Joseph Pearlman and Nathaniel Getachew of Dos Pueblos ran personal bests in their respective events at the Arroyo Meet of Champions Distance Classic at Azusa Pacific University on Saturday.
Pearlman finished second in the Rated 3200 in 9:30.17 while Getachew placed fourth in the Open 1600 in 4:23.67.
The times qualified the Chargers for the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in two weeks.
“We entered Joseph and Nathaniel in this meet knowing they would love the exciting competitive atmosphere and the chance to lower their personal bests in their favorite events,” coach Micks Purnell said. “They did this in good fashion, running excellent races and got times under the entry standards of the prestigious Arcadia Invitational entry standards coming up in two weeks. Both held good position in their races and improved their place coming into the finish, showing great competitive poise and maturity.”
Getachew also ran in the same 3200 race as Pearlman and took 8th with PR of 9:35.95.
The Distance Classic consists of 800, 1600/mile and 3200 events and draws several high school athletes. There are 24 heats of the boys varsity 1600, and state and national leading marks are often achieved in the invitational sections.