Despite a season marked with weather disruptions and facility issues, the Livingston girls’ track and field team achieved remarkable success at the Essex County Relays, where the team secured its second consecutive championship title.
The Essex County Relays, held at Ocean Breeze, Staten Island, on Wednesday, February 5, required athletes to compete across nine disciplines encompassing sprints, distance running, jumps, and throws.
Livingston set the tone early with a dominant victory in the shuttle hurdle relay. The team of Nesta Oji, Sophia Wang, Maya Ray, and captain Darcy Bialick blazed through the hurdles in 32.24 seconds, shattering the school record for the second time this season.
The momentum continued with the distance medley relay (DMR). Sarah Nidhan led the charge in the 1200m, followed by Stephanie Tiuca in the 400m, captain Phoebe Liu in the 800m, and captain Sophia Paparsenos anchoring the 1600m. Paparsenos delivered a season-best performance, securing first place for the DMR team with a time of 13:00.95.
The sprint medley relay (SMR) team of Gabby Chorba, MayaAdeyin, Kumba Gbondo-Tugbawa, and Sophia Schumacher earned two points with a fifth-place finish and a time of 4:40.85. The 4x200 relay team, featuring Bialick, Stephanie Tiuca, Ray, and Erika Tiuca, also contributed a point with a sixth-place finish and a season-best time of 1:49.28.
The competition remained tight, with Montclair, West Orange, and Livingston vying for every point. The 4x800 relay team of Liu, Paparsenos, Schumacher, and Nidhan, battled for a silver medal (10:09.16) despite fatigue, in a close race with West Orange and Montclair.
In relay meets, teammates’ individual performances are combined to determine the winner. Livingston’s high jump duo, Sophia Wang and Darcy Bialick, delivered strong performances, clearing 5’0” and 4’8” respectively. Their combined score earned the Lancers crucial first-place points, helping them close the gap with rivals Montclair and West Orange.
The highlight of the meet came in the shot put circle, where senior and top-ranked thrower Jessica Oji and her sister, Nesta Oji, were set to make history. Jessica opened up with a personal best and put everyone on notice. Nesta matched the intensity and threw her personal best of 36 feet. On Jessica’s second throw, she unleashed the second best throw in history and an Essex County record, 57 feet and 4.5 inches. Jessica was off the national record throw by only one inch. The Oji sisters combined for a 93 feet, 4.5 inches New Jersey state relay record. The sisters earned ten points, which put the Lancers in the lead ahead of the 4x400m relay.
The Lancers toed the line knowing that second placed West Orange had one of the best 4x400m relay teams in the county. Nesta Oji went from the shot put circle to the track to lead the Lancers with a great first leg, handing the baton off to Erika Tiuca, followed by Sarah Nidhan for her third race of the night, and anchored by Bialick for her fourth event of the night. The girls secured six points with a third place and a season best time of 4:15.43. The effort was enough to bring home the first place trophy to Livingston for the second year in a row.
“Relay meets truly showcase a team’s depth and the athletes’dedication to a collective goal,” said head coach Raz Blau. “While individual achievements are celebrated, the Lancers understand that team success is paramount. Following a demanding series of competitions, including a second-place finish at the Group 4 State Relays and a close third behind West Orange and Montclair at last week’s Essex County Individual Championships, the team is now focused on preparing for the Group IV North 1 Sectional Championships, to be held on February 16 in Toms River.”
