Warhorses take top two spots in West Regional Preview meet

Owen hosts 15 schools in Swannanoa race

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 24, 2022

A mild fall morning in Swannanoa, Sept. 24, provided ideal weather for the 2A West Regional Preview Meet, which was held on the campus of Asheville Christian Academy and hosted by the Owen High School Cross Country teams.

Warhorse senior Elijah Jones continued his impressive streak, picking up his sixth straight victory, with a time of 16:31.16, while his teammate and long-time running partner Jaheem O’Hara finished right behind him in 16:37.03. The boys team finished second out of 14 in the 5,000 meter team run, while the Warlassies placed sixth.

Jones and O’Hara paced the field of 105 runners throughout the race, as junior Leo Parmenter (18:19.34) and sophomore Harding Kinnaird (18:22.26) rounded out the group of four Warhorse runners to finish in the top 20.

Junior Piper Berry led the Warlassies with a time of 22:27.95, finishing 16th.

Both Owen cross country teams are set to return to the course, Wednesday, Sept. 28, when they compete against 11 teams in the 2022 ACA Home Meet.

Photos of the 2A West Regional Preview Meet can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.