Long Beach State coaches, alumni to seek glory at Paris 2024 Olympics
The Beach, throughout its history, has fostered a sporting culture that readies athletes and coaches for the crucible of international competition. This tradition now continues as seven coaches and athletes with ties to Long Beach State are preparing for the Summer Olympics in Paris.
The campus鈥 links to the Summer Olympics date to 1952, when diver Pat McCormick . Since then, athletes and coaches with connections to The Beach have .
鈥淭he Olympic Games symbolize the best of athletics competition and sportsmanship, and we are tremendously proud of the continued representation of Beach Athletics at this summer鈥檚 Paris Olympics,鈥 Athletics Director Bobby Smitheran said.
This time around, Olympians with Beach ties will coach or compete in track and field, volleyball and water polo. Most will trade Long Beach State鈥檚 black and gold for Team USA鈥檚 red, white and blue; others will compete while wearing the colors of the Canadian and French national teams.
Beach head track and field coach LaTanya Sheffield is set to have a major role for Team USA as the head coach for women鈥檚 track and field. Additionally, campus head water polo coach Gavin Arroyo has accepted a role as an assistant coach for U.S. Men鈥檚 water polo.
Beach assistant women鈥檚 water polo coach Rachel Fattal also has a ticket to Paris, where she is set to jump in the pool as a member of the U.S. women鈥檚 water polo team. A pair of Beach alumni, men鈥檚 volleyballers TJ DeFalco 鈥21 and Kyle Ensing, 鈥19 are also scheduled travel with the U.S. men鈥檚 volleyball team. Beach alumnae who competed for the women鈥檚 water polo team, Marilia Mimides 鈥22 and Orsi Hertzka, 鈥22 are respectively on the rosters for the Canadian and French women鈥檚 water polo squads.
鈥淟ong Beach State University鈥檚 history of participation in the summer Olympics on the world stage provides all members of our campus and greater Long Beach community something to cheer for and be proud of,鈥 Smitheran said. 鈥淥n behalf of Beach Athletics, it鈥檚 my privilege to extend our well wishes to those coaches and athletes chasing their dreams of winning a gold medal.鈥
Meet the Olympians:
Track and Field
LaTanya Sheffield
![A portrait of track and field coach LaTanya Sheffield A portrait of track and field coach LaTanya Sheffield](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_450w/public/images/2024-07/1080x1080_Paris_Sheffield.png?itok=7YYrEjwk)
Long Beach State鈥檚 head track and field, LaTanya Sheffield, has been selected as head coach for the U.S. Women鈥檚 Track and Field team. She joined the Beach in 2013 and in 2022. Since Sheffield鈥檚 arrival, Long Beach State has claimed five men鈥檚 and three women鈥檚 Big West track and field championships.
Sheffield also has a record of success in world-class competitions. This includes coaching Olympians during the Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro games. U.S. women competing with Sheffield鈥檚 guidance won several medals and swept the 100m hurdles at Rio.
As an athlete, Sheffield competed as an Olympic finalist during the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. She also won the 1985 NCAA championship in the 400m hurdles while running for San Diego State.
Volleyball
TJ DeFalco
![A portrait of volleyball player TJ DeFalco A portrait of volleyball player TJ DeFalco](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_450w/public/images/2024-07/1080x1080_Paris_Defalco.png?itok=hLd5au0z)
TJ DeFalco will be participating in his second Olympics since playing for The Beach. DeFalco contributed to The Beach鈥檚 back-to-back national championships in 2018 and 2019 and , as well as two others. DeFalco also earned from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Kyle Ensing
![A portrait of volleyball player Kyle Ensing A portrait of volleyball player Kyle Ensing](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_450w/public/images/2024-07/1080x1080_Paris_Ensing.png?itok=kXhe2hRS)
Kyle Ensing is the 鈥渙fficial alternate athlete鈥 for Team USA鈥檚 men鈥檚 volleyball team. This means he will go to Paris and be eligible to take the place of any teammate who cannot play for health reasons, according to USA Volleyball. Ensing also competed in the Tokyo games. At The Beach, he was a member of The Beach鈥檚 2018 and 2019 national championship teams and earned First Team All-American selections in both seasons, as well as a .
Water Polo
Gavin Arroyo
![A portrait of water polo coach Gavin Arroyo A portrait of water polo coach Gavin Arroyo](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_450w/public/images/2024-07/1080x1080_Paris_Arroyo.png?itok=BczjcXZX)
Gavin Arroyo, set to serve as an assistant coach for U.S. men鈥檚 water polo team, has been head men鈥檚 water polo coach here since 2006. He earned his first of in the following season. The men鈥檚 team has secured several Top Ten rankings during Arroyo鈥檚 tenure, including a No. 4 ranking in 2014.
Arroyo is also a member of the 2020 USA Water Polo Hall of Fame鈥檚 induction class and has previously represented the United States as an Olympic athlete and assistant coach. He was a member of Team USA during the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, and the 2000 Games in Sydney, as well as the 1994 and 1998 World Championship winning teams and the 1997 team that won the World Cup. Arroyo joined the national team鈥檚 coaching staff for the Tokyo Olympics.
Rachel Fattal
![A portrait of water polo assistant coach Rachel Fattal A portrait of water polo assistant coach Rachel Fattal](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_450w/public/images/2024-07/1080x1080_Paris_Fattal.png?itok=cGKGlsI8)
Long Beach State for the women鈥檚 water polo team in 2022. She has already won two Olympic gold medals, having played with Team USA鈥檚 championship squads in the Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro games. She is now seeking a third gold, set to travel to Paris as a women鈥檚 national team athlete. Fattal has held a roster spot throughout a decade of U.S. dominance in women鈥檚 water polo. Excepting the pandemic year of 2020, U.S. women have claimed championships in Olympic, World Championship and World Cup events in every year spanning 2014 through 2023.
Orsi Hertzka
![A portrait of water polo player Orsi Hertzka A portrait of water polo player Orsi Hertzka](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_450w/public/images/2024-07/1080x1080_Paris_Hertzka.png?itok=o-UcgZyn)
Orsi Hertzka scored a team-best 70 goals during her senior year campaign. She and is now set to compete for the French women鈥檚 national team. She also in the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
Marilia Mimides
![A portrait of water polo player Marilia Mimides A portrait of water polo player Marilia Mimides](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_450w/public/images/2024-07/1080x1080_Paris_Mimides.png?itok=hMwOtRv0)
Olympics newcomer Marilia Mimides will be competing for Canada, following up on her World Aquatics Championships appearance with Canada鈥檚 national team last year. Her accomplishments at The Beach include a six-goal performance against Cal State Northridge in April 2022 that led to a .