North Carolina’s Mallard Creek High School boys’ track team will share the state championship after a polarizing disqualification was overturned.
Nyan Brown had been disqualified from the 4×400-meter relay race last month due to a post-race celebration in which he raised his hand with five fingers extended as he crossed the finish line, with the disqualification costing his team a state title.
On Tuesday, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) ruled that Mallard Creek would share the state championship and also be recognized as co-winners of the 4×400-meter relay, according to the Associated Press.
“THANK YOU. 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. It has been incredible,” Brown posted to his Instagram Story on Tuesday.
“Although I have gotten a lot of attention, this decision isn’t about me. It is about our team. We knew a fifth state team championship was possible coming into the season, and we earned it. … We did it, ya’ll.”
Mallard Creek’s story became national news after an official disqualified Brown for his celebration, which cost his school the state title.
The gesture, according to Brown and his coach, was meant to represent the five straight track titles won by the school in the past three outdoor and past two indoor seasons.
The race official stated that Brown had already received a warning after a past celebration, but both athletes and coaches from Mallard Creek stated they had no knowledge of the previous warning.
Mallard Creek appealed the disqualification, and the decision was taken to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Interscholastic Appeals Board.
They held hearings last week, and the board sided with Mallard Creek.
The NCHSAA held an emergency meeting where they stated they would recognize Mallard Creek’s wins without removing the results of the teams named the winners after the disqualification, per the AP.
C.E. Jordan High School will share the state championship and Hough High School will share the first-place finish in the 4×400 relay.
“We are grateful for the decision,” Mallard Creek principal Jared Thompson said in a statement that also included praise for the appeals board panelists and NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker.
“We recognize that this situation has been emotional for the student-athletes, coaches, schools and communities involved … At the center of this matter are young people who have invested countless hours into their sport and their team.”
