Junior Alyssa Brewer has a fast future in front of her.

Brewer has been running since seventh grade and hasn’t stopped since. 

And she has high expectations going into this season after winning state and Junior Olmpic championships in the 800-meters race.

“She is the first woman to ever win a state championship for Cal High,” said track and field head coach Mark Karbo. 

Last season, Brewer ran to the top, winning the USATF Region 16 Junior Olympic Championships in the 800 with a 2:15.47 time on June 26, 2016. 

“The Junior Olympics were really fun, especially because I won my race,” said Brewer. 

During the Junior Olympics, Brewer also placed second in the 400 with a personal record time of 55.41 seconds.

But before competing in the Junior Olympics, Brewer  represented Cal High in the CIF State Finals for the 800 meter run. She won the title with a time of 2:06.86, the fastest in the North Coast Section since 1981. She also gained the title of fastest in the state last season and ranked 10th in the nation. 

“State was very nerve wracking but very fun,” said Brewer.

To prepare for these big meets Brewer spends hours to keep her speed up. 

“Alyssa is always focused and determined,” said teammate Leila Rendich, who runs on the 4×400 relay team with Brewer. “She prepares like all of us but you can tell there is something else in her that drives her to do her best.” 

But all her success didn’t come easy. 

“I train around 12 hours a week on average,” said Brewer. 

Brewer’s practice schedule is heavy with weights twice a week, running at track practice, and playing soccer in the offseason.

Her teammates and family all see her hard work and persistence in her character. 

“Alyssa is good because she has the most dedication and is always striving to get better,” said Rendich

Brewer finds that the work she has to put in and not stopping when she really wants to are the hardest things about running.

“It’s really difficult to go train even when you don’t want to run,” said Brewer. 

Karbo thinks the most difficult thing for Brewer is finding competition and being able to push herself, even when she is much faster than the girls in her meets.

“She is very dedicated to her running and getting better, doing whatever she needs to do the best she can,” said Andrew Brewer, Alyssa’s twin brother.

Even with all the hard work and training, Brewer enjoys track, especially the meets where she finds a chance to prove herself and see the results of work. 

Her brother always knew she was fast, even in elementary school where he remembers her beating just about everyone.

“She is quiet but very competitive away from track,” said Andrew.

Brewer doesn’t only shine on the track, but she is also a role model to many of her peers.

“I think she is amazing and I look up to her because of the hard work she puts in 24/7,” Rendich said. “Her future has amazing things in store for her.”

“I love how she is always humble, sweet, and has a smile on her face,” added teammate Lauren Sebastiani.  

This season, Brewer has a lot to look forward to and is excited to run with a strong relay team again. Her goals for the season are to get under 0:55 for the 400 and beat the California record for the 800.

Her best race is the 800, but her favorites are the 4×400 relay and the 400. 

Brewer undoubtedly has an incredibly bright future ahead of her and she hopes to take her running career to the next level in college. 

“Alyssa will do very well this season, she is training hard, her speed is up and she already got a PR (personal record),” said Karbo.