Swain County High School Freshman Arizona Blankenship was the first finisher in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 1-A Girls Cross County State Championship meet and also led the lady Maroon Devils to the state 1-A team championship on Saturday. Blankenship finished with a time of 19:06:19 with a solid eight second lead over the second place finisher. Swain County’s team title came with a score of 89 and an average time of 21:31.27. Thomas Jefferson Academy was the second place finisher with a score of 101, third was Avery County at 132 and Graystone Day was was fourth at 137. Also for Swain Amaya Hicks finished 14th and Gracie Monteith was 15th. Emily Ulaner of Swain County and Aubrey Friedman of Thomas Jefferson were recipients of the Sportsmanship Award.
In Boys Action the Maroon Devils Conner Brown finished with a team high 13th to lead the Maroon Devils to a sixth place finish overall and the Cherokee Braves finished 8th.
