By Chelsea Boatwright
Special to The Sun
An array of colorful uniforms transformed the white foam walls of the complex into a rainbow of aspiring state champions.
Antsy runners stood on the starting line as they anxiously waited for the sound of the gun to start the race.
This was the atmosphere at the NJSIAA Group IV Indoor Relays on Jan. 14 at the John Bennett Indoor Complex in Toms River.
The combination of the Lenape coaches Gerald Richardson, Jack Walsh, Keith Giberson, and Nicholas Tyson, along with the athletic ability belonging to the Lenape indoor girls’ track team, ultimately led the team to earn its second-consecutive title as state relay champions.
The girls of the Lenape team brought competitive spirits when they were faced with their toughest competitors: Columbia, Union and Southern high schools.
The intense atmosphere, pressure to succeed and fierce competition filled the minds of many athletes on this day.
The bustling thoughts also filled the mind of spectacular Lenape distance runner Amanda Restivo.
“The most important thing to remember is to stay calm and trust your training,” she said.
Restivo’s wise words were put into action when her relay team had success in the 4×800 relay event, running an overall time of 9:35.82.
When running a relay, athletes are confronted with a plethora of concerns, such as how teammates will work together, the passing of the baton and the pressure to either lead off or secure the team’s lead or maintain a first-place status.
Sophomore Emily McGee achieved great success while running the second leg of the 4×800.
“I love running the second 800 meter leg in relays,” McGee said. “It is my favorite because you do not have the pressure the lead off runner has … you just get the baton and run as fast as you can to maintain the lead.”
Lenape’s success is a result of incredible talent and a tremendous amount of hard work. One of Lenape High School’s record-holding distance runners, Natalia Ocasio, explains how the team’s numerous workouts led to success.
“I cannot pick one particular workout I feel helped prepare my team and me for the state relays because all the workouts we have done — going back to the cross country season — have helped us prepare for states,” she said. “My teammates and I have pushed each other through each workout making all of us stronger as a team.”
With so many emotions that flooded the pool of victory the team experienced, Evann Thompson described the feeling she had when Lenape’s victory was confirmed.
“Simply ecstatic,” Thompson said.
