Price is right: NCSSM-Morganton girls notch team, individual state titles

For the second year in a row, the NCSSM-Morganton girls cross country team would not be denied.

The first squad in school history to win a state title thanks to a first-place finish during the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 1A state championship meet last year, the Lady Dragons repeated as 1A state champions on Nov. 6 at Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville.

NCSSM-Morganton junior captain Nora Price also captured an individual state title by posting a time of 19:57.65 that placed her just ahead of runner-up Allie Elmore (19:58.75) of N.C. Leadership Academy. Ascend Leadership Academy’s Scarlett Johnson came in third, while the fourth- through sixth-place finishers — junior Silvia Mayces, senior Alexandra Hexemer, and junior Ellie Miller — were all Lady Dragons.

Senior Amelia Fleury added a 19th-place finish as NCSSM-Morganton totaled 30 points, Ascend came in second in the team standings with 60 points, and other participants for the Lady Dragons were juniors August Gordon (24th) and Zoey Stille (34th). Furthermore, senior Lilah Johnson was NCSSM-Morganton’s sportsmanship award winner.

“They’ve just had a rockstar season,” said NCSSM-Morganton fifth-year head coach Chris Collins of the Lady Dragons, who also filled the top five spots in the individual standings during both the Catawba River 1A/2A/3A Conference championship meet on Sept. 23 at Frank Lisk Park in New London and the 1A West Regional championship meet on Oct. 30 at Fisher River Park in Dobson.

During the latter race, Price finished first with a time of 20:15.31, Hexemer came in second, Miller took third, Mayces finished fourth, Fleury rounded out the top five, and Stille and Gordon came in seventh and eighth, respectively.

Collins noted that he “had never seen” a team post a perfect score until the Lady Dragons did so at conference and regionals, referring to their state title win as “just icing on the cake.”

Price admitted that she “was pretty anxious before the race, but I got some really good pointers, some good pep talks, words of advice, and during the race itself I just had to relax and settle into it.” And despite facing stiff competition from Elmore, who is a freshman, Price stated that she “just had to lock in and remember that I know how to do this and I have more experience.”

Speaking of experience, Hexemer served as a senior captain for the Lady Dragons this year after posting a sixth-place finish at state in 2025. Fleury added a third-place finish last season, while 2026 NCSSM-Morganton graduate Stella Friedman was the state runner-up.

“I know a lot of our returning seniors had some big goals because we had some shoes we needed to fill, and then we had so many fast juniors,” Hexemer said. “... I feel like at each meet I could see some form of improvement.”

Hexemer also alluded to the fact that due to the group of juniors that will be seniors for the Lady Dragons next year, a third consecutive state championship isn’t outside the realm of possibility. But for her part, she is thankful for the “outlet” that cross country has provided her outside of academics.

“I think a lot of the hard work you put into school can also apply to sports, and that’s a great way to show other forms of achievement,” Hexemer said. “And it’s also just a great team environment, like a way for people to make friends and stuff too.”

Price added that “having that academic drive can translate to any other part of life, and it’s definitely translated to our sports.” According to her, “cross country improvement is very linear — if you put in the work and you really want it, then you will probably improve or at least be performing well — and I think having a culture where everyone is so determined to do the absolute best work that they can in all areas of their life really just contributes so much to athletics.”

NCSSM-Morganton’s boys team also made its mark at state after previously winning a conference title and finishing third at regionals. The Dragons came in sixth in the team standings last weekend, with the following runners representing them in Kernersville: seniors Will Evans (14th) and Alexander Hruby (20th), juniors Samuel Freeman (37th), Noah Thomas (45th), and Sebastian Uhl (54th), and seniors Henry Omstede (56th) and Aiden Marshall (72nd).

At regionals, Evans finished fourth, Hruby came in ninth, Thomas finished 16th, Freeman took 17th, Uhl came in 18th, Omstede finished 19th, and Marshall took 37th.

“It really is an absolute blessing to be a part of this program and this team, and I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with these fine young men and women,” Collins said. “I know it’s definitely changed the way that I approach coaching because I have to match the energy levels that they bring, the dedication, and I’m very proud that they’re breaking down that classic stereotype of the school and showing that the pursuit of academic excellence can be just as easily paired with athletics.

“We’re a big fan of the idea that strong minds lead to even stronger bodies, and I think they’ve done a fantastic job of sharing that with the school and the surrounding county, the community, and now on the state level.”