Wolfe, a junior, finished with a time of 1:55.04, which is the third-fastest posted by any N.C. runner this year. That is more than three seconds faster than his previous school record of 1:58.38. Wolfe won the 1A state championship with that run last season.

He also finished second at state as a freshman, setting the school mark at 1:58.86.

&dquo;We knew John Spencer was going to do well, but frankly, he surpassed what I thought he would do,&dquo; said Polk track coach Alan Peoples. &dquo;That just goes to show the level of training he&squo;s putting in.&dquo;

&dquo;It&squo;s easy to be his coach, because he does any workout without hesitation or opposition and runs on his own in the off days and months,&dquo; said assistant coach Jenny Wolfe, who has been working closely with the middle distance standout.

The Taco Bell Classic is the largest high school track meet in the southeastern U.S. More than 2,300 runners from 185 schools in 11 states competed in this year&squo;s event.