The Brandeis University indoor track and field team opened its 2019-2020 season at the Emmanuel College Invitational at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, MA on Dec. 7 2019. Devin Hiltunen ’22 secured one win during the meet and Jack Allan ’20 had two top-two finishes.

In the 200-meter dash, Hiltunen crossed the finish line in 26.41 seconds, winning her heat by three-tenths of a second over an opponent from Rhode Island College. Anna Touitou ’22 finished the race in 12th with a time of 27.28 seconds. 

Hiltunen also placed fourth overall in the 400 meter dash with a time of 1:01.76. The top three placing individuals in the race were all from Division II schools (Southern New Hampshire University and Saint Rose University). Rookie Sydney D’Ammadio ’23 placed seventh in the race with a time of 1:03.45, but third among all Division III competitors.  

Rookie Yahni Lapa ‘23 proved victorious in the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:23.97, nearly half a second ahead of the second place finisher.  

Women’s track and field captain Andrea Bolduc ’21 showcased her talent, winning the mile race with a time of 5:22.53. Running her first collegiate mile, Leinni Valdez ‘21 finished fourth with a time of 5:33.29. Rookie Bridget Pickard ’23 finished in 15th with a time of 5:50.86. 

Rookie Victoria Morrongiello ’23 placed sixth in the 800-meter dash, completing the race in 2:30.41 and finishing third among all Division III runners. Teammate Elizabeth Dunphy ’22 finished in seventh and fourth among Division III competitors, with a time of 2:34.09. Taylor Kane ’22 finished in 12th with a time of 2:40.63.

The Judges were successful in the 4×400-meter relay, placing second with a time of 4:08.89.  The relay team comprised of Lapa, D’Amaddio, Valdez and Hiltunen came up short against the Division II team from Southern New Hampshire University.  

Senior Willa Moen ’20 proved successful in the field events, placing third in the pole vault with a height of 2.74 meters. She also placed 10th in the high jump, leaping 1.45 meters. Moen finished ninth in the 60 meter hurdles preliminaries with a time of 9.90 seconds, just one place away from qualifying for finals. 

On the men’s side, Allan placed second in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.68 seconds, just one-tenth of a second behind first place Dimetri Morris ’23 from Bridgewater State University. Teammate Aaron Baublis ’21 finished in fifth with a time of 8.80 seconds. Dionysus Morris-Evans ’22 finished 11th in the preliminaries with a time of 9.29 seconds, just missing the cut-off for the finals.

Allan also finished second in the long jump with a distance of 6.55 meters, more than half a meter further than the third place finisher. Morris-Evans finished eighth in the long jump with 6.29 meters. Morris-Evans also placed third in the high jump with a height of 1.95 meters, just five centimeters behind the second place finisher. Allan secured fifth, clearing a height of 1.85 meters. Also in field events, Breylen Ammen ’21 finished third in the pole vault with a height of 4.0 meters.

The Judges excelled on the track, as Aaron Portman ’22 placed second in the 800-meter dash with a time of 1:59.95, falling short of first place by just over one-tenth of a second. Jacob Grant ’22 placed fifth in the same event with a time of 2:02.39. Rookie Siva Annadorai ’23 finished in ninth place with a time of 2:05.36. 

Lorenzo Maddox ’20 placed 13th in the preliminaries for the 60 meter dash, just five-hundredths of a second away from qualifying for the finals. Patrick Quinlan ’21 placed 10th in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.50, just one-hundredth of a second faster than rookie Dean Campbell ’23. Jamie O’Neil ’22 finished ninth in the 400 meter dash with a time of 53.47. 

Seniors Alec Rodgers ’20 and Dan Curley ’20 placed third and seventh, respectively, in the mile run, with times of 4:37.25 and 4:40.10, respectively. In the 3000 meter run, Josh Lombardo ’21, secured fourth place with a time just over nine minutes at 9:00.98. Rookie Casey Brackett ’23 finished in 18th with a time of 9:36.10.

In the 4×400 meter relay, Portman, O’Neil, Campbell, Quinlan secured third place with a time of 3:31:54. The Judges were edged out by two Division II teams, Saint Rose University and Merrimack College. 

Coming into the 2020 track season, the Judges are led by All-American sprinter Hiltunen and school record holder hurdler Sonali Anderson ’22 on the women’s side. The team also returns miler Bolduc, Danielle Bertaux ’20 and Niamh Kenney ’21 in the 3000 meter run and Valdez in the 400 meter and 800 meter. On the men’s side, the Judges are led by multi-event athlete Allan, school record-holder pole vaulter Ammen, Lombardo in the mile and Churchill Perry ’20, arguably one of the best long and triple jumpers in all the University Athletic Association (UAA). 

The Judges are back in action on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 10 and 11, when they will host the annual Reggie Poyau Memorial Invitational at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. 

Editor’s Note: Victoria Morrongiello is a member of the women’s track and field team and is the Deputy News Editor of The Hoot.