Student-Athlete Spotlight: Nikalena Iacono finishes 14th at nationals in historic indoor track and field season

April 2, 2026

By Alexandra Lourenço
Editor-in-Chief

Senior Nikalena Iacono, a four-year indoor track and field varsity member, excelled in her final season by breaking the school shot put record of 37 feet, 11 inches previously held by Class of 2019 graduate Ariana Lombardi at the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference Indoor Track Championships at the Armory Track in New York City on Jan. 28.

Iacono went on to beat that record at the Bergen County Championships at the Armory Track on Feb. 11 and at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association State Group Championships at the Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River on Feb. 21 with a throw of 39 feet, 5 inches. This throw earned her a Group 2 state title. 

“She makes those around her better. She’s a leader without even realizing it.”

Her results at the NJSIAA State Group Championships landed her a spot in the NJSIAA Indoor Track and Field Meet of Champions on March 8 at the Ocean Breeze Indoor Track Complex in Staten Island, New York, where she finished 15th out of 29 competitors.

Iacono’s throws qualified her to participate in the Nike Indoor Nationals on March 13 at the Armory Track, where she placed 14th out of 42 in the Emerging Elite division. 

This was the first season Iacono qualified for nationals and the Meet of Champions. 

“I was very grateful that I was able to compete there because some athletes never get to do this,” Iacono said. “The best throwers are there, so just being there and also telling myself, ‘I belong here, I made it here and I qualified’ was pretty cool.”

Iacono said her accomplishments this season were the result of hard work and her coaches’ support.

“[Head] Coach Hykey is always helping me with my mindset, making sure I stay positive, and keeping me calm. [Assistant] Coach Fagan always knows how to make me laugh and tell me when I’m in my head and that I just need to go out there and have fun,” Iacono said. 

She said she appreciates her teammates being there for her.

 “I have to give a lot of credit to [senior] Tala [Daoud] because she was my number one supporter. She was always encouraging me. She was at every meet, even if she wasn’t competing,” Iacono said.

Daoud, a two-year varsity member who has known Iacono since fifth grade, said Iacono leads by example.

“People want to be like her,” Daoud said. “The way she helped me was just visually trying to do what she does and always being as strong, dedicated and passionate about things that I love to do as much as she does.” 

Daoud said she admires Iacono’s tenacity.

“No matter how many times she makes a mistake, she still gets back up on her feet and does what she has to do to achieve what she wants,” Daoud said. 

Hykey, who has coached Iacono for the past four years on both the varsity indoor track and field and soccer teams, said it has been a pleasure seeing Iacono develop.

“When she came in as a freshman, she was what freshmen typically should be in the sense that she did what she was supposed to do,” Hykey said. “As she got older, she grew into bigger roles, becoming captain [for the soccer team] and being the top thrower.”

Hykey said Iacono has profoundly impacted her teammates.

“She makes those around her better. She’s a leader without even realizing it,” Hykey said.

Hykey said she is proud of Iacono for qualifying for nationals, especially since she and Class of 2024 graduate Julia Tozduman have been the only LHS indoor track and field athletes to do so.

“She’s definitely earned that in terms of all the hard work and all the hours of weight room training,” Hykey said. 

She said Iacono’s talent extends beyond athletics, as she is managing editor in The Lighthouse, class president and ranked fourth academically among the seniors.

“Nikalena is one of our most well-rounded student-athletes. She has become a master at time management and juggling multiple things at once,” Hykey said. “She is able to maintain such high standards in everything. Nothing suffers. She is truly one of a kind.”