CHARLOTTE — Catholic high school teams are celebrating five state championships that rolled in over recent weeks – a reflection of the character, chemistry and discipline instilled by a devoted Catholic community, school leaders say.
Charlotte Catholic High School’s girls soccer team pulled off a dream season, going undefeated to rank first in the nation and to win the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 6A state title.
“(It) was an amazing moment,” says Charlotte Catholic left forward Marguerite McPhillips, celebrating at a May 26 team get-together. “We all are so close, such a tight knit community, and we all wanted this for each other…We knew what had to be done, and we put it all out there.”
Charlotte Catholic’s lacrosse program also achieved a coup with both the girls and boys teams winning state championships.
Overall, the Cougars spring championships topped off a banner year in which student athletes captured a total of seven team state championships, the most of any NCHSAA school in North Carolina.
Christ the King High School also won state championships in girls soccer and boys golf this spring.
“There was so much joy in the moment when we won,” says Christ the King soccer coach Brooke Bradt, whose team won their fourth 2A state championship last week, despite a season plagued with injuries and challenges.
Combined with the five state championships captured last fall, the diocese’s Catholic Schools won a total of 10 titles for the 2025-26 school year – plus additional state championships captured by individual athletes.
Catholic Schools Superintendent Greg Monroe attributes the athletic success to the investment teachers and coaches make in their students – as well as the modeling and support of families. Also, he cites:
- Catholic School athletes are typically strong academically, he says, and “the discipline required to excel in the classroom translates to excellence on the field.”
- Catholic Schools are relatively small, so students often play multiple sports, cross-training that makes them stronger in their preferred sports.
- Many students have been playing together for years, moving through Catholic Schools together beginning in elementary school. “They get along, they have good chemistry, and they play to each other’s strengths,” Monroe says.
Here’s a closer look at the spring victories:
Charlotte Catholic soccer
The girls team won 1-0 over the Jacksonville Cardinals in the May 29 title game. The team learned earlier in the day they had been ranked No. 1 in the country by nationally recognized high school sports tracker MaxPreps.
Junior Savannah Leckner scored the winning – and only – goal.
Right wing Mary Martin Spinner cites one key to the championship: “We never took a game lightly and we always showed up and put the work in. Honestly, I feel like we really deserved the championship this year, and we got it done.”
Longtime Cougar soccer coach Gary Hoilett agrees. “The girls just had a fantastic year. They bonded well, they played as a team and from the beginning of the season showed determination.”
Christ the King soccer
The girls team overcame a challenging season to win the 2A state championship on May 29 with a 3-0 victory over Franklin Academy from Wake Forest. Junior Addison Pierce had a hattrick, scoring all three of the team’s goals. It was the team’s fourth state title in five years.
The victory was especially sweet, coach Bradt says, following repeated challenges in the run-up to the championship, including multiple player injuries and an inability to play on their home field because of ongoing renovations. Bradt coached most of the season while expecting a baby that was born on May 1.
“This championship meant a lot to us, especially after everything we’ve gone through this season,” she says. “With all the ups and downs and how much work the girls have put in, they deserved it one hundred percent.”
Charlotte Catholic lacrosse
Both the girls and boys lacrosse teams won state championships May 29, in a developing division spanning 1A through 6A schools.
Both won with the same score, 9-8.
The boys team beat Middle Creek High School from Apex in a highly anticipated matchup after the NCHSAA expanded its playoff brackets to allow more teams to compete. It was the lacrosse team’s second state championship.
The girls team won in overtime, defeating East Chapel Hill High School. The program has two previous state championships, most recently in 2014.
Christ the King golf
Earlier in May, the boys golf team won the program’s first state championship May 11-12 capturing the 2A championship over Mitchell High School in Bakersville. The outcome came down to the final hole, with Christ the King winning by just two strokes to gain the title with a final team score of 650.
Other state team championships:
This spring topped off a 2025-2026 school year of state team championships for all three Catholic high schools.
Charlotte Catholic also captured state team championships in girls tennis, boys soccer, girls swimming and girls golf.
Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville capture the boys 2A cross country state championship.
Christ the King’s women’s cross country team also won the 2A state championships in the fall.
Two high schools also captured club championships in sports being newly introduced to the league: Charlotte Catholic in mens rugby and Christ the King in men’s volleyball.
Best of the Best
Athletic teams at Diocese of Charlotte Catholic High Schools won a total of 10 team state championships as well as individual titles in spring and fall sports during 2025-26 school year.
Charlotte Catholic (6A):
Girls – golf, tennis, swimming, soccer and lacrosse.
Boys – soccer and lacrosse. Individual championships – Girls Golf (6A), Elizabeth Guthrie. Tennis (6A), Ella Davis and Madison McWilliams, doubles. Wrestling, Jackson D’Ettore - 6A 120 lb. Swimming (6A), 50 Free – Kathryn Kern, 100 Butterfly – Madi Hertzig, 100 Free – CJ Bernardo, Diving – Reagan Leckner, 200 Free Relay – Kathryn Kern, Ellie Druhan, Olivia Jacobson and Madi Hertzig, 400 Free Relay – CJ Bernardo, Caroline Meehan, Olivia Jacobson, Madi Hertzig.
Christ the King (2A):
Boys – golf and volleyball (1A-4A division).Individual championships – Diving, Avery Noonan. Track, 4x800m relay – Brandi Malloy, Claire Oglesby, Shea Roche and Anna White (1A-2A division).
Bishop McGuinness (2A): Boys – Cross country. Individual championship – Drew Pacholke.
— Christina Lee Knauss. Photo by Troy C. Hull