WERNER GARCIANO '87

Head Track & Field Coach

Inaugurated Girls Track Program

Cross Country Coach

CIF Finalists and State Meet Finalists

JAVIER GUZMAN '89

Sprints and Relays Coach

Cross Country Coach

CIF Champions and State Meet Finalists

FRED RILEY P'07

Head Track & Field Coach 1995-2017

Head Cross Country Coach 2007-2016

Most CIF Finalists and State Meet Participants

Coached La Salle's first state champion

"Education is the Key to Success."   -- COACH RILEY

COACHES HALL OF FAME

OUR STORY

DAVID DESMOND

Throws Coach

CIF Champions and State Meet Finalists

This website is the creation of Fred Riley P'07, Head Coach of the Track & Field teams from 1995-2017, and Head Coach of the Cross Country teams from 2007-2016.  As Coach, Fred led his programs to sustained success.  As Webmaster, he posted stories about his team members, their goals and successes, wins and losses, and their growth in athletics and life.  The records Coach Riley and his staff compiled here provide the foundation for present and future Lancers to rise to their fullest capabilities, and to know they are part of a history and a community larger than themselves. 

TOM BADZEY '90

Throws Coach

CIF Champions

KEVIN DELANEY '89

Head Cross Country Coach

CIF Champions and State Meet Finalists

ONES WHO CAME BEFORE

                                                                                          ---David Desmond

Reflecting over the last fifteen years, and with decisions made over the last few weeks, I have reached an important conclusion. Dave Desmond and I will not coach together again. Oh, he will probably coach again in his home of Sacramento, at Christian Brothers high school. He will probably teach there as well. He'll have the same success that he had with me at La Salle...just, I will not be there with him. What I will have is the enormous legacy he is leaving behind. Thank God I don't have to let him take it, or La Salle's legacy would have a deep chasm.

What did David Desmond, affectionately known as D square, bring to the table: intelligence, maturity, killer work ethic, insight, like I have never seen before, and wisdom (no it's not the same as maturity; maturity is making the correct decision after experiencing a bad decision, wisdom allows you to pass on the good decision to others so they may learn from your experiences). I know that some will say that these assets are intangibles. Well, let me tell you that David (please say his name with an exclamation point as his mother does and as Coach Norris  and I love to do while imitating her), is leaving tangible items and events to seal his legacy as no other coach I have ever worked with has.

Let's start with the year I interviewed David! in the La Salle dining hall in 2000. That year the girls won a CIF championship, while David initiated the construction of a mold that led to a future La Salle Hall of Famer and UCLA star, John Caulfield. Caulfield participated in multiple CIF finals and finished 6th overall in the state meet his junior season. I suggested to the team manager, Tamara Bryant an ex-"volleyballer" who tore up her knee in club the year before, that I thought she was being wasted as a manager and talked David into taking her on as a thrower. She was a good manager, but in 2001, Desmond turned her into a two-time CIF champion, a future La Salle Hall of Famer and State meet finalist. BTW, in 2001 Bryant finished 2nd and Caulfield finished 4th in CIF in the shot put. In 2002 the girls won another CIF team championship. David asked, "Wow, does this happen all the time here?" Maybe not for the team, but it continued for Desmond. That year Caulfield finished 2nd in shot put and 4th in the discus. David salvaged the career of a quarterback, James Shifflett, and coached him to a 6th place in the Discus and 7th place in the shot put. He did not leave out the ladies and coached Bryant to double first place finishes in the shot and discus and  a trip to the state meet. 2003 not necessarily a great year for the La Salle track team, but another banner year for David. Yes, the girls won the 4 x 400 meter relay championship, and David coached Caulfield to a CIF championship in the shot put and a 2nd place finish in the discus. David guided another novice, ex-softballer, Amber Beaston, to a league championship and 7th place CIF finish. Once again demonstrating how track and field can resurrect athletic careers seemingly lost in other sports. 

In the interest of brevity, I'll just list the remaining athletes that Coach Desmond coached to success:

2004 Michele Dannhausen  9th place Discus

2005 Michele Dannhausen 1st place Discus (another CIF champion)

         Shelby McCray 4th place Discus

         Eric Carlos 2nd place Shot Put

2006 Eric Carlos 3rd place Shot Put

         Jonathan Stoddard 5th place Discus

         Esteban Gil 8th place Discus

2007 Shelby McCray 2nd place Discus

         Shelby McCray 3rd place shot put

         Alex Jimenez 7th place shot put

         Jonathan Stoddard 6th place Discus

2008 Buddy Evans 9th place Discus

2009 Itohan Aikionbare 5th place Discus

2010 Itohan Aikionbare 1st place Discus

2011 Itohan Aikionbare 1st place Shot Put

         Itohan Aikionbare 3rd place Discus (and a trip to the state meet)

2013 Jaya Banks 5th place Discus

         Billie Rude 7th place Discus

         Brandon Mulligan 5th place Discus

Quite a legacy to be proud of. The above list does not include the numerous individual league champions, runner's ups, and third place finishers (all qualifying for CIF) that were blessed by his maturity and wisdom. Have fun in Sacramento, David!

My brother will move on, and I do mean brother in the best sense. Someone who argues with you, disagrees with your choices, but cares about you, and always has your back. My brother from another mother. Thanks for the memories, David!

                                                                                                     Fred

HOME OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM IN SCHOOL HISTORY

Track & Field has more individual champions, more league champions, more CIF champions, more state finalists and more college participants. This program was not built through clubs, travel teams or age-group sports, but through hard work, sacrifice and dedication. The coaching staff has a combined 90+ years track and field coaching experience, with five coaches at the school over ten years.   Being the only program to feature three full-time on campus teachers as coaches, we build scholars, not just athletes. We don't claim a history, our history is well-documented.  While some athletes hide in the anonymity of team sports, our athletes shine in the individuality of the first earthly sport, track and field.

chris ring '01

Coach from 2008-2020

Head Track & Field Coach 2017-2020

Cross Country Coach

CIF Finalists and State Meet Finalists

Our COACHING Staff

This iteration of track and field started in 1995. La Salle Track & Field was the result of a collaboration of three interlopers from Pius X (Fred Riley P'07, Duane Norris, Jim McConnen) and three La Salle alums (Joe Blackman '89, Javier Guzman '89, Kevin Delaney '89). This team of coaches formed a bond that still exists to this day, though some of the names have changed over the years and others have passed on. Remaining is the core of a solid foundation of coaching track and field that since 1995 has led to 3 CIF banners, 27 team league championships, over 230 individual league champions, 26 individual CIF champions, several state meet finalists, numerous college participants, and college graduates.

About our team