Gwinnett Daily Post

Gwinnett County continued its winning ways in high school sports this past school year.

Gwinnett brought home 20 team state championships, which breaks the record for the most in one school year, set in 2006-07 with 18. Including multiple winners, Gwinnett athletes captured 37 individual state titles.

Wesleyan and Collins Hill led the way with the most team championships by winning five each. Wesleyan, a Norcross private school, won titles in volleyball, boys cross country, boys and girls basketball, and baseball. The Wolves were also recognized as the No. 16 sports program in the nation by Sports Illustrated.

Collins Hill captured titles in boys and girls cross country, traditional and dual wrestling, and girls track and field.

The Norcross boys basketball program highlighted the year by winning its third consecutive Class AAAAA state championship. The Blue Devils, led by McDonald's All-American Al-Farouq Aminu, became the first boys team to win three in a row in the state's largest classification since Lanier from 1938-40.

The following is a season-by-season look at how Gwinnett teams performed.

New year, same result

Collins Hill and Wesleyan continued to dominate cross country and volleyball in their respective classifications.

The Eagles' girls cross country team won its fifth straight state championship, led by Amanda Winslow's individual title. The boys won their first title since 2000, marking the eighth straight year a boys cross country team from Gwinnett has won the Class AAAAA title.

Wesleyan captured its third consecutive boys cross country title in Class AA and the volleyball team took the crown for a fourth straight year.

Buford went back to its state championship ways in football. After a three-year lapse, the Wolves won their first title since 2003 and fourth in seven years. The Wolves' softball team also brought home a championship, becoming the first girls program at Buford to win state.

The Peachtree Ridge competition cheerleading team also won its third consecutive title. The Duluth coed cheerleading team also won state.

Hoops titles live in Norcross

The city of Norcross laid claim to three basketball state championships this year.

The Norcross boys won their third consecutive Class AAAAA title. Wesleyan, a private school across the street from Norcross on Spalding Drive, won boys and girls crowns. The Wolves' championships in Class AA made them just the sixth program to take boys and girls titles in the same season.

It was a banner year for Gwinnett wrestlers with eight individuals winning titles, setting a new record for the most in a season. Collins Hill captured the dual and traditional wrestling state crowns.

Peachtree Ridge's Andrew Sartain (112 pounds), Dacula's Frankie Miller (112) and Noah Hunt (119), Parkview's Carson Fields (135), Collins Hill's Taylor Knapp (145), Buford's Scottie Forrester (145) and Wesleyan's Colin Genthert (152) and Kelby Smith (215) all won state championships.

Gwinnett continued to dominate in the pool. Brookwood won this year's boys state championship - the ninth straight year a Gwinnett boys team has won the AAAAA crown.

The Broncos were led by Stephen Swan (200 free, 100 free), Zach Lopez (100 breast) the 200 freestyle relay team (Swan, Mark Dunn, Ken Bolton and Lopez) and the 400 freestyle relay team (Dunn, Bolton, Conor Sweeney, Swan), which all won state titles.

Parkview's Andrew Ruffing (100 backstroke) and the 200 medley relay team (Ruffing, Steven Jones, Jason Rogers, Collin Burchins) also won championships.

Mill Creek's Zach Tillman won the 500 freestyle title.

In girls swimming, Brookwood's Jana Mangimelli (200 medley relay), Allyson Sweeney (100 freestyle) and the 200 medley relay team (Mangimelli, Meghan Faulkner, Haley Holcombe and Abby Wihelm) won state.

North Gwinnett's Caroline Kenney (200 freestyle), Mill Creek's Sommers Creed (500 freestyle) and Dacula's Abigail Alton (50 freestyle and 100 freestyle) also claimed individual state championships.

Double play

After going five years without a baseball state championship, Gwinnett won two this year.

Brookwood won the Class AAAAA title, its first since 1986, while Wesleyan won in Class AA for the first baseball title in the program's history.

Parkview captured the girls soccer state championship after sharing the title last season. The Panthers put together an impressive 22-0 record to win the program's sixth crown.

Greater Atlanta Christian continued its run in boys tennis. The Spartans won the Class AA championship for the third straight year and their fifth title in seven years.

Mill Creek won the first state championship in the school's four year history in girls golf, led by Emilie Burger, who captured the individual state crown.

The Collins Hill girls track and field team won its third straight state title and 10 individuals from Gwinnett won 12 solo state titles.

The Eagles' Winslow (3,200 and 1,600) and Buford's Ashley Razey (shot put and discus) were the only track and field performers to win two titles.

Dacula's Eve Machovec (discus) and Wesleyan's Anne Marie Armstrong (high jump) defended their state championships, while Collins Hill's Nicky Akande (800) and Norcross' Tiffany Clarke (triple jump) won for the first time.

At the boys state meet, Parkview's Marcelis Lynch won the 800 for the third straight year. Berkmar's Hasheem Halim (triple jump), Brookwood's Paul Neidhardt (pole vault) and Grayson's Kirubel Erassa (3,200) all won state crowns.

SideBar: TITLE TIME

2007-08 TEAM STATE CHAMPIONS

Brookwood: Boys swimming, Baseball

Buford: Football, softball

Collins Hill: Boys cross country, girls cross country, wrestling duals, wrestling traditional, girls track and field

Duluth: Coed cheerleading

Greater Atlanta Christian: Boys tennis

Mill Creek: Girls golf

Norcross: Boys basketball

Parkview: Girls soccer

Peachtree Ridge: Cheerleading

Wesleyan: Boys cross country, boys basketball, girls basketball, volleyball, baseball

INDIVIDUAL STATE CHAMPIONS

CROSS COUNTRY

Amanda Winslow, Collins Hill

SWIMMING

Parkview boys 200 medley relay (Andrew Ruffing, Steven Jones, Jason Rogers, Collin Burchins)

Stephen Swan, Brookwood 200 freestyle, 100 freestyle

Zach Tillman, Mill Creek, 500 freestyle

Brookwood boys 200 freestyle relay (Stephen Swan, Mark Dunn, Ken Bolton, Zach Lopez)

Andrew Ruffing, Parkview, 100 backstroke

Zach Lopez, Brookwood, 100 breaststroke

Brookwood boys 400 freestyle relay (Mark Dunn, Ken Bolton, Conor Sweeney, Stephen Swan)

Brookwood girls 200 medley relay (Jana Mangimelli, Meghan Faulkner, Haley Holcombe, Abby Wilhelm)

Caroline Kenney, North Gwinnett, 200 freestyle

Jana Mangimelli, Brookwood, 200 individual medley

Allyson Sweeney, Brookwood, 100 freestyle

Sommers Creed, Mill Creek, 500 freestyle

Abigail Alton, Dacula, 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle

WRESTLING

Andrew Sartain, Peachtree Ridge, 112

Frankie Miller, Dacula, 112

Noah Hunt, Dacula, 119

Carson Fields, Parkview, 135

Taylor Knapp, Collins Hill, 145

Scottie Forrester, Buford, 145

Colin Genthert, Wesleyan, 152

Kelby Smith, Wesleyan 215

TRACK AND FIELD

Amanda Winslow, Collins Hill, 1,600 and 3,200

Eve Machovec, Dacula, discus

Nicky Akande, Collins Hill, 800

Tiffany Clarke, Norcross, triple jump

Anne Marie Armstrong, Wesleyan, high jump

Ashley Razey, Buford, discus and shot put

Hasheem Halim, Berkmar, triple jump

Paul Neidhardt, Brookwood, pole vault

Marcelis Lynch, Parkview, 800

Kirubel Erassa, Grayson, 3,200

GIRLS GOLF

Emilie Burger, Mill Creek