For the first time since 2019, Brandeis’ outdoor track and field teams were back to running, jumping and throwing. The Judges headed down to nearby Weston High School to compete against the Penmen of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) in a non-scoring meet. The SNHU squad was short-handed, as the men’s and women’s distance teams were unable to make the trip to Massachusetts due to health and safety precautions. In compliance with Brandeis’ return to play guidelines for varsity spring athletics, no spectators were allowed.
Andrea Bolduc ’21, captain of the distance team, led the way for the women. She came in first place with a time of 4:50.14 in the 1500 meter run, with teammate Natalie Hattan finishing just a second later at 4:51.03. Bolduc’s time places her at 44th amongst the Division III rankings for this event, and sixth in the University Athletic Association (UAA).
In the relays, Brandeis outshined their opponents from SNHU by over a second for the 4×100 event, running at 50.09 seconds as compared to the Penmen’s 51.60. This squad comprised of Anna Touitou ’22, Ianna Gilbert ’24, Alya Campbell ’24 and Devin Hiltunen ’22, who now rank 50th nationally. Hiltunen was also impressive as an individual in the 400 meter race, coming in at 1:01.49. With this time, Hiltunen is ranked number seven amongst UAA conference competitors.
In the hurdles, Campbell ran a 16.64 for the 100 meters, with Tessa Holleran ’21 coming in closely behind with a time of 17.36 seconds. With these times, Campbell and Holleran place seventh and ninth in the UAA. At the 400 meter mark, Lydia Harris ’21 bested the hurdles competition with a time of 1:10.30, good for sixth in the UAA, and Yahni Lapa ’23 followed with a time of 1:10.51, good for seventh. Lastly, rookie Jordan LaPierre ’24 made her debut in the triple jump, coming in second to SNHU with a distance of 9.52 meters, placing her at eighth within the conference.
Jack Allan ’20/MA ’21 had an outstanding performance on the men’s side. He went for a distance of 7.08 meters in the long jump, coming in sixth place amongst NCAA Division III overall rankings. He also came in first for the day in the men’s 200 meter dash, posting a time of 23.14 seconds. Allan then was awarded UAA Athlete of the Week honors for men’s track and field for the second time in his career.
In the triple jump, rookie classmates Parker Jones ’24 and Ori Slotky ’24 went for 12.35 and 12.12 meters respectively, placing them at sixth and eighth in the UAA. Slotky also had a top-ten performance in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 17.70 seconds, coming in just behind Aaron Baublis ’21 at 16.95 seconds. Baublis and Slotky rank ninth and 10th respectively in the UAA. In the pole vault, Breylen Ammen ’21 tied teammate Eitan Ventura ’24 with a height of 3.66 meters, good for seventh in the conference. On the field side, Thoman Vandalovsky ’23 threw the shotput for 12.50 meters, with this performance ranking fourth in UAA standings.
The Judges return to the track this upcoming weekend, as they take on competition from Babson College and Plymouth State University again at Weston High School on Saturday, April 17.
