Spring is approaching, which means track season is here! On February 21st, 2026, Torrance hosted its 66th annual Zamperini Invitational meet. More than 10 schools came to compete, including Peninsula, St. Joseph (Lakewood), Culver City, St. Mary’s Academy, Redondo Union, Lawndale, Hamilton, San Pedro, Inglewood, and South Torrance. We had a great meet. Coach Irvine praised, “Everyone did very well, I liked everyone’s effort! Torrance is well represented.”
This was a relay-only meet, meaning no one had to compete individually. These meets demonstrate great teamwork and companionship between the students. It wasn’t just competing with people in the school but with friends.
The varsity boys even broke the school record in the Sprint Meter Run (SMR 800m). The SMR consists of two runners completing 100 meters each, one runner covering 200 meters, leaving the anchor to run the last 400 meters. The previous record of 1:36.82, set in 2022 by M. Mihaelian, J. Magdaleno, L. Needly, and I. Emerson was surpassed with the new record of 1:34.35, broken by Mattheiu Silverman, Arjang Ehsan, Morgan Dixon, and Nicolas Obimgba.
This is Nicolas Obimgba’s 6th school record he’s broken. Reflecting on his accomplishment, Obimgba said, “It feels great to be honest, I am very humble and thankful for all my teammates, you know I couldn’t have done it without them. Before the race I was pretty nervous, you know having to anchor, all the pressure is on you. Morgan helped gain a lot of distance I think we were in last place when he got the baton, but he closed a gap and got us to third, but you know I ended the race in first, it was kind of surreal having to close a 50 yard gap, but you know, I let my competitive side come out and we took first so that’s pretty exciting.”
Overall, the Zamperini Invitational was an exciting and successful way to kick off the 2026 track season for Torrance. The team showed determination, depth, and unity throughout all the events. The varsity boys SMR victory highlighted not only Torrance’s speed, but our teamwork as well. The Tartars were well represented and made the coaches really proud.
