Owen state champions make another title run

Elijah Jones and Davis Kendall enter NCHSAA 1A/2A Indoor Track State Championship as No. 1 seeds

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 6, 2023

From left to right: Tad Sloan-Westmoreland, Elijah Jones, Keron Clayton and Davis Kendall, will compete in the NCHSAA 1A/2A Indoor Track State Championship in Winston-Salem, Feb. 11. Photo by Fred McCormick

A pair of reigning Owen state champion athletes will make another run at titles, beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, when four Warhorses travel to Winston-Salem for the NCHSAA 1A/2A Indoor Track & Field State Championship Meet on the JDL Fast Track. 

Senior Elijah Jones, who led the Warhorse Cross Country team to its first state title in 18 years last fall, and sophomore Davis Kendall, who scored 50 goals and earned MVP honors while leading Owen to its first state soccer title, will line up as No. 1 seeds. Their teammates, senior Tad Sloan-Westmoreland and sophomore Keron Clayton, will also compete against the other top runners in N.C.

Jones entered the season with plenty of momentum, finishing his senior cross country campaign last November with a third place finish in the state meet. The West Regional champion and Asheville Citizen Times All-WNC Cross Country first team selection won three races in the 2023 indoor track season, establishing school records in the 1,000 meter, 1,500 meter, 1,600 meter and 3,200 meter runs. His performance on the track earned top seeding in the 1,000 and 1,600 meter state championship events, and a No. 3 seed in the 3,200 meter race.

Owen senior Elijah Jones, who set a new school record (9:35.23) in the 3,200 meter run in January, qualified for three distance running events in the 2023 NCHSAA 1A/2A Indoor Track & Field State Championship. Photo courtesy of Maggie Jones

“He’s got a good shot of winning the 1,600 meters,” said Owen indoor track coach Bob Sadlemire, who coaches Jones on the cross country and spring track and field teams. “There are no guarantees, and Elijah knows that, because it’s a strategic race. Clearly, Eli and Andrew Parker from N.C. School of Math & Science are the two favorites.”

Around the time Jones and his cross country teammates were delivering a cross country state championship to Owen, Kendall and the rest of the Warhorse soccer players were doing the same thing. The competitive spirit that fueled the striker to excel in big games on the soccer field could allow him to run away with another title this weekend, according to Sadlemire.

“This is also a very strategic race, because it’s only a lap and a half on the indoor track,” the coach said of the 500 meter dash, which Kendall enters with a time of 1:07.28. “He ran an outdoor race on Saturday to get the time he has, and he started out in fourth or fifth place. He lost position in the first 100 meters, but he made it up in the final 50 yards of the home stretch. I don’t think he can do that on a smaller track, so he will have to jump out in front from the start.”

While his speed helped carry him to the state meet, Kendall will arrive a competitive edge, Sadlemire added.

Owen sophomore Davis Kendall, who helped lead the school’s soccer program to its first state championship in November, enters the Feb. 11, NCHSAA 1A/2A Indoor Track & Field State Championship as the top seed in the 500 meter dash. Photo by Fred McCormick

“His strength is his ability to push through things,” the coach said. “He is just so strong at the end of every race. Davis is a true competitor, and he has a mental acuity that many people don’t have.”

The duo headlines a talented group of Warhorse runners representing their school in the state championship, including Sloan-Westmoreland, who recently committed to the track and cross country programs at Queens University, and played an integral role in the cross country team’s state championship run, according to Sadlemire.

"Tad stepped up in a big way in that championship meet, and he ran a great race,” he said of Sloan-Westmoreland, who will line up as the 7th seed in the 1,000 meter run and the 11th seed in the 500 meter dash. “Without him, we would’ve lost for sure. He’ll be ready for this meet.”

Another sophomore, Keron Clayton, will represent Owen in the 300 meter dash. His 36:82 performance in the Polar Bear Championships, Jan. 28, qualified for the 11th seed in the event. Taking a pair of sophomores to the state championship meet bodes well for the future of the program, according to the coach.

“Last spring we were fifth or sixth in the state meet, but it all rested mostly on distance guys, who have been the backbone of this program,” said Sadlemire, became the Owen distance running coach in 2018 and launched the indoor program in 2021. “This year, we’re getting that from seniors like Eli and Tad, but Davis and Keron are sophomores. These are young guys who will do great things.”

The immediate future, however, could deliver additional state titles to the Swannanoa Valley.

“It’s been exciting, and I like to think that things haven’t changed, it’s just the people we’ve had have gotten better,” Sadlemire said, as he prepares to coach in his second state championship meet in three months. “The fact that we have people coming out running indoor, which bridges the gap between cross country and track, is great. The enthusiasm has been wonderful, we’ve really been able to build a culture.”