Gaspar raced to a Central Coast Section title in a school record-breaking time of 48.64 to qualify for last weekend's CIF State Track and Field meet at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento.

But it didn't take long for the Gatos junior's school record to be broken--he did it himself in the state meet preliminaries on June 3 when he ran 48.49 to finish fourth in his heat and qualify for the finals.

"Don got out great, pushing himself to another gear down the backstretch and staying really relaxed on the last 150 meters of the race," said Los Gatos coach Tom Newman.

A day later, Gaspar ran 49.39 to finish ninth in the state finals.

"It was his goal to get to the finals this year, and that's what he did," said Newman. "He was a bit tired and sore from the day before but he went out great and was in a field of some very talented athletes."

"[Coach Lloyd Murad] and I are very proud of Don," he added. "He's had to work very hard and very smart for the results he has gotten. As focused and self driven as he is, he deserves every bit of the credit for his great performances this year."

Gaspar laid the groundwork for things to come with his performance on his home track at the CCS finals. He ran 48.64 to snap the old school record of 48.73 set by Brian Edwards in 2001.

"His time places him as the all-time fastest 400-meter runner in Los Gatos High School history," said Newman.

Senior Michelle Johnson also made it to the final day of the state meet and finished ninth in the high jump at 5-3.

Track repair

The track at the high school will be closed for repair for a few days this month as part of the track resurfacing project.

The project is extensive and when finished the track will feature a state-of-the-art "thick" surface that's expected to last for 15 years.

Funds are still needed to complete the project of resurfacing the track that's used so much by the high school and the community at large.

Tax-deductible donations to the track resurfacing project can be directed to the Los Gatos Athletic Association, c/o Track Repair Fund, P.O. Box 1334, Los Gatos, 95031. For more information, call Joe Zanardi at 408.395.2002 or Willie Harmatz at 408.354.7365. Donations can also be dropped off at Athletic Performance, 55 W. Main St., in Los Gatos. A donation board will be installed at the track to recognize the top contributors.