Monroe Duo Able to Go the Distance

One of them is a 5-foot 10-inch, 115-pound wisp of a runner who bounds around the track with a long, loping stride.

The other is built like a tight end and powers his way around a 400-meter oval.

Together, Ali Benmohamed and Ted Peszynski gave Monroe High a sweep of the boys’ middle- and long-distance races in the Valley Pac-8 Conference track and field finals at Birmingham on Thursday.

Benmohamed, a junior, clocked 4 minutes 25.8 seconds in the 1,600 meters and 10:01.7 in the 3,200.

Peszynski, a senior who transferred from Granada Hills after his junior year, ran 1:58.3 in the 800.

Both used strong last laps to win.

Benmohamed, who was born in France to Algerian parents, surged away from Paul Muite of North Hollywood in the final 20 meters of the 1,600 and broke away from teammate Dan Oliva with 250 meters left in the 3,200.

“I wanted to run some fast times, but I was looking to win more than anything else,” Benmohamed said. “I wasn’t worried about having a kick on the last lap. Your kick is something that’s always there at the end of a race.”

Peszynski’s time was a half-second slower than what he ran in the conference preliminaries, but the manner in which he did it was impressive as he covered the last lap in 58.3 seconds after coming through the first 400 in 60.0.

“I think he can run 1:55, but his first lap was just too slow,” Monroe Coach Dean Balzarett said. “But I think today was good for him. I think it gave him some confidence that he can run a strong second lap.”

Seniors Tyrone Pearson and Armone Lochard of Reseda used strong finishes to win the 400 and the 300 intermediate hurdles.

Pearson ran a career-best of 50.0 after surging past Sal Raphael (50.7) of Sherman Oaks CES in the homestretch.

Lochard timed 40.4 in the 300 intermediates to lower his previous best of 41.6.

Pearson and Lochard also ran legs on victorious relay teams that clocked season bests of 43.4 in the 400 meters and 3:26.7 in the 1,600.

Freshman Margaret Roche and sophomore Angela Terry of Grant each won two individual events in the girls’ meet.

Roche clocked 26.1 in the 200 and 2:30.5 in the 800.

Terry set a school record of 48.0 in the 300 low hurdles and cleared 4 feet 9 inches in the high jump.

They also ran legs on teams that won the 400 relay in 50.5 and the 1,600 relay in 4:16.5.

The top five in each event go to the City Section preliminaries at Birmingham next Thursday.