Carter Wins NCISAA 2A Cross Country Title

Hickory Christian Academy ninth-grader Madelyn Jane Carter claimed the individual crown at McAlpine Park in Charlotte.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Track & Field

Madelyn Jane Carter of Hickory Christian Academy won the NCISAA 2A individual cross country state title at McAlpine Park in Charlotte, leading her team to second place. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Madelyn Jane Carter, a ninth-grader at Hickory Christian Academy, won the NCISAA 2A cross country state championship at McAlpine Park in Charlotte. Her Hickory Christian girls team finished second in the meet.

Why it matters

The result extends Carter's rise after she won the 3,200-meters at the NCISAA 2A Indoor Track meet as an eighth-grader. It also reflects the Hickory Christian girls program's sustained presence near the top of state competition.

Official NCISAA 2A results show Carter's 19:11.34 winning time beat the field by nearly 31 seconds, while the Hickory Christian girls scored 54 points to St. Thomas More Academy's championship total. The Hickory Christian girls have finished in the top two of a state track or cross country meet six times over three years.

The players

Madelyn Jane Carter

A ninth-grader at Hickory Christian Academy who has won state titles in both indoor track and cross country.

Hickory Christian Academy

A private school in Hickory, North Carolina, whose girls team has repeatedly placed near the top of NCISAA state competition.

The details

Carter won the race at McAlpine Park in Charlotte. Teammate Skylar Burns finished 17th in 18:35.57, while the Hickory Christian boys team scored 121 points to take third behind champion Rocky Mount Academy.

February 2025: Carter won the 3,200-meters at the NCISAA 2A Indoor Track meet as an eighth-grader.
November 1, 2026: Carter won the NCISAA 2A cross country state title.

Season Trajectory

Carter's win follows her eighth-grade indoor 3,200-meter title, extending a multi-season run in the NCISAA 2A ranks. The Hickory Christian girls' repeated top-two finishes place the program among the perennial contenders in the state's private-school classification.

The 54-point girls team score and 121-point boys team score determined the team standings that separated the top three finishers at the state meet. Carter's win is a reminder of how much margin separated the top finishers in a race decided by about 31 seconds.

The takeaway

Carter's 31-second winning margin shows how decisively a single runner can separate herself at the state level. For families following high school distance running, the Hickory Christian results offer a clear benchmark of what top-two team placement requires.