He was state champion and national record holder

Question

Why is there no article used with state champion and national record holder in this sentence?

In high school he was state champion and national record holder.

What would happen if a or the were inserted?

Answer 1

In this case, state champion functions as a title or position, so articles are unnecessary. We're expected understand the context (notice that which state wasn't specified!) and that there's only one champion at a time, because that's part of the nature and definition of state champion. See this question for further details on why no article is needed.

If you want to add an article, use the. Again, because of what state champion means, we understand that there can only be one person at a time holding this specific title for a particular state. Adding the preserves essentially the same meaning, but places slightly greater emphasis on the title. This usage would be common when, for example, discussing someone who had just acquired the position; e.g. he is the new state champion.

However, if the subject is being identified as one generic member of a group of state champions, then a should be used, not the. For example: he's qualified to play in the national all-star game because he's a state champion. If this is the case, then a is required, because not using any article at all changes the meaning.

National record holder should have an article preceding it. Without further qualifications, it's not clear what the record is, so this can't be a specific title or station. There are lots of different records a country might track, so it would be appropriate to use the indefinite article a, as there are likely to be many different record holders.

Saying he is the national record holder without specifying which record is grammatically but not semantically correct, because we aren't given enough information for the statement to make sense. You don't have to say which record in the same sentence if it's clear from the context, but your question gives us only the naked statement to work with.

Answer 2

Inserting an article would change the sense slightly. The indefinite article "a" shifts the focus away (very slightly) from his exceptional achievements by making him just one of many (which is acceptable English, if that meaning conveys the intended message). The definite article "the" suggests that he was the only one at the time, which is grammatical but may be false.

These are adjectival phrases—phrases that function grammatically like adjectives. They fit in the same places as green or popular, placing the focus of the statement on the person and their notable features.

So this:

In high school he was state champion and national record holder.

follows the same grammatical structure as this:

In high school he was green and popular.