Salisbury’s 4×400 state champs

 

By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

BOSTON — South Rowan senior Eli Julian was in his element on Thursday, hanging out in Boston, a notable running city and the venue for the New Balance National Indoor Championships.

Julian will be racing on Sunday, but before that, he spent his time watching his younger sister, Hope, compete and mingling with kindred spirits from all over the country, brothers from different mothers, athletes who agree with Julian that the running life is the best life.

“Lots of running people here in Boston,” Julian said happily. “Lots of people living the running life.”

Julian is once again the Post’s Male Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. He is one of the unicorns of Rowan County athletics. On trails and tracks, he’s Juke Harris, Jamal Rule, Cobb Hightower or Emma Clarke. He’s different. He’s at another level.

As a junior, Julian became the first Rowan athlete, male or female, to win one of the long-distance events at the state indoor track meet when he prevailed in a strategic 3200. For those who like their distances in miles, that’s basically the two-mile run.

Rowan athletes have won gold medals in a staggering number of jumps and sprints in indoor state championships and also have won their share of titles in relays, hurdles, vaults and throws, but before Julian came on the scene, no Rowan athlete had won a distance event indoors at the state level.

It’s gotten somewhat less difficult to win over the years.

For decades, the NCHSAA indoor championships had no classifications. It was open competition. The North Rowans were competing with the North Mecks.

In 2007, the 4As began holding a separate meet from the other three classifications. In 2013, the NCHSAA expanded to three indoor state meets — 1A/2A, 3A and 4A.

So Julian only has had to beat the best of the best 3A runners, but any way you want to look at it, his 3200 win was a major breakthrough at the state level.

Last month, on Feb. 10, Julian topped his 2023 feat. He pushed the envelope at the 3A Indoor State Championships in Winston-Salem, made his legacy even stronger. That’s the day he won the 1600 (basically the mile run) in 4:20 and encored by winning the 3200 in 9:35.

That’s right. He won both races.

One hour apart.

“The 1600, I was able to take that race from the gun,” Julian said. “I wanted to make sure it was a fast race — and it was. The plan going into the day was to win both races, a tough thing to do, but I knew it was possible. The toughest part was the brief interval in between the races. I really felt like I could do it, but an hour is not long. I felt like celebrating after I won the 1600, but I really couldn’t celebrate. I had to get cooled down and start getting physically and mentally ready to run again.”

The 3200 was a different sort of race. Julian wasn’t the leader from the gun. He was back in the pack for a while, but he was confident he could surge when the time was right.

“I played it by feel,”Julian said. “I made my move with less than 1000 meters left. I timed it perfectly, opened up a little gap.”

With all the championships and awards he’s won under the guidance of South coach Tyler Downs, this was his finest day ever on the track.

“Running has given me opportunities to do a lot of things,” Julian said. “As far as amazing days as a runner, this would have to be on the list.”

Julian is a three-season high school runner — cross country, indoor track, outdoor track — so he’s still got his senior outdoor season ahead of him.

“The goal is going to be the same as indoors —try  to win state in the 1600 and 3200,” Julian said. “Last time around. Just have fun with it and race fast.”

Julian knows what’s coming after high school. He had options as a stellar student as well as a state champion and made a decision to run for Liberty University.

“I had been to a cross country camp there, and they’ve been high on the list for a while,” Julian said. “I visited up there and got to stay overnight and meet the runners. I got to see the team go through a workout. Everything just felt right there. I believe God has a plan, and Liberty is the place where I’m supposed to be.”

• • •

Male Indoor Track Athlete of the Year — Eli Julian, South

Coach of the Year — Tyler Downs, South

State championship scorers:

3A State Championships

South Rowan (23 points. 8th place)

Eli Julian, 1st, 1600 (4:20) and 1st in 3200 (9:35)

Grayson Cromer, 6th, 1600 (4:30)

Carson (15 points, 11th place)

Bricen Burleson, 4th, 1000 meters (2:36.54)

Jorge Clemente-Garcia, 4th, 3200 (9:48)

4×800 relay team  (Connor Price, James Anderson, Clemente-Garcia and Burleson, 4th (8:18)

East Rowan (8 points)

Jacob Butler, 2nd, shot put, 49 feet, 10.25 inches

•••

1A/2A State Championships

Salisbury (17 points, 10th place)

4×400 relay team (Samuel Fatovic, Jordan Waller, Jaylyn Smith, Jamal Rule), 1st (3:32.52)

4×200 relay team (Quincy Robinson, Rule, Waller, Smith), 5th, 1:33.88

Smith, 6th, 300, 36.64