Chandler Breaks Own 1600 School Record
Parry McCluer High School sophomore Kebryl Chandler broke his own school record in the boys’ 1600-meter run, and four of five PM runners who competed set personal records in the event at the Carolina Distance Carnival on Saturday at Weddington High School in Matthews, N.C.
Competing at the large meet just south of Charlotte, Chandler placed 21st of 697 runners in 4 minutes, 14.67 seconds, nearly four seconds faster than his previous school record of 4:18.74, which he set on April 9 at the Kellie Wells Classic in Daleville. The meet featured very fast runners from several states, with Riverside’s Philip Blum winning in 4:03.85.
Times were also recorded for the mile, 9.34 meters longer, so there were two finish lines, and Chandler finished the mile in 4:16.1.
“He’s getting faster,” said PM head coach Chris Poluikis, noting Chandler ran the final 400 meters in about 50 seconds.
Also setting a personal record (PR) in the 1600-meter run was PM junior Logan Wheelock, finishing 161st in 4:34.01.
Junior teammate Josh Cooper set an outdoor PR, coming in 184th in 4:34.04, just two-tenths shy of his overall PR.
PM freshman Caleb Cooper, Josh’s younger brother, finished 223rd in 4:37.66, and freshman teammate Hinckley Lovelace came in 33rd in 4:47.25, both setting PRs.
All five PM boys have qualified by time in the 1600meter run for the Class 1 state meet.
Optimistic about his runners, Poluikis said, “The team’s getting fast, and so is the competition.”
Pleased with the meet, the PM coach said, “The weather was perfect. The atmosphere was amazing. No wind, and the track was very nice. It was well worth the trip.”
Richardson Wins Shot Put
Senior Kamilah Richardson won the girls’ shot put to lead the PM throwers at the Knights Track Classic at Cave Spring High School on Saturday in Roanoke.
Richardson’s winning toss went 37 feet, 7 inches, while North Cross’s Brooklyn Chen placed second with a throw of 36-5.
“Kamilah continues to sniff the school-record mark, with throws in the mid-to-upper 30s, just again a few inches shy of the school record,” said PM throwing coach Danny Cole. “She continues to be one of, if not the, top female thrower in the shot as we get closer to the district, region and state meets.”
In the discus, Richarsdon placed sixth with a throw of 84-8.
Junior teammate Keeli Wheeler placed 17th in the girls’ discus with a heave of 64-8 and 24th in the shot put with a toss of 24-8. “Keeli remains consistent in both shot and discus,” said Cole.
Sophomore Phoebe Wood, who is also playing tennis this spring, placed 23rd in the discus with a throw of 57-2 and 33rd in the shot put with a toss of 21-6.5.
For the PM boys, junior Griffin Harlow placed second in the shot put with a toss of 50-8.5, trailing only Pulaski County’s Aiden Moore’s winning throw of 54-4. Harlow finished seventh in the discus with a heave of 127-2. Cole said Harlow was “showing signs of getting out of a little slump” after throwing over 50 feet in the shot put for the first time in almost two weeks, and Cole said his discus throw was strong also.
Senior Rayshan Richardson placed fourth in the discus with a throw of 131-3 and fifth in the shot put with a toss of 45-5, remaining consistent and just a few inches shy of hitting a state-qualifying mark.
Also competing for PM and leading all freshman boys’ throwers was Timber Thomas, placing 19th in the shot put with a toss of 36-11.5. Cole said Thomas “continues to work weekly on his glide technique and is likely going to struggle until he gets comfortable in both shot put glide and discus throws.”
The Blues brought one runner, sophomore Henry Lovelace, who placed fifth in the 110-meter hurdles in 16.84 seconds. In the 300-meter hurdles, Lovelace fell early in the race but recovered and finished 18th in 48.03 seconds.
The PM girls placed ninth of 18 scoring teams, tallying 11 points, while the PM boys scored 16 points to finish 13th of 21 scoring teams.
Blacksburg won the girls’ meet with 117 points, Patrick Henry (Roanoke) placed second with 115 points, and Christiansburg (69) finished third. Rounding out the top five were Western Albemarle (58) and Cave Spring (27).
Glenvar won the boys’ meet with 62 points, while Western Albemarle (55) placed second and Christiansburg (50.5) finished third. Completing the top five were Salem (50) and Blacksburg (47).
Seven PM boys will compete in the 3200-meter run at the Dogwood Track Classic, which will take place at the University of Virginia’s Lannigan Field on Friday and Saturday. PM throwers competing at the meet will be Harlow and the Richardsons, while Henry Lovelace and possibly other throwers will compete in the Generals Track & Field Invitational on Friday at Stonewall Jackson High School in Quicksburg.
