Owen senior runs away with two indoor track and field state championships
Craig Webb Adds to Title tally with Victories in 1,600 and 3,200 meter races
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 11, 2026
Owen senior Craig Webb won individual state championships in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter races, Feb. 11, at the 2026 NCHSAA 3A Indoor Track and Field State Championship Meet. The distance runner became the first individual cross country runner in the program’s history to win a state championship last fall. Photo by Fred McCormick
The unprecedented senior campaign of Craig Webb continued, Feb. 11, when he represented Owen in Winston-Salem at the 2026 NCHSAA 3A Indoor Track and Field State Championship Meet.
The reigning individual cross country state titleholder added to his hardware collection, claiming his second title of the year in the 1,600 meter run, before clinching his third with a top finish in the 3,200 meter race.
Webb became the first individual Warhorse cross country athlete to win a state championship last October. The experience elevated his confidence level as he began the winter indoor season.
“I won the cross country state meet by a decent margin, so that gave me a good feeling heading into this season,” he said, during his final practice before traveling east to the JDL Fast Track. “My original goal was to try to win the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, but I was also focused on the 1,000 meter.”
Webb was successful in all three events throughout the regular season, notching a first place finish last December in the 1,000 meter run, three winning performances in the 1,600 meter race and three more in the 3,200 meter event. He chose to compete in two events in the championship meet.
“Last week, during our conference meet, I ran four events, and that was one of the hardest things I’d ever done,” he said. “That kind of opened my eyes, so I decided to really focus on the 1,600 and 3,200, which I felt like I had a good chance of winning.”
Webb recorded a time of 4:28.24 in the 1,600 meter state championship race, outpacing Union Academy senior Yariel Rodriguez. He returned to the track, where he came from behind to top Pine Lake Preparatory sophomore Asher Legrand by more than a second, finishing in 9:47.27.
The Warhorse runner has already established himself as one of the top distance athletes in the program’s history, according to head coach Bob Sadlemire, who has coached seven Owen teams or individual athletes to state championship victories.
“For starters, we’ve had a lot of great runners at this school, but none of them won an individual cross country championship before Craig,” Sadlemire said. “There is also nobody I’m aware of who has won more individual titles than him. And, none of that is counting the upcoming outdoor season, when he could very well win at least one more.”
His success on the trail and track as a senior has been a “great experience” for Webb.
“One of the things that has been really cool is to see my teammates be just as a happy as I’ve been,” he said. “It’s kind of weird, because my goal coming into the school year was to be successful, but I hadn’t really thought about winning a few state championships.”
His coach, however, was confident in the athlete’s commitment to the sport.
“He breathes running,” Sadlemire said. “He has great technique, he goes to meets with other runners and he knows the craft. A large chunk of his life is dedicated to running, and you can really see that in his progression through the years.”
Another Owen runner earned an individual medal in the state championship meet, as sophomore Carlee Grace Stewart finished third in the 500 meter dash. Her teammate, senior Jordan Robertson, finished fourth in the 3,200 meter run. Both Stewart and Robertson, along with fellow Warlassies Adella Strull and Evelyn Brown, finished third in the state in the 4X800 meter relay, while the Warhorses 4X800 meter relay team finished 10th.