Mallard Creek Track DQ Overturned, Co-State Title Awarded
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- NCHSAA ruled Tuesday that the Mallard Creek High School boys' track team will be recognized as class 8A co-state champions after overturning the disqualification of athlete Nyan Brown from the pivotal 4x400-meter relay.
- Nyan Brown was flagged for raising five fingers as he crossed the finish line first — a gesture he said signified five straight Mallard Creek track titles across the past three outdoor and two indoor seasons.
- A race official cited Brown for the celebration, claiming he had been previously warned for a postrace celebration — but Mallard Creek athletes and coaches disputed having any knowledge of such a warning.
- Mallard Creek appealed the DQ to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Interscholastic Appeals Board, which held hearings last week and sided with the school before the NCHSAA held its emergency meeting Tuesday.
- C.E. Jordan High School will share the overall class 8A state title and Hough High School will share the relay victory; the NCHSAA declined to strip race-day results from the teams originally declared winners.
- Commissioner Que Tucker called the situation "emotional" for the student-athletes and expressed relief at the resolution, while principal Jared Thompson praised the appeals panel's "fair and principled outcome."
Why it matters: By restoring Mallard Creek's title without stripping the teams originally awarded victory, the NCHSAA left C.E. Jordan and Hough sharing championships they briefly held outright — a rare split-title outcome driven by a single finish-line gesture and a disputed prior warning.
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