Livingston High School’s indoor track and field season began with three competitions in the past week. Despite the challenges of winter training, the athletes have been practicing since Thanksgiving, with many preparing since mid-fall. Indoor track and field practices take place outdoors, on surrounding roads, in the weight room, and even in the hallways of LHS when necessary.
The Lancers began their season on December 16, at a shot put and high jump invitational in Garfield. A highlight was Jessica Oji’s shot put throw of 51 feet and eight inches, ranking her first in the country and fourth furthest in New Jersey history. Nesta Oji also achieved a fifth place finish in shot put, while sophomore Maya Ray won the novice division in high jump, and freshman Emma Rabinowitz secured second place in the freshman division.
On Monday, December 16, the team competed at the Spiked Shoe Invitational at the Nike Armory in Manhattan, facing schools from the metropolitan area. Emma Rabinowitz finished fourth in her first 55m hurdle race; Maya Adeyin placed seventh in her first 55m dash; and Shubhada Bhoyer finished eighth in her first 1600m with a time of 6:27.85. In the varsity division, Sophia Paparsenos (5:31.75) and Sophie Schumacher (5:57.07) both achieved personal bests in the 1600m, followed by strong performances in the 800m.
The week concluded with the Essex County Coaches Invitational at Ocean Breeze, Staten Island, on Friday, December 20. This meet included over 45 schools from around the tri-state area, where top eight finishers in each event earned a medal. Maya Ray medaled, placing eighth in the 55m hurdle finals, also competing in the 200m, high jump, and pole vault. Senior Sarah Nidhan also medaled, finishing in eighth place in the 1600m (5:38.9), her first time running the event this season. Sophia Wang secured a first place finish in the high jump, tying her personal best of five feet. The night concluded with the 4x400m relay team of Phoebe Liu, Erika Tiuca, Sarah Nidhan, and Nesta Oji earning a fouth place finish.
Looking ahead, the team has two more meets before the end of 2024: the Cliff Back Invitational at Drew University on December 27 and the Coach Glynn Holiday Carnival at Ocean Breeze on December 28.
