Future Stars: North Carolina's Next Biggest Things

Isabella Kartsonis, Fr. - Cuthbertson

Kartsonis has been one of the most prolific freshmen in North Carolina in 2026, setting outdoor personal bests in the pole vault all three times she has competed in the event.

The Cuthbertson underclassman cleared 12-3 en route to a win at the Trojan Relays back in March, which remains the top mark in the state (US #71) through April 10th. This indoor season, she competed in the event 9 times and won 6 of those, finishing 2nd in the other three, which includes a 2nd place finish at adidas Track Nationals. 

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Adam Haggart, So. - Charlotte Country Day

The sophomore from Charlotte Country Day opened his outdoor season running a 4:20.17, finishing 2nd in the 1,600m at the Weddington Invitational, setting the fastest time run by a sophomore in the event this season.

He enjoyed a very successful indoor season, running the state's 3rd fastest 3,200m and setting personal bests in both distance races. In the fall, he finished 12th at the cross country state championships. After one more calendar year, we might be talking about Haggart as one of the Tar Heel State's best distance runners.

Athena Pluchos, 8th Grader - Marvin Ridge

I spent some time writing about her in Wednesday's article, which you can find at the top of the page, but I felt as if she deserved an even greater introduction today.

Pluchos is the top-ranked middle schooler in four events - the 400m dash, 800m, 1,600m, and 3,200m. She is undefeated across the four events in six races, including three wins in the two-lap race, setting an impressive personal best time of 2:13, which would be the 3rd fastest amongst high schoolers.

The sky is the limit for the 8th grader from Marvin Ridge and we could very well be seeing the next national distance star beginning to blossom in front of our very eyes.