Embedded Files
School Records
School Records
CIF Champions: 2004, 2009, 2018
CIF Champions: 2004, 2009, 2018
State Champions: 1989, 2004, 2009, 2018
State Champions: 1989, 2004, 2009, 2018
State Podium (Top 3): 2005 (3rd), 2006 (2nd)
State Podium (Top 3): 2005 (3rd), 2006 (2nd)
CIF Podium (Top 3): 2005 (3rd), 2006 (2nd) 2013 (2nd)
CIF Podium (Top 3): 2005 (3rd), 2006 (2nd) 2013 (2nd)
Individual All State (Top 10)
Individual All State (Top 10)
1989 David Crain - 7th Place
2004 Max Mullender - 9th Place
2009 Matt Neev - 2nd Place
2009 Blake Hofmeister - 5th Place
2010 Matt Neeve - 2nd Place
2017 Ryan Smithers - 8th Place
2018 Ryan Smithers - 2nd Place
2018 Logan Brooks- 7th Place
2019 Logan Brooks- 3rd Place
2019 Mateo Bianchi- 10th Place
Individual All CIF (Top 15)
Individual All CIF (Top 15)
League Champions: 1972, 1986, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019
Banquet Books
Banquet Books
Hall Of Fame
Hall Of Fame
2018 Team Sunset League, C.I.F, & State Champions
2018 Team Sunset League, C.I.F, & State Champions
The Team: Sebastian Fisher, Zach Falkowski, Logan Brooks, Cal Nielson, Will Compton, Ryan Smithers, Mateo Bianchi
2009 Division 4 CIF & State Champions
2009 Division 4 CIF & State Champions
Eric Hulst
Eric Hulst
Hulst attended Laguna Beach High School, where he ran cross country and track. Originally, he intended to play tennis, but excelled in his first cross country season and continued from there, running the 2-mile in 9:04.6 (min:sec) as a freshman. At Laguna Beach HS, his coach was Len Miller, who followed a high-mileage coaching philosophy typical of the 1970s and would later coach Hulst at UC-Irvine. Hulst is well-remembered in the running community for his high-risk training regimen. At the age of 15, Hulst logged 100 miles per week of training, and would often get up at 5:00 AM to run between 10 and 13 miles before classes started at 8:30. His morning runs would start from Emerald Bay to Corona del Mar and back, and would frequently wear a 10-pound lead vest. During the course of his high school career, a competitive rivalry ensued between Hulst and Loara High School standout Ralph Serna. At the 1974 National Postal cross country meet, Hulst placed second in a field of the best high school runners in the country, behind only Serna. Arguably, his most famous high school victory was at the 1975 California Interscholastic Federation state 2-mile championship race, in which he finished in first place in a state high school record time of 8:44.9 ahead of Serna; both finished under Rich Kimball's record 8:46.6 set in the previous year's meet. During his senior year of high school, Hulst was called up to the U.S. national squad for the 1976 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where he won the men's junior race. As a result, he appeared in a picture on the cover of the May 1976 issue of Runner's World. Inspired by Dave Wottle, Hulst wore a cap while racing in high school. During that year's track season, he lowered his CIF-SS and state 2-mile record further to 8:44.6 at the CIF-SS Masters Meet and won his second consecutive state championship in the event.
For a brief time, Hulst attended and ran with UC-Irvine, whose team he helped to win the Division II national cross country championship. He was UC-Irvine's best finisher at the 1976 NCAA DI cross country championships, finishing in 34th overall in the men's 10K race. However, he developed a chronic knee injury while running at UC-Irvine and eventually dropped out of college in his sophomore year.
After having stopped running collegiately, Hulst made a brief return to competitive racing in California's road racing circuit. After notching multiple road wins, he made his last major race appearance at the 1982 Boston Marathon, where he finished in 28th place in a time of 2:20:23.
On an unspecified date in February 1991, Hulst was walking out of a movie theater with his mother when he yawned, after which he could not close his mouth due to random muscle contractions. He was immediately taken to the emergency room, where a cancerous tumor the size of a golf ball was discovered in his brain. He subsequently underwent surgery after which 80 percent of a tumor in his brain was removed. A teammate at UC-Irvine and former Corona del Mar distance standout, Brian Hunsaker, had contracted infectious mononucleosis not long before Hulst was diagnosed, and told the Los Angeles Times that he believed the volume of training he and Hulst did had something to do with it. The remainder of the tumor was intentionally left in order to prevent possible brain damage from excessively invasive surgery. From the winter of 1992, Hulst tried alternative cancer treatment at a facility in Mexico, where his doctors saw noticeable improvements and a lessened frequency of seizures. However, the tumor expanded aggressively a second time, and he died on June 21, 1992. Laguna Beach High School's track facility was officially named after Eric Hulst in his honor.
Mateo Bianchi
Mateo Bianchi
🏫 The High School Glory Days (Laguna Beach High School)
Mateo Bianchi was a vital puzzle piece during the absolute apex of the Breakers' modern distance running resurgence, making an impact across both cross country and track:
The 2018 State Championship Title: As a sophomore, Bianchi burst into postseason prominence as the underclassman weapon of the legendary 2018 "Triple Crown" team. He placed 18th overall at the CIF State Division IV Championships to lock down the team's state title.
The National No. 1 Ranking: In 2019, Bianchi teamed up with Sebastian Fisher, Ryan Smithers, and Logan Brooks at the Arcadia Invitational to win the 4x1600m relay. Their time of 17:27.00 stood as the fastest high school time in the entire United States for the 2019 season.
2019 Individual Postseason Surge: Bianchi had an individual breakthrough as a junior, finishing as the Individual CIF-SS Division 4 Runner-Up. He backed it up with a 10th-place finish at the State Finals, setting a blistering new LBHS junior class record on the Woodward Park 5K course.
2021 Track Crown: He closed his high school career by capturing the individual CIF Southern Section Division 3 1600-meter Title with a personal best of 4:11.82. He also placed 2nd in the 3200m to single-handedly score all of Laguna Beach's points at the section finals.
🐻 The UCLA Undergraduate Stint
Bianchi advanced to the Pac-12 level, competing as an elite long-distance specialist for the UCLA Bruins
The Top Bruin Scorer: During the 2023 cross country season, Bianchi became the definitive ace of the UCLA roster, leading the team as their No. 1 scorer in three out of five major appearances.
Pac-12 Postseason Lead: He made a stellar Pac-12 Cross Country Championship debut, finishing as the fastest Bruin on the day with an 8K time of 24:23.9. He followed it up by leading UCLA across the line at the NCAA West Regionals with a 10K mark of 30:36.5.
🦅 The Boston College Record-Shattering Era
After transferring to the East Coast to run for the Boston College Eagles, Bianchi evolved into one of the most versatile and historically dominant distance assets in NCAA Division I running:
The Sub-4:00 Mile Barrier: At the BU John Thomas Terrier Classic, Bianchi permanently etched his name into elite distance lore by clocking a lifetime personal best of 3:59.83 in the indoor mile. He and teammate Colin Peattie became the first two Eagles in Boston College history to simultaneously shatter the sub-four-minute barrier on the exact same day.
The 50-Year Steeplechase Records: Transitioning to the outdoor oval, Bianchi completely rewrote a half-century of history in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He broke the 1960s program record at the Duke Twilight meet (8:51.85), lowered it at the ACC Championships, and then dropped a mind-boggling 8:39.05 at the NCAA East First Round in Lexington, Kentucky to smash his own school record yet again.
NCAA Championships Ticket: His 8:39.05 masterpiece officially punched his ticket to the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, making him the first Boston College athlete to qualify for the national meet in the steeplechase since 1967.
The Unblemished ACC Scoring Streak: Beyond raw speed, Bianchi has established a reputation as the ultimate clutch postseason engine—never not scoring points for the Eagles in every single Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship meet he has ever entered. His streak is highlighted by an outdoor 6th-place steeplechase finish that earned him official All-ACC Second Team honors.
Ryan Smithers
Ryan Smithers
Ryan Smithers (Class of 2019) is one of the most remarkable and naturally gifted self-made champions in the history of Laguna Beach High School athletics. Uniquely, Smithers was a lifelong club soccer player who didn't even pick up competitive distance running until the start of his junior year. Despite his late entry into the sport, he quickly exploded onto the national recruitment scene to lead the Breakers to their historic 2018 postseason sweep.
👑 The 2018 Individual Championship Run
CIF Southern Section Individual Champion: Smithers achieved legendary status at the 2018 CIF-SS Division 4 Finals on the Riverside City course. He unleashed an aggressive final kick to pass two JSerra frontrunners, winning the individual section title in a blistering 14:46.1 and securing the team title.
CIF State Division IV Runner-Up: One week later, he carried the Breakers to the top of California at Woodward Park in Fresno. He clocked a stellar 5K time of 15:27.8 to finish 2nd overall in the state, earning elite All-State honors.
All-Time Speed Standard: Smithers ranks as the No. 2 fastest 3-mile runner in school history. He ran an incredible lifetime personal best of 14:21.40 on the track/3-mile circuits during his senior year campaign.
Foot Locker West Championships: He proved his status as an elite national talent by placing 11th overall at the Foot Locker West Regional Championship, missing a trip to the national finals by a mere single placement spot.
🎽 Relentless Track & Field Dominance
Smithers mirrored his cross country success on the track, showcasing elite range from middle distance to pure endurance:
The All-American 4xMile Relay: At the 2019 New Balance Outdoor National Championships, Smithers teamed up with Sebastian Fisher, Logan Brooks, and Mitch Groff. They placed 4th in the United States in the 4xMile relay, dropping an incredible collective time to earn prestigious All-American honors.
Track Personal Bests: He graduated with elite track marks, including 1:58.53 in the 800m, 4:17.77 in the 1600m, and a blazing 9:14 in the 3200m.
🎓 Ivy League Excellence at Yale
Following his breakout high school career, Smithers was heavily recruited by elite universities and chose the Ivy League track:
Yale University Cross Country: He competed as a premier distance specialist for the Yale Bulldogs. He served as a team captain and established an elite collegiate 8,000-meter cross country personal record of 24:55.4 at the Lehigh Paul Short Run.
Aerospace Leadership: Showcasing massive intellect off the course, Smithers served as the Founder and President of Project Liquid within the Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association and sat as an Executive Board Member at the Ivy Space Coalition.
Sebastian Fisher
⚡ Cross Country Achievements & The All-Time Record
Sebastian Fisher
⚡ Cross Country Achievements & The All-Time Record
The 14:38.8 School Record: At the 2018 Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, Fisher ran a mind-boggling 14:38.8 in the ultra-competitive Boys' Sweepstakes race. His performance shattered the previous modern 3-mile record of 14:45 (set by Blake Hofmeister in 2009), establishing a gold standard that remains unmatched at LBHS.
The 2018 Triple Crown Foundation: Alongside his close running partner and co-captain Ryan Smithers, Fisher pushed the varsity squad into national prominence. He ran a sharp 5K time of 15:46.1 at the Clovis Invitational to help the Breakers post the fastest Division IV team time in Woodward Park history (79:32), locking down their status as the No. 1 small-school program in California.
All-CIF Southern Section: His gritty postseason tactical racing earned him prestigious All-CIF Southern Section Division 4 honors in cross country.
🎽 Elite Track & Field Execution
Fisher's cross country stamina translated perfectly to the track under Varsity Coach Tommy Newton-Neal:
CIF State Finals Breakthrough: He won individual Sunset Conference "Wave" League Titles in both the 1600m and 3200m. He advanced deep into the postseason, running a lifetime-best 4:11.00 in the 1600m to qualify for the CIF State Track & Field Finals, becoming the first Breaker to make the state track podium in the event in over two decades.
🎓 Elite Collegiate Career & Academic Excellence
After graduating from Laguna Beach, Fisher transitioned to the Division I Ivy League stage:
Princeton University Athletics: Fisher competed as a premier middle-distance and cross country athlete for the Princeton Tigers. He logged a blazing personal best of 4:02.36 in the indoor mile and earned New Balance Outdoor National All-American honors in the 4xmile relay.
Summa Cum Laude Scholar: Matching his athletic drive, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Princeton in 2024 with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence (top 3% of underclassmen) and is completing a Master of Science in Computer Science at Stanford University.
Logan Brooks
Logan Brooks
Logan Brooks (Class of 2020) is a legendary Laguna Beach distance runner who transformed the varsity program and unlocked its modern "Triple Crown" championship era.
🏆 Postseason & School Record Highlights
The All-Time State Course Record: At the 2019 CIF State Finals, Brooks placed 3rd overall in California with a blistering 5K time of 15:24.7, establishing the fastest state course time in school history.
2018 State Title Anchor: Placed an elite 7th overall (15:48.7) at the 2018 State Championships to secure the team's Division IV state crown.
All-Time Speed Standard: Clocked a lifetime 3-mile personal best of 14:24.7 at the hyper-competitive Woodbridge Invitational.
Conference Athlete of the Year: Captured the individual Sunset Conference Wave League title and was named the overall Conference Male Athlete of the Year.
🎽 National All-American Success
National No. 1 Ranking: Ran a vital leg on the 2019 4x1600m relay team that won the Arcadia Invitational with a time of 17:27.00—the fastest high school time in the United States that season.
All-American Honors: Placed 4th in the nation in the 4xMile relay at the New Balance Outdoor National Championships to earn official All-American status.
Division I Collegiate Career: Earned an athletic scholarship to compete for the UC Irvine Anteaters track and cross country programs.
1970s Era
1970s Era
👑 The Franchise Legend
Eric Hulst (Class of 1976) – One of the greatest high school distance runners in U.S. history. He won the 1973 CIF-SS 2-A Individual Title (9:48.2) and the 1975 CIF-SS Title, followed by the individual gold medal at the 1976 World Junior Cross Country Championships in Wales. He set national class track records in the 2-mile as a freshman (9:04.4), sophomore (8:50.6), and junior (8:44.9). [, 2, 3, 4]
🏃 Early-1970s Championship Mainstays
Karl Weber (Class of 1973) – An elite senior frontrunner who helped secure the 1972 undisputed Orange League Title. He finished side-by-side with a freshman Hulst at the 1972 CIF-SS Finals, locking down a spectacular 3rd-place finish (10:20 over the 2-mile championship course). [1]
Jeff Tensfeldt (Class of 1973) – A powerhouse varsity senior leader who famously defeated Eric Hulst by a single step in an early-season 1972 home time trial. He placed 11th overall at the Orange League Finals with a sharp 2-mile time of 10:42. [, 2]
Mark Sweeney (Class of 1975) – A highly consistent varsity point-scorer whose deep mid-pack execution cemented team victories. He secured 12th overall at the 1972 league finals with a time of 10:44. [1]
David Peden (Class of 1974) – A reliable underclassman varsity contributor who stepped up to close the scoring door for the Breakers. He clinched 16th overall (10:51) to secure the 1972 league championship banner. [1]
Glenn Richardson (Class of 1976) – A crucial historical member of the program. He is famously credited with recruiting Eric Hulst to cross country—convincing him to skip a tennis workout to try out for Coach Len Miller. [1, 2, 3]
⏱️ Late-1970s Program Bearers
Tom Owens (Class of 1979) – The program's leading distance specialist at the close of the decade. He advanced deep into the postseason, placing an elite 9th overall in the 3200-meter run at the 1979 CIF Southern Section Finals with a blistering 9:32.30.
Benton "Ben" Culwell (Class of 1977) – A gritty middle-distance and cross country varsity engine who ran behind Hulst during the 1975 section title campaign, keeping the Breakers' point spread tight against heavily favored opponents.
Mike Sclafani (Class of 1978) – Part of the young underclassman core in 1975 who stepped into upperclassman leadership roles to keep the team highly competitive during the program's transition after Coach Len Miller departed for UC Irvine. [1, 2]
Bobby Smith & Chris Henderson (The "Artists" B-Squad) – Crucial depth pieces in the late '70s whose dominant junior varsity performances regularly swept the top 5 spots at local invitationals, giving the Breakers an unassailable dual-meet advantage.
1980s Era
1980s Era
🏆 The 1989 State Championship Anchors [1]
David Crain (Class of 1990) – The undisputed frontrunner of the historic "Black Socks" squad. He placed an elite 7th overall at the 1989 CIF State Division III Championships with a stellar time of 16:14 on the 5,000-meter Woodward Park course to spearhead the team's first-ever state crown. [1]
Phil Bentley (Class of 1990) – A vital senior co-captain whose aggressive front-running capability kept the team's scoring gap tight. He clocked a rapid 16:39 to place 13th overall at the state finals.
Adam Ripley (Class of 1992) – A fierce multi-year varsity leader who evolved from the ultimate mid-pack weapon into the program's top individual ace. After placing 14th overall as a sophomore to secure the historic 1989 State Team Title (16:40), he became a dominant individual postseason force:
1990 CIF Postseason: Took over as the team's top runner following the graduation of the 1989 senior class.
1991 League Championship: Ran a blistering 15:27 to finish as the individual Runner-Up at the Pacific Coast League Finals.
1991 CIF-SS Finals: Placed 5th overall at the Southern Section IV-AA championship meet to qualify individually for the state championships.
1991 CIF State Finals: Advanced to Woodward Park as an individual state qualifier to represent the Breakers on the state's biggest stage.
Dave Brobeck (Class of 1991) – A foundational junior scorer who stepped up immensely on the big stage, locking down 20th overall at the state meet with a time of 16:53 to help seal the 1989 title. He went on to secure his spot in prep running lore as both an athlete and a coach:
All-Time Speed: Clocked an incredible 15:22 personal record during the 1990 season, cementng the No. 6 spot on the school's all-time record board.
Coaching Legacy: Returned to his alma mater as the head coach for 12 seasons (1998–2009), cementing his status as the only Breaker involved in all three of the program's first state championships.
2004 State Championship: Coached the boys' team to a historic sweep of the CIF Southern Section and CIF State Division IV Titles.
2009 State Championship: Led the Breakers to another dominant season, going out on top by winning both the CIF-SS and CIF State crowns before stepping down to focus on family. [1, 2, 3]
Mica Brown (Class of 1992) – The clutch sophomore who officially slammed the scoring door shut on their competitors. He placed 30th overall in 17:03, securing five Breakers in the top 30 to completely dismantle top-ranked McFarland by a score of 65–127. [1]
1990s Era
1990s Era
🏆 Early-1990s Postseason Frontrunners
Adam Ripley (Class of 1992) – The bridge between decades who carried his sophomore momentum from the 1989 state championship directly into the 1990s. As the undisputed team captain, he ran a blazing 15:27 to finish as the 1991 Pacific Coast League Individual Runner-Up. He capped his senior year by placing 5th overall at the 1991 CIF-SS Finals to qualify for the CIF State Cross Country Championships. [1, 2]
Mica Brown (Class of 1992) – After closing out the scoring door on the 1989 state team, Brown stepped up as an upperclassman to anchor the varsity top three, keeping the Breakers' tight pack intact against heavy baseline depth from local division rivals. [1]
🏃 Late-1990s Program Bearers
Lindsay Buwalda (Class of 1997) – The standout face of the girls' program in the mid-'90s. Facing one of the most brutally competitive eras in league history—including head-to-head battles with reigning county champion Allyson Marquand—Buwalda quietly put together an elite resume, finishing as the Pacific Coast League Individual Runner-Up in back-to-back seasons (1995 and 1996). [1]
Brendan Bowler (Class of 2003) – Arrived as a freshman at the tail-end of the decade (1999) to establish the foundational fitness that would later define the early-2000s revival. He set a freshman city track benchmark of 4:47 in the 1600M before eventually dropping down to run 15:34 on the 3-mile loop to claim a league title under head coach Dave Brobeck. [1, 2, 3]
2000s Era
2000s Era
🏆 2004: The State Division IV Championship Pack
Team Highlights: This historic group captured the program's second-ever state title by mastering the art of "pack running." Under Coach Brobeck, they claimed both the CIF Southern Section and CIF State Division IV Titles. Entering the state meet as slight underdogs, their microscopic scoring split between the No. 2 and No. 5 runners completely neutralized their opponents' low single-digit sticks.
Max Mullender (Class of 2006) – The premier individual ace of the historic 2004 squad. He earned prestigious All-State honors by blazing to an elite 9th-place finish at the 2004 CIF State Championships in Fresno. Mullender spearheaded the Breakers' tactical assault with a stellar 5,000-meter time of 16:03, paving the way for the program's second-ever state crown.
Alex Richter (Class of 2005) – The vital senior co-captain who served as the emotional and physical anchor of the mid-pack engine. Richter perfectly executed Coach Dave Brobeck’s blueprint at Woodward Park, crossing the state finish line in 23rd place overall with a gritty time of 16:32.
Shane Hardy (Class of 2005) – A clutch senior point-scorer who stepped up on the state's grandest stage. Hardy ran completely synchronized with Richter to decimate the opposing scoring columns, matching his teammate's stride to lock down 24th place overall with an identical time of 16:32.
Ryan Johnson (Class of 2006) – The fierce junior weapon who guaranteed the title by keeping the Breakers' scoring split razor-thin. Johnson closed out the immediate front-running pack by finishing 28th place overall with a stellar time of 16:40.
The 6-Point Margin Miracle – Rounding out the varsity roster, the collective depth of the lower pack successfully slammed the door on Carmel High School. By squeezing five scorers into the top tier, Laguna Beach pulled off a legendary upset, hoisting the state trophy by a razor-thin final score of 95 to 101.
🥈 2006: The Double Postseason Runner-Up Campaign
2006 CIF-SS Division 4 Runner-Up (Team) – Swept through the Southern Section postseason brackets to claim the CIF-SS Runner-Up plaque at Mt. SAC. The squad clocked an impressive team time of 1:23:26, falling only to section champion Big Bear.
2006 CIF State Division IV Runner-Up (Team) – The boys' team captured the CIF State Runner-Up Trophy at Woodward Park. Squeezing their pack tightly to counter top-seeded teams, the Breakers recorded 127 points to comfortably finish as the second-fastest Division IV program in California.
Jeremy Eaton (Class of 2007) – Achieved elite individual recognition during the 2006 postseason podium run. Eaton blazed through Mt. SAC to place 5th overall at the CIF Southern Section Finals with an incredible time of 15:45, breaking the school course record at the time.
⏱️ 2008: The Resilient Podium Near-Miss
2008 CIF State Division IV 4th Place (Team) – Competing under immense adversity after elite frontrunner Blake Hofmeister underwent emergency appendix surgery the day before the meet, the resilient Breakers pack still combined for 153 points. They missed the state podium by a mere five points, finishing a gritty 4th in California.
Casey Finnerty (Class of 2009) – Stepped up as the program's elite individual anchor during the high-pressure 2008 campaign. Finnerty ran a masterful race at Mt. SAC to place 13th overall (16:23) before leading the understaffed Breakers to their top-4 finish at the state meet.
🏆 2009: The State Division IV Title Dominators
Team Highlights: Head Coach Dave Brobeck's final season became one of the greatest campaigns in Orange County history. The Breakers completely swept the postseason, winning the Orange Coast League Title, the CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) Division 4 Title (with a tiny 27 points), and the CIF State Division IV Crown. The squad finished the year ranked as the No. 1 small-school program in California.
Matt Neev (Class of 2011) – One of the most decorated individual postseason runners in program history. He spearheaded the Breakers' dominant 2009 championship campaign by finishing as the individual CIF State Division IV Runner-Up with a lightning-fast time of 15:44. He shockingly repeated the feat a year later in 2010, locking down back-to-back state runner-up honors.
Blake Hofmeister (Class of 2010) – An elite frontrunner who achieved elite all-state status by placing 5th overall at the 2009 State Finals with a sharp 5K time of 15:55. Earlier that season, he set a historic regular-season standard by clocking a blistering 14:45 over a 3-mile loop. He later ran for Yale University.
Andrew Shapero (Class of 2010) – A vital top-three scoring cornerstone who delivered when it mattered most on the state stage. He crossed the line 15th overall at Woodward Park in a stellar 16:10 to guarantee the team crown before committing to Tufts University.
Tommy Newton-Neal (Class of 2010) – A relentless varsity driver who closed out the team's top-four championship pack at the state meet, placing 21st overall in 16:23. Newton-Neal ranked among the school's all-time fastest preps with a 3-mile personal record of 15:13, and later returned to coach the program.
Sean Pigden (Class of 2010) – The clutch fifth scorer who officially slammed the door on runner-up McFarland. He placed 47th overall in 16:44 to lock down the program's third state title before moving on to compete at UC Irvine.
2020s Era
2020s Era
🥈 2010: The Back-to-Back All-State Repeat
Team Highlights: Following the historic 2009 state title, the boys' varsity program recalibrated under a transitioning roster. They continued their streak of deep postseason execution, leaning heavily on their elite individual frontrunner to anchor them through heavily contested regional fields. [1, 2]
Matt Neev (Class of 2011) – Solidified his legacy as one of the greatest distance runners in school history. Following his runner-up performance in 2009, Neev returned to Woodward Park and shockingly repeated history, locking down Individual CIF State Division IV Runner-Up honors for the second consecutive year. He logged an elite 5K time of 15:45 and graduated as a multi-time All-State recipient. [1]
🥈 2013: The Sophomore-Heavy Silver Medal Sweep [1]
Team Highlights: Head Coach Scott Wittkop unleashed a powerhouse roster loaded with heavily hyped underclassmen. The Breakers put on a tactical clinic, locking down the CIF-SS Division 4 Team Runner-Up Trophy at Mt. SAC. They carried that momentum to Fresno, scoring 148 points to capture the CIF State Division IV Runner-Up Title behind champions Yreka. [1, 2]
Veda Rebollar (Class of 2014) – The veteran senior captain who exploded in the postseason. Rebollar claimed the individual Orange Coast League Title with a blistering 15:18.22, before piloting the front line of the varsity squad through their deep state podium charge.
Cameron Zuziak (Class of 2015) – A relentless junior centerpiece who spent the season dismantling elite invitational fields. Zuziak ran No. 2 behind Rebollar, clocking a fast 15:27.44 at league and guiding the young sophomore pack safely through the high-pressure Woodward Park loops. [1, 2]
Casiano Koprowski (Class of 2014) – An all-league senior weapon whose aggressive second-mile execution decimated the opposing mid-pack scoring rows. He crossed the league line in 15:33.07 to seal the school's varsity scoring margins. [1]
Drake Butler & Mason Pitz (Class of 2016) – The premier sophomore duo of the "super-class" roster. They ran completely synchronized down the final stretches of the postseason, locking down the 7th and 8th spots at the league finals (16:02 and 16:10) to anchor the state silver medals.
🏆 2018: The State Division IV Triple Crown Champions [1]
Team Highlights: Head Coach Scott Wittkop and Varsity Coach Tommy Newton-Neal led the Breakers to an absolute masterpiece of a season. The boys completely swept the postseason, winning the Orange Coast League Title, the CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) Division 4 Title (soundly beating JSerra 39–131), and the CIF State Division IV Crown (defeating Sir Francis Drake 68–97). Under Newton-Neal's direct training, the squad clocked an incredible 80:09 team time at Fresno, which stands as the second-fastest team time in Division IV state history.
Sebastian Fisher (Class of 2019) – Rewrote the high school record books. At the 2018 Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, Fisher ran a mind-boggling, record-shattering time of 14:38.0, permanently claiming the crown for the fastest 3-mile time in Laguna Beach school history.
Ryan Smithers (Class of 2019) – The undisputed postseason ace of the 2018 squad. Smithers captured the Individual CIF-SS Division 4 Championship at Riverside with a blistering time of 14:46.1. The following week, he earned elite All-State honors by finishing as the Individual CIF State Division IV Runner-Up in a sharp 15:27.8. He shadows Fisher with the No. 2 all-time 3-mile mark of 14:40.0. He later ran for Yale University.
Logan Brooks (Class of 2020) – A standout junior transfer who saved his absolute best execution for the biggest stage. Brooks stepped up massively at Woodward Park to place 7th overall with a time of 15:48.7, earning All-State podium honors and ensuring the team's comfortable 29-point title margin.
Cal Nielson (Class of 2019) – A vital senior co-captain who delivered an incredibly clutch performance in Fresno. Nielson masterfully chipped away at the opposing fields over the final mile to cross the state finish line in 17th place overall with a personal course record of 16:08.0.
Mateo Bianchi (Class of 2022) – Burst onto the postseason scene as a stellar sophomore weapon. Running completely synchronized with Nielson, Bianchi locked down 18th place overall at the state championships with a fast time of 16:10.0 to guarantee the state title. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
🥉 2019: The Riverside Podium Defiance
Team Highlights: Despite losing multiple senior anchors to graduation, the remaining core put together a highly resilient title defense. They fought through tough local packs to claim a 3rd-place podium finish at the CIF-SS Finals in Riverside, automatically qualifying for their third consecutive trip to Fresno. [1]
Logan Brooks (Class of 2020) – Fully took over the mantle of team captain and premier frontrunner. At the 2019 CIF State Finals, Brooks placed an elite 3rd overall in Division IV, blazing across the line in 15:24.7. His race shattered Matt Neev's 2010 record to establish a new school record for the fastest time ever run at Woodward Park. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Mateo Bianchi (Class of 2022) – Had a massive individual breakthrough season as a junior. He finished as the individual CIF-SS Division 4 Runner-Up at Riverside and backed it up by taking 10th place overall at the State Finals (15:36), smashing the LBHS junior class course record to earn all-state recognition. He later committed to UCLA
Stuart Calderwood
Stuart Calderwood
Stuart Calderwood Ran at Laguna Beach High School in the early 70's under legendary coach Len Miller. He went on the compete at UCI. In 1983 Calderwood took over as head coach of the Artist and lead the program to our first State Title in 1989.
David Brobeck
David Brobeck
Retired Coach Recalls Winning It All, Three Times
Twenty five years ago, seven boys from Laguna Beach High School went to Fresno on Thanksgiving weekend and did what few expected: they captured the school’s first cross country state championship. “We were all absolutely shocked at what we did,” said the team’s number four runner Dave Brobeck (‘91), who went on to coach his alma mater to its other two titles in ‘04 and ’09.
“It was an incredible ride. I can’t believe it’s 25 years later,” said David Crain (‘90), who led Laguna to victory in ‘89, finishing seventh overall to become the school’s first all-State runner since the meet was established two years earlier.
Brobeck remembers “an unlikely and dysfunctional group of kids” coming together as Coach Stuart Calderwood “sort of massaged all of our egos and personalities and got us to have that singular vision.”
“[Calderwood] kept us together,” echoed Crain. “He was just really good at making us all better.”
Dave Brobeck, second from right, with his final team at their final meet, the 2009 State championship. Photos by Robert Campbell.
The Laguna seven were more than just better that fall day. They dismantled the heralded McFarland program, which went on to win nine state titles in the ‘90s, by a score of 65-127. “Everybody had to have the race of their lives to beat McFarland that day,” said Brobeck.
A number five runner for Laguna in the ‘70s, Calderwood was a teammate of national and world prep champion Eric Hulst, who put tiny Laguna Beach on the cross country map when he set three national age-group records during his freshman, junior and senior seasons.
In 1983 at age 26, Calderwood took over the boys program, a perennial underachieving team that hadn’t won a league title since 1972, when he and Hulst were freshman and the legendary Len Miller was in his final season at the helm.
And though Calderwood would occasionally share Hulst stories with his runners, the past didn’t matter to him. “What matters is building something with those five or seven kids you call varsity,” said Brobeck.
Calderwood re-built the program from the ground up, winning the ’86 Pacific Coast league title in his fourth season. Three years later, the now seasoned coach went out on top with a second league title and the state crown.
In 1998, Brobeck, now an English teacher at Laguna, had watched his beloved program fall on hard times since Calderwood left, finishing dead last in the Pacific Coast League for six straight years.
Inspired by his former coach, Brobeck set out to do a little rebuilding of his own. “I inherited a team that didn’t have matching uniforms,” he recalled.
The rookie coach knew he would never capture the degree of passion and vision that Calderwood had. “There’s no two Stuarts,” said Brobeck. “You can only really be yourself. I ultimately had my success just being comfortable with who I am around kids.”
Brobeck took Laguna from last to fifth to third to second and eventually to the program’s fourth league title in 2003. But that squad hit a bump at state and finished 14th. And for Brobeck, anything short of a state title amounted to failure. “I was really hard on myself those years,” he said.
With five of its top seven returning, including number one Max Mullender (‘05), Laguna looked strong on paper heading into the ’04 season, but no one on the team really thought they had much of a chance to win a state title. That’s because several other programs, including central-section powerhouse and defending-champs Carmel, stood in their way.
“I think that was possibly the best mind set we could’ve had,” said Mullender. “It almost seems like most teams do better when they don’t have that pressure on them.”
With all the pressure on Carmel, two seniors, three juniors and two sophomores from Laguna arrived in Fresno and handed the defending champs an unlikely six point defeat 95 to 101. “It was just an amazing day,” said Brobeck, his voice cracking as he recalled that singular moment when his guys took their place on top of the podium like he and his teammates had done 15 years before.
“The whole team came together, and each person pushed themselves beyond what we had done in the past,” said Mullender, who finished ninth overall to join Crain in Laguna’s all-State club.
Both former all-State runners competed in division one sports in college. Crain played baseball at Nebraska and is currently sales director for a medical device company in Colorado. Mullender ran track and cross country at UC San Diego and works in marketing and tech support for a southern California real estate company.
By now Brobeck naively thought he had “cracked the code” to success and would be spending many Thanksgiving weekends to come in Fresno. All he needed was a good freshman class every year.
That once-in-a-career class, the one coaches dream about, arrived in ’05. But it would take a four-year commitment from Brobeck—who now had two small children that weren’t getting any younger—to see that class through to its final destination.
Six seasoned seniors and all-State junior Matt Neev made the Breakers heavy favorites entering CIF finals in 2009. “The weight of pressure and expectation was enormous,” said Brobeck. “I was trying just to get them to calm down and run within themselves.”
When the dust settled, Laguna had run to a CIF record 27 points in a stampede over Big Bear that saw four of Brobeck’s top five finish in the top six overall, and all five scorers earned all-CIF honors for finishing in the top 15.
It was Laguna’s first ever CIF title, something that had always alluded Brobeck. “That was personally the most satisfying race of the ‘09 year,” he said.
Even more satisfying than his second state title, which came a week later when Neev and Blake Hofmeister earned all-State honors in leading Laguna to another thrashing of McFarland 69-122.
Having accomplished everything he could as both a runner and a coach, Brobeck went out on top after the’09 season, just as Calderwood had done 20 years prior. Brobeck still follows the sport that he gave to and got so much from for more than 25 years. And with most of the key runners returning from last years’ boys and girls squads, which each finished second at State, he likes girls’ coach Steve Lalim and his successor Scott Wittkop’s chances this season to experience the thrill of winning it all.
“I can’t wait to see what they do this year,” said Brobeck. “Everything’s in place. I just hope that it all comes through for them.”
The LBHS cross-country season begins Friday, Sept. 5, when the boys travel to San Buenaventura State Beach for the Seaside Invitational, while the girls will be in Walnut Saturday, Sept. 6 for the Mt. SAC Fastback Shootout.
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