After taking first place in the opening cross country meet of the season, Joseph Pearlman was asked about his plans for the rest of his senior season at Dos Pueblos.
He simply replied: “Winning.”
Pearlman did a lot of winning for the Chargers and advanced to the CIF State Cross Country Championships for the second straight year.
Pearlman has been named the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table’s High School Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.
The Round Table is honoring its high school and college athletes of the year through a virtual Evening With the Athletes. The award winners are being presented through the Round Table’s social media platforms Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and the noozhawk.com Sports Page.
Pearlman swept the three Channel League meets and led DP to the team title. He also won the Riverside invitational, placed second at the Ojai Invitational, third at the Clovis Invitational and CiF-SS Division 3 Prelims and ninth at the Division 3 finals to qualify for the State Championships
At Fresno’s Woodward Park, he ran in a fast Division 3 5-kilometer race — the top 25 runners in the race ran under 16 minutes —and placed 29th in 16:06.8, improving on his time from his junior year.
“I was really lucky to be able to coach Joseph for two years,” said DP coach Nash Jimenez. “He came to practice with a smile on his face, and helped the underclassmen to perform at their best.
He also made a strong impression on his coach.
“Joseph is a front runner out of principle, accepting each of his races as a complete test, and an obligation to run,” said Jimenez. “From him, I learned faith.”
Pearlman will continue his running career at Colorado School of Mines, the two-time defending NCAA Division 2 champion.
The school provides a winning combination of athletics and academics that is a perfect fit for Pearlman.
“I wanted a place where I could ultimately test and improve my skills as both a runner and a scholar in order to reach my highest potential,” he said. “I think Mines will be a great fit with all its successes, plus the location is ideal. I’ll get to experience an actually cold winter while being in a place with many outdoor activities.”
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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