HEADED TO NATIONALS

Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor

After a record-breaking track and field season, a half-dozen Los Gatos High athletes are headed to the famed Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene to compete in the High School Nationals June 16-18.

The list includes the boys 4x400-meter relay team of Wil Brennan, Levi Romero, Brady Kamali and Jake Bohane; Aydon Stefanopoulos in the 3200 meters and Nicole Steiner in the shot put.

The 4x400 relay team set the school record early this past season and eclipsed their own mark two additional times leading up to an incredible second-place finish in the CIF State Championships.

The quartet’s time of 3 minutes, 13.97 seconds set a Central Coast Section record. Two members of that relay team Brennan and Romero are headed to Cal Poly to compete at the San Luis Obispo-based university. Brennan set two additional school records this season: a 47.6 split time in the 4x400 and the open 400, at 48.02 seconds.

He won the open 400 in the CCS Championships this year after taking second in his junior season. Romero has a personal-record of 48.20 in the 400, which was the school record until Brennan broke it. The two are close friends and were also standouts on the football team. Romero’s meteoric ascent from last year to this season was nothing short of astronomical, as he went from a top-20 CCS runner to one of the elite.

Kamali has a PR of 6 feet, 2 inches in the high jump and advanced to the CCS Finals in the event while also placing fifth in the open 400. Bohane was the lone newcomer on the 4x400 team and proved instrumental, as he filled in that spot by regularly running 3-5 seconds faster compared to last year.

Stefanopoulos, a sophomore, continued to burnish what could be a legendary career by the time his prep career is finished. He took fourth in the 3200 in 8:57.99 and eighth in the 1600 in 4:10.55 at State, displaying a masterclass in pacing and unleashing a tremendous kick in hitting PR’s in both events.

He’s the school record holder in both the mile and two mile events and was the only top-10 finisher who did both at State. Steiner, another standout sophomore, took second in CCS and sixth in State in the shot put. She has a PR of 41-11 ¾.

Since the high school cannot fundraise for any trips outside of the state, Athletic Performance is leading the drive for donations to aid in these athletes’ quest at Nationals. Donations can be made by check to Athletic Performance, 55 W. Main St., Los Gatos CA 95030. Please make a note on the check, c/o Los Gatos Track Nationals. For information, call 408.354.7365.

Athletic Performance also hosts group runs Wednesdays at 6pm. There is an appropriate pace for runners of all experience levels, with runs ranging from 3-5 miles, either into the Lexington trails or Los Gatos Gatos Creek Trail toward Lexington Dam or toward Vasona Park.

Athletic Performance owner Tyler Harmatz and community school teacher Ingrid Lacy lead the run group, which starts at the store in downtown Los Gatos, next to Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company. The goal is for everyone to have an enjoyable run at a pace level for everyone.