Record-breaking state champions: Meet the Charlotte Observer's boys prep team of the year

2023-24 Charlotte Latin Men's Swim Team — 2023-24 Charlotte Latin Men’s Swim Team

This year’s North Carolina Independent Schools Swimming State Championships might have been the fastest in history.

There were 22 races held and 14 ended with new competition records for either boys or girls.

And Charlotte Latin’s boys swimmers — who broke four of those meet records — won the championship with 194 points.

Today, these dominant Hawks earn distinction as the Charlotte Observer’s boys’ high school team for the 2023-24 school year.

This is the third year that the media has awarded end-of-year prizes to the best athletes, coaches and teams in its broadcast area.

The Charlotte men's Latin team wins its fourth consecutive title at the NCISSA State Championships at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. — The Charlotte men’s Latin team wins its fourth consecutive title at the NCISSA State Championships at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, February 13, 2024.

“I think our team this year was a reflection of the many years of strong teams we’ve had in Latin,” said second-year coach Michael Chadwick, a former collegiate All-American at Missouri. “It was about encouraging and achieving strong values, and what it means to be a good swimmer.”

Chadwick credits longtime Hawks swim coach Patty Waldron with establishing a culture that he says he simply built on.

Chadwick said it helped to have strong athletes like Observer boys swimmer of the year Novy Clontz on his team. Clontz is a top-five recruit nationally and will swim at the University of California, Berkeley.

Charlotte Latin celebrates his victory in the boys' 400-yard freestyle relay during the NCISSA State Championships at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, Tuesday, February 13, 2024. — Charlotte Latin celebrates his victory in the boys’ 400-yard freestyle relay during the NCISSA State Championships at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, Tuesday, February 13, 2024.

At the state meet, Clontz broke a 20-year-old state record in the 200 freestyle and swam the 200 medley, a state record (with Zachary Spicer, Aidan Hill and James Harper) and 400 free relay teams (with Harper, Wiley Spinner. and Hill).

Hill also set a six-year meet record in the 100 fly and won the 100 backstroke.

Chadwick admits he thought his team could be good. He just wasn’t sure it could be as good as any NCISAA men’s team that came before it.

“You can never really be sure,” he said, “but I think given the talent we had on our team and the way it compared, it was really impressive to watch. I was expecting a really good (state) meet because of the way I’ve watched these swimmers over the last couple of years. They’re pretty talented people.

Chadwick said he will be recruiting a lot of talent from this year’s team, but is looking forward to next season.

“I think the Latin heritage endures,” he said, “no matter what.”