Holly Springs' Josh McClam went from a Triangle track and field standout to a national star during last weekend's New Balance Outdoor Nationals at N.C. A&T in Greensboro.

McClam took the long jump championship with a wind-aided leap of 25 feet, two inches. He also posted a jump of 25 1/2 without the wind-aided notation. The second jump is the longest in the U.S. this season.

High school teams are prohibited from running as a school at national events, but many runners join local track clubs to compete at nationals.

The Achilles Track Club featuring Cary's Deanna Foshee, Sheridan Jordan, Jenna Christensen and Erin Foshee broke their own all-time North Carolina record in the 4-by-800 meter relay with their win in 9 minutes, 1.23 seconds.

The time was about five seconds quicker than their winning time in the N.C. High School Athletic Association championships earlier this year. Deanna Foshee (2:14.13) and Jordan (2:14.11) each ran sub-2:15 legs during the race.

Apex's Alexis Murphy took fourth in the girls 100 at 11.96 seconds.

The Achilles Track Club of Cary took the emerging elite 800 relay title in 1:28.88. Darrell Hamilton, James House, Darrell Sheppard and Kway Taylor-Greene comprised the winning team.

Individually, Taylor-Greene ran fourth in the emerging elite 400 at 48.97 seconds.

In freshman-level races, Jamaree Murray of Fuquay-Varina was the runner-up in the 400 (48.97).

Jags grad defends title: Athens Drive graduate Katherine Perry won her second N.C. Women's Amateur golf championship this week at River Landing Country Club in Wallace. The University of North Carolina sophomore shot a final round 69, including seven birdies, to claim the title by nine shots.

She posted rounds of 76-75-69 for a total score of 220.

"I putt well," she said. "I had a lot of short putts and I made most of them."

Perry was the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A state champion in 2009 and led the Jaguars to team titles in 2008 and 2009. She also won the N.C. Women's Amateur in 2009 when the championship was played at the Wilson Country Club and qualified for the 2009 U.S. Women's Open.

She had an outstanding freshman season at UNC, helping the Tar Heels win the Atlantic Coast Conference team title, finish second in the NCAA regional and eighth in the NCAA championships.

Perry was sixth in the ACC, 11th in the regional and 24th in the championships.

Gaffney nears decision: Green Hope basketball standout Kristen Gaffney plans to make seven visits before making her college decision.

The rising senior visited the University of North Carolina and Vanderbilt recently and has scheduled visits to Notre Dame, Miami, Virginia, Central Florida and Old Dominion. She is expected to announce her choice before July 30.

Gaffney had made a verbal commitment to Virginia Tech but changed her mind following a coaching change there.

Gaffney averaged 26 points per game as a sophomore when the Falcons finished 31-1. She put up 30.0 points per game last year during a 26-2 season.

Falcons, Crusaders win: Green Hope and Cardinal Gibbons won state Wachovia Cup titles, an award given for all-sports excellence.

Green Hope easily out-distanced second-place Charlotte Myers Park, 427.5 to 390.5, to claim the 4-A crown. Cardinal Gibbons dominated the 3-A classification, topping runner-up Charlotte Catholic 715-605.

Points are awarded in the all-sports competition for advancing in the NCHSAA playoffs.

Wakefield, East Chapel Hill, Apex, Millbrook and Leesville Road also were among the top dozen teams in 4-A.

The complete Wachovia Cup standings are posted online at: blogs.newsobserver.com/prepsnow/green-hope-gibbons-win-state-wachovia-cups.