2010-2011
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August 2010
New Postings on MOR WebsiteSeptember Practice Schedules: Raleigh-updated Riverwood Ravenscroft
2010-2011 Registration information is available !
MOR 11-12 boys Justin Ress, Tyler Silver, Will Countie head to Zone All-Star Meet
MOR's Mitchell Qualifies for Sr. Nationals at Sr. Sectional Meet !
July 18, 2010 Athens, Ga.:Victoria Mitchell of the Marlins Of Raleigh-Wolfpack Aquatics (MOR) swam at 2:18.75 in the 200 Meter Backstroke at the Southeastern Sr. Sectional Championships held at the U. of Georgia Aquatic Center July 15-18.
Mitchell finished in 7th place in the event and it qualified her for this summer's USA Swimming Sr. Nationals to be held in Irvine, Ca. Aug. 3-7. The Sr. Sectionals included over 350 swimmers including Olympic Gold Medalist, Ceasar Cielo. MOR finished in 11th place at the meet with 182 points. Top 12 Team Scores were as follows:
1-Dynamo 468
2-Lakeside 437
3-Athens Bulldogs 398
4-NCAC 346.5
5-Marietta Marlins 273
6-Georgia Coastal Aquatic Team 267
7-Tennessee Aquatics 237
8-Auburn Aquatics 236
9-SwimAtlanta 235
10-Duke Aquatics 185
11-Marlins Of Raleigh-Wolfpack Aquatics 182
12-Wildcat Aquatics 163
Mitchell added the following scoring swims (top 16 places score)
1500 Free 3rd 17:19.79
800 Free 8th 9:01.15
200 Free 14th 2:06.83
400 IM 5th 4:59.92
400 Free 12th 4:24.08
Other MOR swimmers scoring points at the meet were:
Alex Eiden
200 Back 13th 2:11.72
Nicole Giamber
200 Breast 7th 2:39.35
Katelyn Linker
200 Fly 13th 2:19.61
400 IM 8th 5:02.67
Ben Miller
800 Free 12th 8:34.39
1500 Free 8th 16:28.41
Lillie Smith
200 Back 14th 2:21.96
"This was a spectacular meet for us with 50 of 55 lifetime best times in the meet. Our swimmers were very fit and confident and it showed in how they performed in a very competitive environment." said MOR Head Coach Paul Silver.
For More information:
MOR's Mitchell wins 1000 Free at Sr. Sectionals!
March 4, 2010 Victoria Mitchell won the 1000 free at the 2010 Sr. Sectional Swim Champs in Nashville. Mitchell's time of 9:51.88 was 13 seconds ahead of 2nd place. It also qualifies Mitchell for this summer's US National Championships in Irvine, Ca. MOR currently sits in 5th place. For results go to www.excelaquatics.org Swimworld article on Sr. Sectionals
For Immediate Release:
For Immediate Release:
MOR FINISHES 5TH AT AG SECTIONAL MEET!
Charlotte, NC: The Marlins Of Raleigh Swim Team finished 5th at the Age Group
Sectional Swim Championships held Mar. 11-14 at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic
Center. Over 900 swimmers from over 70 teams from NC, SC, Ga., Tenn, Alabama,
and Miss. competed in the meet. This is the most competitive Age Group swim meet
in the southeastern quadrant of the United States and one of the fastest in the country.
MOR finished with 239 points and was led by Tyler Silver who won 5 events and broke
the meet record in the 100 Fly.
Team Scores were as follows making MOR the 2nd highest scoring team from NC
in the meet:
1-Mac 503
2-Dynamo 428
3-Spartanburg Y 421
4-Swim Atlanta 321
5-MOR 239
6-Star 211
7-Wave 170
8-Rsa 138
"We had balanced scoring with points coming in every age group. Our team effort
really shown through as our relays were truly exceptional where we won the 11-12 boys
200 Free relay. We look forward to this summer and the July and August Champion-
ships." said MOR coach Paul Silver.
Points were awarded for 1st-8th place. Silver led the way with a meet record in the
11-12 100 Fly of 55.68. He also finished 1st in the 100 IM, 400 IM, 50 Fly, and 50 Free.
Other MOR swimmers scoring in the top 8 included:
For more information, go to www.marlinsofraleigh.com or www.ncswim.org
 8 MOR SWIMMERS QUALIFY FOR SELECT CAMP! Eight MOR swimmers qualified for the NC Swimming Select Camp to be held in
April 24-25 in Charlotte by placing in the top 5 of an individual event at 14-U JO’s this past weekend. The camp will include 120 swimmers from NC and will include 3 practices, educational talks, NC Team building activities, as well as mental preparation. Those placing in the top 5 and qualifying for the camp are:
10-U Grace Countie, Christopher Silver
11-12 Tyler Silver
13-14 Cameron Brown, David Craig, Scott Johnson, Kiko Lamb,
Kelsey Lawton
Marlins Of Raleigh-Wolfpack Aquatics Achieves Silver Level in Club
Excellence for 8th Consecutive Year  Colorado Springs, Co.: The Marlins Of Raleigh-Wolfpack Aquatics Swim
Team has achieved Silver Medal Status in USA Swimming's Club Excellence Program for the 8th consecutive year. MOR was one of only 100 swim teams out of over 2,800 swim teams in the US to be so recognized. The USA Club Excellence Program recognizes achievement at the national
and international level through Long Course swimming results. Each team is ranked and the top 16 teams are recognized as Gold Medal Teams with the next 100 as Silver Medal Teams. Bronze Level is awarded to teams ranking # 101-200. MOR placed one swimmer in the 2008 Olympics representing Colombia and
had 7 swimmers compete at the 2008 US Olympic Trials. MOR was the 2008 NC Swimming Sr. Champions along with the 2009 NC Fall States 12-Under Champions. MOR Coach Paul Silver was chosen by USA Swimming as head coach of the 2009 Men's National Select Coach. Other local teams recognized as Silver Medal Clubs are Yota, Rsa, Duke
Aquatics and Ncac. No local clubs were recognized as Gold or Bronze level. "We are very proud to again have achieved Silver Medal status through
the USA Swimming Club Excellence Program. This is well deserved recognition for our talented athetes and for their hard work to achieve at the national/ international level. We look forward to again participating in the grant program which will enhnace our club and help us grow." said MOR head coach Paul Silver.
For more information on the Club Excellence program, read below or
visit www.usaswimming.org
"MOR Swimmer chosen as Cary News Athlete of the Decade"
An era of athleticism
BY J. MIKE BLAKE, Staff Writer
Every year in western Wake County, some local athlete will win a state championship in some sport. While nothing to take lightly, having a local prep star win one state championship has almost become old hat.
For instance, Cary's wrestling program alone produced 18 different state champions. In order to compile the list of the decade's best athletes, a higher criteria had to be met. Here are some of the athletes who can't be omitted from the story:
Josh Adams, Cary football: As a sophomore, Josh Adams scooped up a fumble in the dying minutes of a game against Western Harnett and returned it for the go-ahead and game-winning touchdown. He kept running for the next two years, only stopping as the state's fourth all-time leading rusher with more than 7,000 rushing yards. He has since been passed by two other runners. He accounted for 80 touchdowns in his four-year career and was regarded by recruiting Web sites as one of the top 10 running backs in the country before signing with Wake Forest University. He has one more year remaining at Wake. The Imps went 20-5 over Adams' final two years at Cary, reaching the third round of the playoffs in 2005.
Stephen Bickford, Green Hope boys soccer: Bickford ranks among the state's top five in goals scored in a season and career after his time at Green Hope. A two-time state player of the year, Bickford was named National Player of the Year in his senior season of 2004. He scored 124 goals in his career, tallying 48 in 24 games as a senior. He also scored 44 in his 23 games as a junior. Bickford was ranked the No. 3 player in the land by ESPN and chose the University of North Carolina for his college days.
Nick DeMuro, Athens Drive football: Long the doormat of Wake County football, Athens Drive enjoyed unprecedented success this decade in large part due to quarterback Nick DeMuro and coach Jeff Smouse. Before Smouse took over in 2005, the Jaguars were 5-49 in the decade. They went 35-26 over the past five seasons, including 20-5 in DeMuro's junior and senior years. The seventh all-time leading passer in state history, DeMuro's name litters the NCHSAA record book. He's the only Wake County player to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season and holds the state record for most yards of total yards of offense in a game with 608 in a 2007 contest against Fuquay-Varina. DeMuro signed with Jacksonville State out of high school but was back as an assistant coach with Athens this year.
Joey Farnsworth, Cary wrestling: The 103-pound Farnsworth finished an undefeated 63-0 in 2007. En route to his first individual 4-A title, Farnsworth allowed just one point all year - on an illegal hold. Farnsworth was Cary's first national champion, winning junior nationals in 2006. He was named to the 2007 Wrestling Magazine "Dream Team." He finished his career 129-11 before signing with UNC-Pembroke.
Thomas Graham, Cary Academy cross country: In November, Graham brought home his second NCISAA 3-A individual cross country title. Only a sophomore, Graham has a chance to be on the next decade's list. No runner in NCISAA history has won four cross country titles.
Harris Honeycutt, Fuquay-Varina baseball: A number of Fuquay-Varina baseball players posted incredible numbers during this decade, but none could touch Harris Honeycutt's senior season. A part of Fuquay's star-studded 2002 championship team, the right-hander finished his three-year career with a 16-1 record, 0.96 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 123.1 innings. Honeycutt spent four years as a standout at the University of South Carolina before being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 10th round of the 2007 MLB Draft.
Quincy Latimore, Middle Creek baseball: Although teammate Landon Adams holds the record for highest batting average in a season with .477, Latimore was one of the best all-around players the county had seen since Josh Hamilton in 1999. Latimore hit .352 with 31 doubles and 30 RBI's his senior year while being a terror on the base paths and a defensive whiz in the outfield. After leading the Mustangs to a conference championship in 2007, Latimore was taken in the fourth round of the MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, who gave him a $220,000 signing bonus. Latimore, who had committed to N.C. State, chose to sign the contract with the Pirates and is currently in the minor leagues.
Eloheim Palma, Cary wrestling: In the storied history of Cary wrestling, Palma is the program's only senior national champion. He wrestled his way to that honor in March of this past year. Palma is also the program's only three-time state champion and went a perfect 115-0 over his last two seasons. He wasn't the largest heavyweight, but he was the quickest and most aggressive. During his senior year, the legend of Palma had grown to the point where wrestlers in other classes begged their coaches to move up a weight class for the honor of having wrestled against the nation's top heavyweight. He was a part of seven state-title teams and is regarded as one of the best heavyweights in state history. He received a rare full scholarship to N.C. State, where his brother Jainor wrestled.
Earnest Ross, Panther Creek boys basketball: A fierce competitor who seemingly was his best in the clutch - or when opposing fans taunted him - Ross led Panther Creek to a conference tournament championship in the school's second year of existence in 2008. In his senior year, the Catamounts swept the conference and regular season championships - a remarkable achievement when going against two 20-win teams and three additional Division I college players. His career came to an unceremonious end, however, when he was kicked off the team along with two others before the team's third round playoff game. Although a short-handed Panther Creek team won its next game, it fell in regional competition and ended its year 28-3. Ross now plays for Auburn University.
Chareya Smith, Athens Drive girls basketball: As a junior, Smith led the charge for a powerful Athens Drive team that featured four additional future college players. Her 19 points and 10 rebound averages were the best on the team that went 28-3 that year. The Lady Jags swept the conference championships that year and ended their season in the school's first sectional championship. She was conference player of the year as a sophomore and first-team selection two more times. Her 37 points scored against Lee County are a school record as are her more than 1,700 career points. She now plays at East Carolina.
Kirsten Smith, Athens Drive swimming: No swimmer this decade dominated the pool the way Kirsten Smith did for the Jaguars in her four years. Smith never lost in the NCHSAA state meet, taking home four championships in the 500 free and four more in the 200 IM. She was a four-time winner of the North Carolina MVP Swimmer award and high school All-American in the 200 IM, 50 freestyle and 100 free.
.jpg) Swimmer Kirsten Smith of Athens Drive never lost an individual event in the state 4-A championship. She ended her career as an all-American and one of North Carolina's most decorated swimmers
Smith was also a part of three winning relay teams, and her state record time of 2:01.08 in the 200 IM still stands. She is on scholarship at the University of Florida.
Brendon Todd, Green Hope boys golf: In the first year of Green Hope's existence, Brendon Todd won the state 4-A individual title as a freshman. Before his career ended, he won three individual state championships, picking up two more in his junior and senior years. In his senior year, he helped win the Falcons their first state championship, then did the same at Georgia in 2005. Todd is now on the PGA Tour, ranked 154th in money earned with more than $200,000 in winnings.
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These athletes made the new millennium's first decade memorable
MOR'S Silver chosen as Head Coach for USA Swimming National Men's Select Camp Colorado Springs, Co.:USA Swimming announced on Tuesday that Marlins Of Raleigh Head Coach Paul Silver has been named as Head Coach of the USA Swimming National men's Select Camp to be held at the Olympic Training Center Oct. 29-Nov. 1. Silver will head a staff of 5 plus national team athlete, Alex Vanderkaay at the camp. The top 30 16 -under males in the US will be in attendance at the camp which will provide an opportunity for the athletes to live at the US Olympic Training Center. Training at high altitude, seminars on nutrition, national team progression, stroke analysis and filming all will be provided during the camp. This is Silver's 5th appointment to a USA Swimming national camp staff.
"I am really looking forward to the opportunity to work with these elite athletes. It is always fun to see who the up and coming swimmers are in the US. The last camp I did in 2006 featured 3 swimmers who made this summer's US World Championship Team which competed in Rome in July. It is certainly a great honor to get to work with an such a great staff." said MOR coach Paul Silver.
For more information go to www.marlinsofraleigh.com or www.usaswimming.org
(USA Swimming Press Release Below)
 National Select Camp Staff Is Announced (10/6/2009)
USA Swimming is pleased to announce the selection of the coaching and managerial staff for the 2009 National Select Camps. The camps will be held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs on October 29 to November 1 for Men and Women.
Select Camps are an important step in the Olympic development process designed to prepare athletes for membership on USA Swimming National Teams. The National Select Camp emphasizes education and motivation and is critical component in the athlete’s preparation for the National Team experience.
This year’s staff is as follows:
Women’s Staff
Head Coach: Brian Brown, Asphalt Green
Team Manager: Paris Jacobs, Machine Aquatics
National Team Athlete: Margaret Hoelzer
Assistant Coaches: Greg Wriede (The Peddie School) Jeff Conwell (Canyons Aquatic Club), Alan Pfau (Swim MAC Carolina), Yit Aun LIM (Marietta Marlins)
Men’s Staff
Head Coach: Paul Silver, Marlins of Raleigh
Team Manager: Jerry Adams, Schnectady Sharks
National Team Athlete: Alex Vanderkaay
Assistant Coaches: David Krotiak (Fox Valley Swim Team), Ron Aitken (Sandpipers of NV), Scott Ward (Eagle Swim Team), Larry Hough (Alamo Area Aquatics)
MOR SWIMMERS SHINE AT WILMINGTON SWIM MEET!
57 MOR Sr. Swimmers traveled by bus and van to UNC-W for the annual Commotion at the Ocean Meet Oct. 2-3. MOR swam strong Friday and Saturday and then left for the beach on Saturday afternoon leading the meet with 654 points. MOR swimmers won 4 of the 16 individual events we competed in and 22 MOR swimmers scored points.
Victoria Mitchell of Cary, won the 200 & 500 Free, 200 Back, and 400 IM. Her winning times also were faster than any of the UNC-Wilmington collegiate swimmers who also competed in the meet. The following swimmers placed in the top 8:David Barnes, Brandon Bryan, Emily Duff, Matt Duggins, Nicole Giamber, Casey Lawton, Kelsey Lawton, Katelyn Linker, Ben Miller, Caroline Mitchell, and Anne Thelan. Swimmers scoring points in the 9-16th positions were: Tyler Adams, Cameron Brown, Kristen Ellison, Becca Liskiewicz, Tim Schade, Kiko Lamb, Lillie Smith, Brennan Textor, Victoria Tormenti, and Kelly Whalen.
For more information go to www.marlinsofraleigh.com
Cary, NC: The Marlins Of Raleigh-Wolpack Aquatics Swim Team (MOR) will host the 14-Under State Age Group Swimming Championships July 16-19 at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary. This is the first time the summer State Age Group Swimming Championships has been held in the Triangle since 1982.
Over 650 swimmers from 48 teams will be competing in the meet along with parents/siblings which will bring upwards of 2000 people into Cary each day for 4 days. In addition, over 150 volunteers and officials will be in attendance along with over 100 coaches. Expected economic impact is over $500,000 for the Cary area over those 4 days.
Swimmers will be competing for State titles along with striving to break state records in 3 age groups:10-under, 11-12, 13-14. The 15-18 swimmers will compete the following week at the NC Sr. Championships in Charlotte.
Also at stake are spots on the NC Zone All-Star team. The NC All-Stars will compete at the Southern Zone All-Star Meet July 28-Aug. 1st in Orlando against 11 other States. 7 males and 7 females will be selected in the 11-12 age group and 13-14 age group. 10 male and 10 females will be selected the following week in the 15-18 age group.
Pre-meet favorite as usual is Mecklenburg Aquatic Club of Charlotte, however the 4 local teams; MOR, Rsa, Yota, NCAC, Duke and Wave will all field strong teams.
"MOR is excited to be hosting these State Championships in the Triangle after a 27 year absence and the excitement it will bring. NC has grown into one of the hotbeds of swimming in the US along with California, Texas, Florida, Georgia and the Baltimore area. Our MOR volunteers will bring southern hospitality to all who attend this meet and look forward to a fast fun meet." said MOR head coach Paul Silver.
Admission is free so come out and see the best in NC and some of the best swimmers in the state.
13-over competition
Thurs. 5pm
Fri.-Sun. Preliminaries 8:30am
Finals Top 16 qualifiers 5:30pm
12-Under competition
Thurs. 5pm
Fri.-Sun. Finals 1pm
Holly Springs, NC.: Shepherd's Vineyard Swim Club came out victorious in the 4th annual South Wake Invitational Meet (S.W.I.M.) hosted by the Marlins Of Raleigh (MOR) at Sunset Ridge Swim Club on July 12. Shepherd's Vineyard scored 2344 points to edge out the YMCA with 2290.5 points.
The remaining team scores were:
3-Dutchman Downs 1386
4-Riverwood 1314.5
5-Sunset Ridge 1284
6-Garner Dolphins 741
7-Hollands Crossing 261
8-Olive Chapel 112
9-Bentwinds 111
10-Eagle Ridge 87
11-Walden Creek 75
12-Sanford Squids 63
There were over 460 swimmers from 12 summer swim clubs competing at the meet which serves as a championship meet for local summer league swimmers. Many were no doubt inspired by the expoits last summer of Michael Phelps and the US Olympic Swim Team in Bejing.
High Point Trophies were won the by the following swimmers in each Age Group
6-U Corina Smith YMCA and Amanda Ress Shepherd's Vineyard 37
Brian Thompson Walden Creek 40
7-8 Callie Blandford Riverwood 60
Noah Diacumakos Olive Chapel 60
9-10 Emily Dykstra Shepherd's Vineyard 60
Christopher Silver Shepherd's Vineyard 60
11-12 Kelsey Lawton Dutchman Downs 60
Tyler Silver Shepherd's Vineyard 60
13-14 Cameron Martin Sunset Ridge 56
Brendan Smith Bentwinds 57
15-18 Casey Lawton Dutchman Down's 60
Matt Wallace Dutchman Down's 56
"We enjoy hosting this meet for the summer league swimmers. Awards are given through 16th place so lots of kids go away with something along with a big smile on their face. The summer league swimming is how our US Olympic Swimmers got their start. The next step is moving to year round swimming. 9 of the 12 High Point Award Winners swim with MOR as well so they are certainly learning a lot with us." Said MOR head Coach Paul Silver."
The team went 3:59.20 for the 8th place finish and lead MOR to a 20th place ranking in the current women's team scores with 24 points. This is highest team ranking from any team in NC. Pictured are from top left clockwise: Erica Smith, Erika Stewart, Gabi Shishkoff, Kirsten Smith. The meet continues through Saturday July 11th.
Indianapolis, Ind.: The Marlins Of Raleigh-Wolpack Aquatics finished 8th in the 400 Free Relay at the US World Championship Team Trials. The relay team of Kirsten Smith, Erika Stewart, Gabi Shishkoff and Erica Smith swam a 3:59.20. Kirsten Smith advanced to tonight's Consolation Finals with a 16th place finish in the preliminary heats of the 400 IM with a time of 4:50.35. Smith will look to move up in both place and time in tonight's race.
Indianapolis, Ind.: Kirsten Smith of the Marlins Of Raleigh-Wolfpack Aquatics finished 15th in the 200 IM at the USA Swimming World Championship Trials being held July 7-11. Smith improved on her 16th place preliminary finish and dropped almost 2 seconds to finish in a time of 2:15.80. Julia Smit of Stanford won the event with a new American Record.
The top 2 swimmers in each event will make the US Team that will compete in the FINA World Championships July 26-Aug. 2 in Rome. Media coverage can be found at:
www.universalsports.com (TV coverage Tues/Wed. 6pm)
NBC TV (Sat/Sun. 2pm)
Indianapolis, Indiana: 4 MOR-Wolfpack Aquatics swimmers will compete at the 2009 USA Swimming World Championship Team Trials in Indianapolis July 7-11. This meet also serves as the 2009 USA National Swimming Championships. The meet will feature World Record Holders Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte among many others.
Psyche sheets (entry list) and results are posted at www.usaswimming.org In addition, you can follow prelims/finals live on www.swimnetwork.com
Other Wake county swimmers who will attend the Trials include Dominick Glavich (Yota), Torrey Bussey, Will Dove (RSA), Cullen Jones (NCSU).
RESULTS for the 2009 World Championship Trials will be on the USA Swimming website as soon as they are available. Click here or on the image below to view the results.
An era of athleticism
BY J. MIKE BLAKE, Staff Writer
Every year in western Wake County, some local athlete will win a state championship in some sport. While nothing to take lightly, having a local prep star win one state championship has almost become old hat.
For instance, Cary's wrestling program alone produced 18 different state champions. In order to compile the list of the decade's best athletes, a higher criteria had to be met. Here are some of the athletes who can't be omitted from the story:
Josh Adams, Cary football: As a sophomore, Josh Adams scooped up a fumble in the dying minutes of a game against Western Harnett and returned it for the go-ahead and game-winning touchdown. He kept running for the next two years, only stopping as the state's fourth all-time leading rusher with more than 7,000 rushing yards. He has since been passed by two other runners. He accounted for 80 touchdowns in his four-year career and was regarded by recruiting Web sites as one of the top 10 running backs in the country before signing with Wake Forest University. He has one more year remaining at Wake. The Imps went 20-5 over Adams' final two years at Cary, reaching the third round of the playoffs in 2005.
Stephen Bickford, Green Hope boys soccer: Bickford ranks among the state's top five in goals scored in a season and career after his time at Green Hope. A two-time state player of the year, Bickford was named National Player of the Year in his senior season of 2004. He scored 124 goals in his career, tallying 48 in 24 games as a senior. He also scored 44 in his 23 games as a junior. Bickford was ranked the No. 3 player in the land by ESPN and chose the University of North Carolina for his college days.
Nick DeMuro, Athens Drive football: Long the doormat of Wake County football, Athens Drive enjoyed unprecedented success this decade in large part due to quarterback Nick DeMuro and coach Jeff Smouse. Before Smouse took over in 2005, the Jaguars were 5-49 in the decade. They went 35-26 over the past five seasons, including 20-5 in DeMuro's junior and senior years. The seventh all-time leading passer in state history, DeMuro's name litters the NCHSAA record book. He's the only Wake County player to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season and holds the state record for most yards of total yards of offense in a game with 608 in a 2007 contest against Fuquay-Varina. DeMuro signed with Jacksonville State out of high school but was back as an assistant coach with Athens this year.
Joey Farnsworth, Cary wrestling: The 103-pound Farnsworth finished an undefeated 63-0 in 2007. En route to his first individual 4-A title, Farnsworth allowed just one point all year - on an illegal hold. Farnsworth was Cary's first national champion, winning junior nationals in 2006. He was named to the 2007 Wrestling Magazine "Dream Team." He finished his career 129-11 before signing with UNC-Pembroke.
Thomas Graham, Cary Academy cross country: In November, Graham brought home his second NCISAA 3-A individual cross country title. Only a sophomore, Graham has a chance to be on the next decade's list. No runner in NCISAA history has won four cross country titles.
Harris Honeycutt, Fuquay-Varina baseball: A number of Fuquay-Varina baseball players posted incredible numbers during this decade, but none could touch Harris Honeycutt's senior season. A part of Fuquay's star-studded 2002 championship team, the right-hander finished his three-year career with a 16-1 record, 0.96 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 123.1 innings. Honeycutt spent four years as a standout at the University of South Carolina before being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 10th round of the 2007 MLB Draft.
Quincy Latimore, Middle Creek baseball: Although teammate Landon Adams holds the record for highest batting average in a season with .477, Latimore was one of the best all-around players the county had seen since Josh Hamilton in 1999. Latimore hit .352 with 31 doubles and 30 RBI's his senior year while being a terror on the base paths and a defensive whiz in the outfield. After leading the Mustangs to a conference championship in 2007, Latimore was taken in the fourth round of the MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, who gave him a $220,000 signing bonus. Latimore, who had committed to N.C. State, chose to sign the contract with the Pirates and is currently in the minor leagues.
Eloheim Palma, Cary wrestling: In the storied history of Cary wrestling, Palma is the program's only senior national champion. He wrestled his way to that honor in March of this past year. Palma is also the program's only three-time state champion and went a perfect 115-0 over his last two seasons. He wasn't the largest heavyweight, but he was the quickest and most aggressive. During his senior year, the legend of Palma had grown to the point where wrestlers in other classes begged their coaches to move up a weight class for the honor of having wrestled against the nation's top heavyweight. He was a part of seven state-title teams and is regarded as one of the best heavyweights in state history. He received a rare full scholarship to N.C. State, where his brother Jainor wrestled.
Earnest Ross, Panther Creek boys basketball: A fierce competitor who seemingly was his best in the clutch - or when opposing fans taunted him - Ross led Panther Creek to a conference tournament championship in the school's second year of existence in 2008. In his senior year, the Catamounts swept the conference and regular season championships - a remarkable achievement when going against two 20-win teams and three additional Division I college players. His career came to an unceremonious end, however, when he was kicked off the team along with two others before the team's third round playoff game. Although a short-handed Panther Creek team won its next game, it fell in regional competition and ended its year 28-3. Ross now plays for Auburn University.
Chareya Smith, Athens Drive girls basketball: As a junior, Smith led the charge for a powerful Athens Drive team that featured four additional future college players. Her 19 points and 10 rebound averages were the best on the team that went 28-3 that year. The Lady Jags swept the conference championships that year and ended their season in the school's first sectional championship. She was conference player of the year as a sophomore and first-team selection two more times. Her 37 points scored against Lee County are a school record as are her more than 1,700 career points. She now plays at East Carolina.
Kirsten Smith, Athens Drive swimming: No swimmer this decade dominated the pool the way Kirsten Smith did for the Jaguars in her four years. Smith never lost in the NCHSAA state meet, taking home four championships in the 500 free and four more in the 200 IM. She was a four-time winner of the North Carolina MVP Swimmer award and high school All-American in the 200 IM, 50 freestyle and 100 free.
 Swimmer Kirsten Smith of Athens Drive never lost an individual event in the state 4-A championship. She ended her career as an all-American and one of North Carolina's most decorated swimmers
Smith was also a part of three winning relay teams, and her state record time of 2:01.08 in the 200 IM still stands. She is on scholarship at the University of Florida.
Brendon Todd, Green Hope boys golf: In the first year of Green Hope's existence, Brendon Todd won the state 4-A individual title as a freshman. Before his career ended, he won three individual state championships, picking up two more in his junior and senior years. In his senior year, he helped win the Falcons their first state championship, then did the same at Georgia in 2005. Todd is now on the PGA Tour, ranked 154th in money earned with more than $200,000 in winnings.
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These athletes made the new millennium's first decade memorable
SCHEDULE CHANGESRaleigh AG III Schedule Alert-Thurs. 3/11 4:30-6pm Pullen |
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