The Brandeis University track and field teams launched their 2023 outdoor season in the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Lowell Invitational on March 24. While the meet was non scoring, the Judges competed with some of the top Division I team in the northeast—including the University of Hartford, the University of Vermont, and Merrimack College; additionally, the Judges saw numerous runners on both the men’s and the women’s squads achieve new personal bests.
Alya Campbell ’24 had a strong performance in her 2023 outdoor season debut; Campbell won the 100-meter hurdle with a time of 15.54 seconds and finished fourth overall in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.67 seconds. Teammates Kayla DiBenedetto ’25, Ella Warkentine ’26 and Adah Anderson ’24 all had an impressive showing in the 1500-meter run, shattering their previous personal bests. DiBenedetto finished 7th overall, setting a personal record time of 4:55.25; Warkentine finished 16th, setting a record of 5:03.01 and Anderson finished 37th, setting a record of 5:37.97. Veteran runner Bridget Pickard ’23 and sophomore runner Kyra Au ’25 both fell just shy of personal records; however, Pickard finished 10th overall in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:57.72, while Au finished 31st with a time of 5:25.34.
The Judges 4×100-meter relay team of Devin Hiltunen ’23, Shaniece Higent ’26, Smiley Huynh ’24 and Campbell found great success in the UMass Lowell Invitational, placing fourth overall with a time of 50.79 seconds. Additionally, both Judges’ 4×400-meter relay teams placed in the top five; Victoria Morrongiello ’23, Yahni Lapa ’23, Hiltunen and Olivia Zarzyck ’24 finished second with a time of 4:20.16; while, DiBenedetto, Au, Warkentine and Ianna Gilbert ’24 finished fifth with a time of 4:34.00.
Not only did the Brandeis women find success outdoors in the UMass Lowell Invitational; so too did the Brandeis men, as numerous runners sustained their momentum from the indoor season that concluded just a few weeks ago. Dion Morris-Evans ’23, a veteran leader on the Brandeis men’s squad, finished first in the 110-meter hurdle with a time of 15.24 seconds, setting a new personal record. He also finished second in the high jump event with a height of 1.86m, just shy of his personal record of 1.90m.
Sophomore springer Danny Krigman ’25 had a career day, setting two new personal records in his debut meet of the 2023 outdoor season. Krigman placed fifth overall in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.31 seconds; in the 200-meter dash, Krigman finished fourth with a time of 23.16. Akin to the women, the Brandeis men’s relay teams all had top five finishes. The men’s 4×100-meter relay team of sophomore runners Jordan Colon ’25, Krigman and first-year runners Leo Schiappa ’26 and Matthew Yue ’26 placed fourth overall with a time of 44.06 seconds. The first of two 4×400-meter relay teams, TJ Carleo ’26, Samuel Kim ’24, Morris-Evans and Krigman finished third with a time of 3:33.42. The second 4×400-meter relay squad of TJ Showstead ’26, Ori Slotky ’24, Young Wang ’24 and Schiappa placed fifth with a time of 3:42.10.
The Judges head to Medford, Massachusetts next week to compete in the Tufts Snowflake Classic, where they hope for spring weather and first place finishes.
Editor’s Note: Editor-in-Chief Victoria Morrongiello, Deputy Sports Editor Calli Morvay and Layout Editor Erik Lopez did not contribute to the writing or editing of this article.
