There are PRs and then there are PRs.
Cherokee sophomore Ethan Wechsler demolished his two-mile PR this weekend, running 9:39.60 for the full two miles at the Ocean Breeze High School Invitational on Staten Island.
That’s the equivalent of a 9:36.24 for 3,200 meters.
Wechsler had never run an indoor 3,200, and his outdoor PR is 10:50.74 from one of the Holmdel Twilight Series meets last spring. His fastest actual 3,200 before this weekend came at the Cherokee Challenge, where he ran 10:34.14 to place 19th in the sophomore race on his home XC course.
Wechsler placed fourth in the two-mile “white” race Saturday, finishing six seconds behind winner Noah Farrelly of Binghamton High in upstate New York.
There are three South Jersey runners under 9:40 so far this winter for either the 3,200 or the equivalent and all three are from Cherokee. Senior Justin Kelly has a 9:39.76 and sophomore Chris Spisak ran 9:39.90, both for 3,200 meters. So if you include converted two-mile times, Wechsler is at the top of that list. Wechsler and Spisak are also No. 1 and No. 4 among all New Jersey sophomores so far this year.
Wechsler’s time is fastest by a South Jersey sophomore indoors since Aaron Groff of Cherry Hill East ran 9:34.66 in 2014.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 