Warhorse distance runner is the best in the West

Craig Webb tops NCHSAA 3A West Regional leaderboard as Owen heads to state meet

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 30, 2025

Owen senior Craig Webb, center, is the 2025 West Regional 3A Cross Country champion, while the Warhorses are advancing to the state championship meet, Oct. 31. Photo by Fred McCormick

Craig Webb strode confidently across the finish line, Oct. 25, completing the 5,000 meter trail at The Bridge Course at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in 16:12 

As the Owen cross country athlete secured his spot in the NCHSAA 3A Cross Country State Championship meet, at 9:40 a.m., Friday, Oct. 31, in Kernersville, the 2025 West Regional Champion would not see another runner complete the race for over a minute. The moment marked the latest step in the senior’s quest to become the first individual champion in the history of the Warhorse cross country program.

Webb outpaced second-place Pine Lake Preparatory School sophomore Asher Legrand and Shelby’s Steven Morgan by 1:15 and 1:21, respectively, for his fifth top finish in a 5,000 meter race this season. His performance was around 25 seconds behind his personal record of 15:46.6, which Webb posted in the Great American XC Festival earlier this month.

The next Warhorse runner to cross the finish line was junior Alex Argueta, who finished 13th with a time of 18:22.1, followed by senior Nick Sharkey in 27th. The effort of the team’s top five runners, which included seniors Owen Zeh and Lake Ulrich, carried Owen to a fourth place finish.

“Our goal was to get the entire team into the state championship,” head coach Bob Sadlemire said. “We didn’t have any illusions of winning, but we wanted to have a strong performance, as a team, and qualify.”

While some of the distance runners are aspiring to post personal records at the Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex, Webb will be chasing the championship.

“I think a sub-16:00 run would be a really good goal for him, because that should get it done,” Sadlemire said. “There is nobody in 3A that will come close to that, and that’s a reasonable time for Craig on that course.”

The runner is preparing for the state meet by “taking it easy.”

“I know I just need to stay locked in, no horseplay or goofing around on the trip,” he said. “Other than that, I’m really trying to take it easy, stay healthy and be ready to go out there and get it done.”

Having the opportunity to be the first Owen cross country runner to win an individual title and the first Warhorse athlete to do so since 2022, is something Webb is embracing.

“It feels good knowing there were the guys I’ve previously looked up to, like Brandon Pung and Elijah Jones, and I’ve just tried to build on what they helped build here,” Webb said. “This is a goal I had coming into the season, and I’ve done the work to get to this point, so I’m looking forward to going out there and finishing strong.”