Los Alamitos High School Track & Field traveled to Clovis, California to compete in the nation’s elite two-day California CIF State Meet on May 24-25, 2024. The traveling squad comprised Olivia Bettinger (Pole Vault), Devin Bragg (100 and 200), Michael Donvito (4 x 400), Carson Fox (Para 100, Shot Put), Gabriel Gandara (Pole Vault), Rosie Howard (Unified Shot Put), Issac Parhami (4 x 400), Taedon Rogers (4 x 400), Berlineda Wempe (Unified Shot Put), and Elijah West (4 x 400).
All athletes competed in preliminaries Friday evening. The most remarkable performances of the weekend were that of Rosemarie Howard and Berlineda Wempe, who are State Champions in Unified Shot Put throwing 57’4 ¼’’. Carson Fox clinched 2nd in Para Shot Put and 6th in Para 100. Another exciting performance was 11th ranked boys 4 x 400 team (Taedon Rogers, Issac Parhami, Elijah West, Michael Donvito) improving to 3:20.97 to grab the last advancing spot to run and medal 9th in finals.
The 4×400 was the first 4×400 team to ever medal in the California State Meet. Devin Bragg was the most notable team athlete, competing in the 100 and 200 for a challenging two-day (back-to-back) format. Devin placed 6th and 8th, respectively in the 100 and 200. Olivia Bettinger (Pole Vault) finished 13th overall after being side-lined most of April (quad). Gabriel Gandara cleared 15’ again on his third attempt to continue to his overall improvement.
The traveling team included Coach Jeff Tribole (4×400), Reggie Williams (sprints) Steve Tully (pole vault).
Head Coach Nathan Howard said, “I’m incredibly proud of all the athletes. Los Alamitos High School is leading the Para sports, and our athletes were competing in some of the most visible events of track and field. Everywhere you looked, there was a Los Alamitos High School jersey, flying in the air (vaulters), throwing metal balls (putters), sprinting (100, 200, Para 100), and then closing out the meet with the last race (boys 4×400). To top it off, my daughter is State Champion in the Unified Shot Put with one of our athletes. The overall experience had me speechless and extremely pleased. Congratulations to all the athletes and thank you to all the coaches especially Jim Keck (High Jump) who will be retiring, and parents for their support.”
All athletes except Carson Fox, Gabriel Gandara, Issac Parhami, will be returning next year, which provides younger athletes the opportunity to contribute to Los Alamitos Track & Field’s program for 2024-25 season.