Blues Runners, Throwers Compete Well At Liberty
Five Parry McCluer High School boys on the indoor track and field team qualified for the Class 1 state meet in the 3200meter run at the Liberty Christmas High School Invitational Saturday at Liberty University.
In the first competition of the season for the PM runners, the Fighting Blues had eight individuals -- seven boys and one girl -- take on the 3200-meter run. PM head coach Chris Poluikis said one of the goals of the meet with the 3200-meter run was “to get some state-qualifying times early, especially in this event, because as the season goes on, we will start to focus on shorter events.”
Sophomore Kebryl Chandler led the PM boys, placing fourth of 25 runners in a state-qualifying time of 9:36.6, not far behind the winner, Riverside junior Thomas Rae (9:25.08). “Kebryl had a sickness coming into the race, and we had low expectations f or h im,” s aid P oluikis. “He started to hit a wall around the 1600-meter mark.”
PM junior Logan Wheelock placed ninth in the boys’ 3200-meter run with a time of 10:10.77, followed by freshman teammate Caleb Cooper in 10th (10:10.83).. Also qualifying for the state were freshman Hinckley Lovelace (12th, 10:13.27) and junior Josh Cooper (18th, 10:24.15).
Other PM boys competing in the 3200-meter run were freshman Sebastian George (20th, 11:08.21) and sophomore Sam Carpenter, placing 24th in 11:18.33, a personal record by eight seconds.
The lone PM girl runner was senior Krya Lee, placing 21st of 26 girls in 13:12.21.
In his first time racing in the boys’ 55-meter hurdles, PM sophomore Henry Lovelace finished in 35th of 61 sprinters in 9.1 seconds, just eight hundredths shy of qualifying for the state meet. “He was taking the hurdles a little high and was probably nervous about just finishing the event,” said Poluikis. “I’m sure he’ll qualify by the end of the season.”
Lovelace also competed in the 300-meter dash, finishing 269th in 43.04 seconds. In the boys’ 1000-meter run, junior Caden Mason came in 190th in 3:46.83.
The Blues had four throwers competing in the shot put.
Senior Kamilah Richardson led the PM girls, placing fourth of 62 throwers with a toss of 36 feet, 5 inches. She had already qualified for the state meet in the Blues’ first meet a week earlier.
Sophomore teammate Phoebe Woods finished 55th with a throw of 34-1, improving by nearly 12 feet from a week earlier.
For the PM boys, senior Rayshan Richardson placed 10th of 91 throwers with a toss of 43-4, and junior Vincent Wilson Came in 53rd with a throw of 34-1.
After the holiday break, the Blues will compete in the East Coast Elite VMI Meet on Saturday, Jan. 4 at Virginia Military Institute’s Corps Physical Training Facility, starting with field events at 9 a.m.
