The viral disqualification of Mallard Creek High School track athlete Nyan Brown in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 8A track state championship for mildly celebrating his team’s win with a hand gesture caused a big stir throughout the world of track and field and sports in general last month.
Some argued the rules are the rules. Others say the judges were being over-the-top and possibly even culturally biased. Well, after some deliberation, Mallard Creek is now the co-8A state champion with Jordan High School.
UPDATE: The disqualification of Mallard Creek’s Track Star Nyan Brown has been OVERTURNED.
Mallard Creek’s Boys Track and Field team is now the Co-8A state champions with Jordan High School.
There was nothing unsportsmanlike about Nyan Brown’s celebration.
Nyan Brown & Mallard Creek Track Teammates Get State Championship
According to reports, The NCHSAA’s Board of Directors gathered for an emergency meeting on Tuesday morning to confirm the decision. The ruling was passed down by the North Carolina State Board of Education’s Independent Interscholastic Athletic Appeals Board, which voted to declare Mallard Creek and Jordan as the co-8A state champions following Mallard Creek’s appeal.
The emergency Board of Directors meeting began at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The members appeared on a Zoom call. The meeting went into a closed session at 9:11 a.m. and ended at 9:54 a.m.
This is the first time in NCHSAA history that a co-championship was awarded based on something other than the number of points. Which proves that the circumstances under which Nyan Brown and his teammates had their title stripped from them were not normal and required further evaluation.
The Independent Interscholastic Athletic Appeals Board is relatively new and this is the first action of such kind that it has taken. The appeals board was created as a part of House Bill 91, which altered oversight of high school sports in North Carolina.
It’s also the final stop for any high school athletics appeal.
Here’s the statement from the NCHSAA:
Following a decision by the Independent Interscholastic Athletic Appeals Board administered by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors convened in a special meeting on Tuesday morning to consider the matter involving the conclusion of the 2026 8A Men’s Track and Field State Championship.
The Appeals Board vacated the disqualification from the 4×400 relay. After review and discussion, the NCHSAA Board of Directors voted to declare Mallard Creek High School and C.E. Jordan High School as co-champions of the 2026 NCHSAA 8A Men’s Track and Field State Championship. The Board also voted to recognize Mallard Creek High School and Hough High School as co-champions in the men’s 4×400-meter relay.
The NCHSAA appreciates the work of the Independent Interscholastic Athletic Appeals Board and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction throughout this process. The Association thanks the student-athletes, coaches, school administrators, officials, and member schools involved, including Mallard Creek High School, for using the appeals process provided under state law and NCHSAA policy. That process is designed to promote fairness by enabling informed review of officiating decisions that result in disqualification or suspension.
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. We appreciate the work of the Independent Interscholastic Athletic Appeals Board and respect the process that led to today’s outcome. We are pleased that this matter has reached a resolution and that the accomplishments of the student-athletes involved can be recognized.
The NCHSAA remains committed to fair competition, sportsmanship, and the educational mission of interscholastic athletics. The Association recognizes the efforts of all those who participated in the review process.
Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte, NC was stripped of its third straight Track & Field HS championship when star runner Nyan Brown violated rules for the second time with an illegal hand gesture as he crossed the finish line in the 4X400 meters. The violation dropped the team to second overall. On Tuesday, (June 2), the title was reinstated on appeal. (Screenshot/@ABC)
Jordan High School has not commented on the decision, as they still retain their championship that they wouldn’t have gotten if not for the overzealous disqualification.
Mallard Creek Principal Dr. Jared Thompson Says Justice Was Served
Mallard Creek Principal Dr. Jared Thompson released a statement expressing relief that justice was served and benefited his students.
We are grateful for the decision of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Interscholastic Athletics Appeals Board and the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA), and appreciate the opportunity to fully participate in the appeals process as it was intended. We are immensely proud of our Boys Track & Field team and honored to be recognized as 8A State Co-Champions. This distinction reflects not only their extraordinary effort and achievement, but also the strength, unity, and character of our school community.
We extend our sincere appreciation to the Appeals Board panel members, Brad Alford, Commissioner Que Tucker, and the NCHSAA for their thoughtful deliberation, professionalism, and commitment to ensuring a fair and principled outcome. We are grateful for the opportunity to advocate on behalf of our student-athletes through a process that allowed for careful review and consideration of this matter.
We also offer our gratitude to the many individuals and organizations – both within our local community and across the nation – who offered their support to Mallard Creek High School during this process. We commend all student-athletes who competed in the State Championship meet. Their performances exemplify North Carolina high school athletics at its best.
Mallard Creek High School remains committed to upholding the highest standards in cultivating student-athletes who excel in both competition and character.
Jared Thompson, Ed.D.
Principal, Mallard Creek High School
Why Did Mallard Creek Get Disqualified In First Place?
Mallard Creek star athlete Nyan Brown was reportedly warned prior to celebrating as he crossed the finish line first in the 4×400 relay and locking in the 8A state championship, held May 13-16 at the Marcus T. Johnson Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, officials claimed. Then his team was immediately disqualified for “unsporting behavior and unacceptable conduct” for celebrating.
The video of the incident, captured by HighSchoolOT, accumulated over 10 million views across social media platforms and drew the attention of national sports coverage, as Brown held up his hand in victory.
Officials disqualified Brown and Mallard Creek based on the NFHS’s unsportsmanlike conduct rule. In Sections 4-6 of the NFHS rules, which are followed in all NCHSAA competitions, Article 1 states:
“Unsportsmanlike conduct is behavior that is unethical or dishonorable. It includes, but is not limited to, disrespectfully addressing an official, any flagrant behavior, intentional contact, taunting, criticizing or using profanity directed toward someone. This shall apply to all coaches, contestants and other team/school personnel.”
Mallard Creek principal Dr. Jared Thompson told HighSchoolOT that the school was planning an appeal, and “The NCHSAA confirmed it has received the letter,” WRAL reported.
It worked.
Mallard Filed Grievance With Interscholastic Athletics Appeals Board
After filing an initial grievance with the NCHSAA, Mallard Creek leadership decided to submit an appeal to the Independent Interscholastic Athletic Appeals Board. This board was established by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mo Green.
Statement from NC DPI:
The Interscholastic Athletics Appeals Board has issued its decision in the appeal submitted by Mallard Creek High School regarding the disqualification of its team from the 4×400-meter relay during the 2026 North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) 8A Track and Field State Championship.
After careful consideration of the evidence presented by the NCHSAA and Mallard Creek, the appeals panel concluded that Mallard Creek had presented clear and convincing evidence that the student-athlete did not engage in unsporting or unacceptable conduct as defined in the track and field competition rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations. As a result, the panel vacated the penalty of unsportsmanlike conduct and remanded the matter back to the NCHSAA for further proceedings consistent with that decision.
Any decisions regarding the reallocation of points from the 4×400-meter relay or its impact on the results of the 2026 8A Track and Field State Championship are beyond the scope of this appeal and are appropriately resolved by the NCHSAA in accordance with the Association’s rules and regulations.
The Interscholastic Athletics Appeals Board wishes to express its respect and appreciation for all officials working in our state’s high school athletics programs and the enormous responsibility they carry to enforce gameplay rules in a fair and consistent manner. Nothing in the reviewing panel’s decision should be read as a criticism of the officials involved in this matter or the work of officials more broadly. Furthermore, the decision should not be interpreted as diminishing the authority of athletic officials to enforce sportsmanship standards during athletic competition. The panel’s decision was limited to the unique facts presented in this appeal and the specific evidentiary record before it.
The Appeals Board encourages all student-athletes, coaches and parents to respect the decisions of game officials and to use appropriate channels when they wish to challenge them.
