau Allen of Duke University, who finished at 2.15 meters. This season, Jones has had five top-10 finishes for the Eagles.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team defeated the #11 team in the country on Saturday. Davidson hit a solo homer in the Bulldogs’ 8-3 win over #11 Tennessee at Lee Stadium in Knoxville, TN. It was career home run #84 for Davidson, which put her in ninth place all-time in NCAA softball history. Davidson finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. On Friday, Tennessee defeated the Bulldogs 9-1 in five innings. Davidson went 1-for-2. On Sunday, the Volunteers took the series with a 10-1 win in six innings. Davidson went 1-for-1 and was hit by a pitch twice. Mississippi State is 24-12 overall, 5-4 in the Southeastern Conference.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team swept Western Carolina in a three-game set in Cullowhee over the weekend. On Sunday, the Spartans finished the sweep with a 9-2 win at the Catamount Softball Complex. Dalehite went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter. The Spartans are off to a 6-0 start in the Southern Conference.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team’s 20-game winning streak came to an end on Friday. Pitt Community College swept the Red Hawks in a doubleheader. In the opener, the Bulldogs prevailed 3-0. Andrews, starting at third base, went 0-for-2. Pitt outscored CVCC in the nightcap 11-10. Andrews went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored. Catawba Valley had a Thursday series against Wake Technical Community College canceled.

Kara Tackett: Tackett pitched and played centerfield for Wake Tech against Caldwell Community College on Friday. Caldwell won 18-2 in five innings. Tackett went 0-for-2 and started in the circle for the Eagles. On Sunday, Fayetteville Tech swept the Eagles in a doubleheader in Fayetteville. Tackett started in centerfield and went 0-for-2 in the first game, which Fayetteville Tech won 12-0. In the second game, Tackett went 1-for-2 with an RBI single. The eleven runs by the Eagles was a season-high.

Bryse Wilson: The Pittsburgh Pirates have started spring training. On March 20, Wilson opened the exhibition season against Toronto. He gave up three runs off five hits over two innings with one strikeout. Against Minnesota on March 25, Wilson started and threw two-and-two-thirds innings. He surrendered one run off one hit and three walks, striking out four. On March 30, Wilson started against the Twins again and suffered a loss. He tossed three-and-one-third innings and surrendered three runs off three hits. He had four strikeouts and two walks.

William Berger: The Division III William Peace baseball team defeated Greensboro College 11-4 at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary on Friday. Berger picked up the win. He tallied six strikeouts over six innings. Berger surrendered only two runs off four hits. Berger is now 5-0 with a 3.68 ERA for the Pacers.

Joey Berini: The East Carolina baseball team won its opening American Athletic Conference series over the weekend against Cincinnati. The Pirates won the final game 12-10 on Sunday at UC Baseball Stadium. Berini entered the game as a reserve shortstop. He didn’t make a plate appearance. On Friday, the Bearcats defeated the Pirates 7-3. Berini entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and went 0-for-1.

Dante DeFranco: The Charlotte 49ers baseball team was swept by UTSA in San Antonio over the weekend. On Friday, the Roadrunners defeated the 49ers 13-3. DeFranco was inserted into the game as a left fielder in the eighth inning.

Will Walker: The Pitt Community College baseball team swept a three-game weekend series over Richard Bland College. On Saturday, the Bulldogs opened a doubleheader with an 8-0 victory over the Statesmen. Walker started at first base and went 1-for-3 with a walk. On Sunday, Pitt completed the sweep via an 11-3 win. Walker went 1-for-5 with an RBI double. He scored twice. The Bulldogs are now 21-4 overall, 16-4 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Jaylin Jones: Jones entered the Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team’s game against Southern Virginia on Saturday. Southern Virginia won 17-8 at Knight Stadium in Buena Vista, VA. Jones fired a shot on net and scooped up two ground balls for the Falcons, who had a 12-game USA South Conference winning streak snapped.

Dylan Boyer: Boyer scored his first goal of the season for Division II Queen’s men’s lacrosse team as the Royals defeated Tusculum 23-10 at Dickson Field in Charlotte on Saturday. Boyer scored the final Royals’ goal of the day with 1:44 remaining. Queen’s, ranked #17 in Division II, is now 7-3 overall, 4-2 in the South Atlantic Conference.

Joey McMullin: After the Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team reached the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships, McMullin was named a Division III NJCAA All-American on Wednesday. McMullin was named a third-team All-American, one of only 20 junior college players in the country honored. This season, McMullin was named the Region X Most Valuable Player in his first season with the Flyers. McMullin averaged 14.4 points per game over 35 games this season, mainly coming off the bench. He scored 18 points as the Flyers defeated Central Carolina Community College 110-103 in overtime to capture the Region X Championship in Pinehurst. On February 26, the Flyers defeated Prince George Community College 77-72 to win the Mid-Atlantic District Championship in Norfolk, VA. McMullin scored 12 points in 15 minutes as the Flyers advanced to the NJCAA national tournament in Philadelphia. Sandhills lost in the opening round to Joilet Junior College 77-49. Sandhills finished the season 26-9. McMullin scored over 1,000 points in his Orange career.

Marvin Jones: After winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Indoor Championship in the high jump, North Carolina Central’s Marvin Jones got off to a good start in the outdoor season. On March 26, Jones finished sixth out of 37 competitors in the Raleigh Relays, held in Raleigh’s Derr Track & Field Facility at N.C. State University. Jones’ best jump was 2.00 meters. It was his fourth top-10 finish of the calendar year. During the indoor season, Jones had top-10 finishes in the Liberty Open, the Champion College Team Challenge, the JDL Fast Track, along with his gold medal in the MEAC Championships.

Jamar Davis: The N.C. State track & field season continued its outdoor season in the Raleigh Relays. Davis finished third among 37 competitors with a jump of 15.35 meters (50’4.5″). That ranked Davis 13th nationally. Davis, now a senior with the Wolfpack, competed in three sports at Orange High School.

Jalin Jones: After opening the season with a loss, the Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team has won six in a row. Last Saturday, the Falcons rolled past Huntingdon 22-3 at Lefko Field in Misenheimer. Jones came off the bench to grab a ground ball and create a turnover. On Wednesday, Pfeffier defeated Methodist 12-3 in Fayetteville. Jones entered the game as a reserve and fired a shot. He also had two ground balls and created a turnover. Pfeiffer is 3-0 in the USA South Athletic Conference going into Saturday’s game against Southern Virginia in Buena Vista, VA. Last season, Jones was named to the USA South Athletic Conference first-team as a short-stick defender. Jones’ father, Issac, was a member of Orange High’s Class of 1991.

Dylan Boyer: The Division II Queen’s men’s lacrosse team defeated Coker University 14-6 at Coker Athletic Field in Hartsville, S.C on Wednesday. Boyer, a member of Orange’s class of 2019, entered the game as a reserve and fired a shot on net. Queen’s is 6-3 overall, 3-2 in the South Atlantic Conference. The Royals will host Tusculum University at the Queen’s Sports Complex on Saturday.

After becoming the first female Orange swimmer in school history to win an individual state championship, Katie Belle Sikes earned two spots on the All-Central Carolina Conference squad.

In addition, Cedar Ridge freshman Sophia Stinnett made the All-Conference team.

After leading the Orange men’s team to its first Central Carolina Conference championship, Ron Geib was named the Central Carolina Conference Men’s Coach of the Year.

In men’s swimming, freshman Luke Roman was one of five Panthers to be named to the All-Conference squad. Roman was named the Central Carolina Conference Male Swimmer of the Year in February.

The conference championships were held on January 27 at the Orange County Sportsplex in Hillsborough.

Sikes was named to the All-Conference team in the 50 yard freestyle and the 100 yard freestyle. She was the CCC champion in both events, winning the 50 freestyle at 24.77 seconds. Sikes went on to win the 3A State Championship in the 50 yard freestyle at the Cary Aquatic Center on February 11, earning All-American consideration. She also captured the 3A Central Regional Championship in the 50 meters for the second straight year. Sikes was the only Lady Panther to make All-Conference.

Stinnett was named All-Conference in the 200 yard freestyle and the 500 yard freestyle. In the CCC championships, Stinnett won the 200 with a time of 2:05.28, leading Cedar Ridge to a third place finish as a team. Stinnett finished 2nd in the 500 yard freestyle behind Northwood senior Mia Corrado.

The Orange women’s team, which finished 4th in the CCC, was also honored with the league’s sportsmanship award.

The Orange men’s team, which captured the school’s first conference championship as a 3A team, had Roman earn three spots on the All Conference team: in the 200 yard medley relay and the 500 yard freestyle. Roman swam a dominant race in winning the conference 500 yard freestyle championship, touching the wall at 5:19.54. It was a full 32 seconds ahead of runner-up Greyson Brummer, also of Orange.

Brummer, a junior, was also named All-Conference in the 500 freestyle.

Orange’s Ian Moore, Evan Phillips and Alex Andre joined Roman on the All-Conference team for the 200 yard medley relay team. The quartet won the conference championship with a time of 1::49.80. They went on to finish eighth in the state championships.

The Panthers’ 400 yard freestyle relay team of freshman Nick Baczara, Roman, Andre & Phillips earned All-Conference honors after winning the conference championship.

In all, Phillips, a senior, claimed four spots on the All-Confernce team: two relay and two two individual races. He won the 200 yard individual medley championship (2:10.39), as well as the 100 yard breaststroke. Phillips came in 15th in the state championships.

Moore claimed an All-CCC spot for winning the 100-yard backstroke championship. Moore went on to finish eleventh in the state championships.

Orange freshman Alex Andre made All-Conference in four events. In addition to the two relay teams, he finished runner-up to Philips in the 200 yard individual medley. Andre also came in 2nd in the 100 yard butterfly behind Eastern Alamance’s Owen Sawyer.

Cedar Ridge had several freshman earned conference honors. Matthew Czar earned three spots on the All-Conference team, two for individual races and one for a relay. Czar captured the CCC championship in the 50 yard freestyle. He was also honored for winning the 100 yard freestyle title.

Czar, Alexander Hill, Nikhil Agains and Jason Pattison made All-Conference for a runner-up finish in the 200 yard freestyle relay (1:54.15).

Agans was also honored with an All-Conference spot following a runner-up finish, behind Czar, in the 50 yard freestyle.

In addition, Orange senior diver Stanz Zitko was named All-Conference. Zitko finished with his fourth 3A Central Regional diving championship at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in February.