Three members of Ceres High School’s track and field program were awarded all-league patches after taking first in their respective events at the Western Athletic Conference Championships this past month in Los Banos.

“It represents the hard work I put in,” Bulldogs’ senior high jumper Lebron Stallworth said.

Stallworth set a personal record while placing first in the high jump.

He cleared six feet.

“I didn’t come into high school thinking I was going to be good at track,” said Stallworth, who also excelled in basketball and football. “I put more energy into the sport this year. I perfected my form. I kept improving each week.

Senior Faiva Tuakalau finished first with a personal-best toss of 43 feet, 2 inches in the shot put.

He set a personal record in the event.

“It’s a testament to his coachability and work ethic,” Ceres High head coach Brett Johnson said while talking about Tuakalau’s championship performance. “Once he got comfortable with the new techniques, he saw a huge growth.”

Junior Lilly Blevins placed first with a mark of 29 feet, 61/2 inches in the shot put.

“I was so proud of myself being able to throw far enough to take first,” she said.

Blevins practiced on her own at Beyer High School leading up to the WAC Championships.

“I got to focus on myself,” she said.

Blevins plans to attach her all-conference patch to her letterman jacket in the near future. “My goal was to take first in the WAC,” she said. “It was really unbelievable I was able to do that. I really improved this year.”

“I definitely got a lot stronger,” Blevins added. “I never had upper-body strength. I started focusing on my techniques and honed in on what worked for me. I increased my skill and distances.”

Blevins has improved each year. She’ll have high expectations during her final season with the Bulldogs.

“My end-of-year goal, I want to hit 33-35 feet,” she said. “Going to Masters would be really amazing.”