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Blues To Compete In Pioneer District Meet Today
The Parry McCluer High School boys’ 4 X 800-meter relay team set a new school record at the Virginia Track Coaches Association Championships on Saturday at Louisa County High School in Mineral.
The PM boys placed third in the relay in 8:23.52, breaking the previous school record by a tenth of a second. The previous record was set in 2015, when the Blues won the state title in that race, with team members Riley Erekson, Dalton Scott, Logan Arthur and Dallas Keiser.
On Saturday, PM’s Kovyk and Kebryl Chandler teamed up with Josh Cooper and Logan Wheelock in the relay. Reviewing the race, PM head coach Chris Poluikis said, “In all honesty, we were expecting to go faster. We haven’t done that pace in two weeks. I think they looked a little flat.”
The Blues’ relay team was also in “no man’s land,” said Poluikis, with Eastern View winning the race in 8:03.73 and Louisa County placing second in 8:04.58. Following the Blues in a distant fourth was J.R. Tucker in 8:52.24.
Poluikis said the Blues will probably not race in the relay again until the Class 1 state meet, and they’ll aim for a faster pace.
The PM boys placed seventh in the 4 X 400-meter relay in 3:44.68. With Cooper struggling with a foot problem, Evan Cook subbed in for him, teaming up with Wheelock and the Chandler brothers.
The Blues rested their runners from the 3200-meter run, using the meet as “a speed session,” Poluikis said.
Cook set personal records in both of his sprints, placing 10th in both races, the 200-meter dash in 23.97 seconds and the 400-meter dash in 53.89. “He had the best meet of anybody,” said Poluikis.
Kovyk Chandler placed ninth in the 800-meter run in 2:03.14, and Kebryl Chandler finished 10th in 2:03.21. Cooper placed 14th in 2:06.61, and Wheelock came in 17th in 2:09.34.
The PM boys had two throwers competing. Griffin Harlow placed third in the shot put with a toss of 47 feet, 5 inches, and fourth in the discus with a heave of 127-10. Rayshan Richardson placed third in the discus with a throw of 132-2 and fifth in the shot put with a throw of 41-6.
PM throwing coach Danny Cole said it was “an excellent day.” He said Harlow “appears to be throwing well and getting comfortable,” and that Richardson “is starting to get consistent [discus] throws in the upper 120s and much further when he is clicking.”
“Hopefully, within the next few weeks, we will see these two continue to do well,” Cole continued. “This is the time of the year you want to peak, and signs are showing in their favor for that to happen.”
The Blues rested their girls from competing. Today, Wednesday, the Blues will compete in the Pioneer District meet at Giles High School in Pearisburg, starting at 10 a.m. The top six individuals, as well as those qualified by time or distance, will advance to the Region 1C meet, which will take place next Wednesday, May 22, starting at 3 p.m.
In addition to the 4 X 800-meter relay team, nine PM individuals have qualified for the Class 1 state meet, which will take place on May 31 and June 1 at James Madison University. The individual qualifiers for the PM boys in the 800-meter, 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs are Cooper, Wheelock and Kovyk and Kebryl Chandler. Harlow has qualified in the shot put and discus, and Richardson has qualified in the discus. For the PM girls, Kyra Lee and Jasmine De Souza have qualified in the 3200-meter run, and Kamilah Richardson has qualified in the shot put.
