Three Parry McCluer High School runners set personal records at the All-American Relays on Saturday at Radford High School.
PM senior Josh Cooper won his heat in the boys’ 800-meter run and placed second in 2:02.34, a personal record (PR). Glenvar’s Evan Harris raced in a different heat and was the overall winner in 2:01.7, while Blacksburg’s Isaak Wisnisoki finished third in 2:03.22.
Sophomore teammate Sebastian George placed fifth in the boys’ 1600-meter run in 4:53.49, a PR, about 12 seconds faster than the time George ran at the ASICS Carolina Distance Carnival the previous Saturday in Matthews, N.C. Auburn’s Blake Brown won the 1600 in 4:41.67. George also competed in the 800-meter run, finishing 22nd in 2:16.72.
“Sebastian got back on course,” said PM head coach Chris Poluikis.
Freshman Victor Poluikis placed 26th in the boys’ 1600-meter run in 6:37.24, a PR by nearly five seconds.
Poluikis rested most of his runners because they ran so well in the ASICS Carolina Distance Carnival the weekend before and also because Saturday was prom at PM.
With just three runners competing, the PM boys scored 12 points to place 12th of 14 scoring teams. Blacksburg won with 108 points, Auburn (105) placed second, and Heritage (101) finished fourth. Rounding out the top five were Radford (71) and Patrick Henry (Roanoke) (66).
The PM throwers did not compete last week. The Blues’ top runners and PM senior thrower Griffin Harlow will compete at the Dogwood Track Classic, a meet athletes qualify for, on Friday and Saturday at the University of Virginia’s Lannigan Field in Charlottesville.
Poluikis said most of his runners will race in the boys’ 3200-meter run, with junior Kebryl Chandler possibly racing in the 1600-meter instead, and he was hoping Cooper would qualify to race in the 800-meter run.
