A panel of retired of school administrators Thursday morning heard an appeal from Mallard Creek High School over the disqualification of the school's 4x400 relay team at the state track championship. The disqualification cost Mallard Creek the state title.
Statements and evidence from Mallard Creek and the North Carolina High School Athletics Association were presented to the North Carolina State Board of Education’s Independent Interscholastic Athletic Appeals Board. Two of the members of the appeals board are retired county superintendents and one is a retired principal. Mallard Creek High School's principal, track coach and the school's athletic director as well as members of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association were present for the hearing.
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"The appeal remains under review, and the appeals board will issue a decision within the next week," said Brad Alford, the director for the office of athletics at the North Carolina Department of Instruction.
The panelists were appointed from members of the North Carolina State Board of Education’s Independent Interscholastic Athletic Appeals Board has been reviewing the disqualification of Mallard Creek High School, which has drawn national attention. The state legislature created the appeals board in 2023 as part of a broader reshaping of high school athletics administration.
Rodney Shotwell, a retired superintendent with Richmond County Schools, Robert Logan, a retired superintendent of Scotland County Schools and Alice Lyons, a retired principal at Heritage Collegiate Leadership Academy, are the three members of the panel. Mallard Creek High School is in Charlotte.
The appeals board is appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, an elected official. A spokesperson for the Department's Office of Athletics previously told WRAL News that they will issue a decision within 30 days.
“This process is intended to provide a fair opportunity for a thorough review of the officiating decision,” the North Carolina High School Athletic Association said previously. “The NCHSAA respects the right of member schools to utilize that process and appreciates the importance of ensuring all concerns are heard through the appropriate review structure.“
On May 16, at the 8A state track championship in Greensboro, Mallard Creek boys track and field athlete Nyan Brown held his hand up in celebration as he prepared to cross the finish line to win the 4x400-meter relay, the meet’s final event. An official near the finish line deemed the action a disqualifier, calling it unsportsmanlike behavior. Meet officials said Brown had been warned previously in the meet, though Mallard Creek officials dispute that.
In 2025, Brown won the 4A Indoor Track and Field Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Award, which recognizes "players who have demonstrated the ideals of outstanding character and sportsmanship throughout the 2024-25 season."
Without the points from the final relay, the Mallard Creek boys track and field team finished second. Durham's Jordan High School won the title.
Mallard Creek head coach Samuel Willoughby said that Brown held up his hand to indicate what would’ve been Mallard Creek’s fifth overall state championship in boys track and field.
“After the 4x400 relay, we were so excited because we knew going in that we could win the state championship if we got the points we needed in the relay,” Mallard Creek head coach Samuel Willoughby said. “So, we just were thrilled that it happened and the way it happened and to end in good fashion with our ace, Nyan, at the anchor.
“So, it was a great feeling to see it actually happen, but then, once I saw the official threw the flag up, I just couldn’t believe it. I was in disbelief.”
Coaches and athletes are expected to show “good sportsmanship,” and competitors who engage in taunting, profanity, baton throwing and refuse to follow the instructions of meet officials can be disqualified from the event or the meet, according to meet information. The same rule sheet also says “showboating” will not be tolerated and will result in disqualification. Those terms are not described further in the rules.
Note: HighSchoolOT Managing Editor Joel Bryant and WRAL anchor/reporter Ashley Rowe contributed to this story.