Mallard Creek High School is declared co-state champion in the NCHSAA 8A Men’s Track Championship after an appeal overturns a disqualification that sparked debate.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β Mallard Creek High School has been named co-state champion in the NCHSAA 8A Men’s Track and Field Championship after an independent appeals board vacated the disqualification that had cost the Mavericks a fifth consecutive title.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors convened a special meeting Tuesday morning following a ruling by the Independent Interscholastic Athletic Appeals Board, administered by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The board voted to declare Mallard Creek and C.E. Jordan High School co-champions of the 2026 championship. Mallard Creek and Hough High School were also recognized as co-champions in the men’s 4×400-meter relay.
The ruling stems from a moment that drew nearly 9 million views on X. During a state championship meet on May 16, Mallard Creek anchor leg runner Nyan Brown raised his hand as he crossed the finish line first in the 4×400 relay, a win that would have secured the team’s fifth straight state title. An official disqualified Brown under the NFHS unsportsmanlike conduct rule, which prohibits taunting and flagrant behavior. The disqualification stripped Mallard Creek of the points needed to win the meet, and the title was awarded to Jordan.
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Brown, who is committed to NC State, said in an Instagram statement that he was holding up five fingers to mark what would have been the program’s fifth consecutive championship.
“The relay mattered deeply to me because a win would have secured our team’s fifth consecutive state championship,” Brown wrote. “I wanted that for my teammates more than anything.”
He added that he would never intentionally taunt another athlete.
On May 18, Mallard Creek administrators filed a letter of appeal with the NCHSAA. The school said it was not seeking to take the title away from Jordan, but wanted the disqualification overturned and both schools recognized as co-champions.
NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker said the association was pleased the matter was resolved.
“At the center of this matter are young people who have invested countless hours into their sport and their team,” Tucker said in a statement. “We are pleased that this matter has reached a resolution and that the accomplishments of the student-athletes involved can be recognized.”
After the announcement, Brown posted a statement on Instagram, saying in part, “I want to thank my family, coaches, and everyone across the globe who has shown so much love and support for me and my teammates over the last few weeks. […] We knew a fifth state team championship was possible coming into the season, and we earned it.”Β