Grote throws PR to place second at Bowdoin

BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Brandeis track and field teams participated in their second meet of the semester at Bowdoin College on Saturday afternoon. The women finished in fourth place of the six teams competing with 71 points, while the men were sixth overall with 32 points.

TOP PERFORMERS, WOMEN

• The Judges had a couple of winners on the afternoon. Junior Danielle Bertaux (Prides Crossing, Mass./Beverly) captured the 3,000-meter run with a personal-best time of 10:17.91, meeting qualifying standards for Division III and Open New Englands in the process.
• Rookie Sonali Anderson (Fayetteville, Ga./Whitewater) lowered her school record in the 60-meter hurdles for the third meet in a row, winning with a time of 9.32 seconds, after running 9.46 in the prelims.
• Senior Doyin Ogundiran (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) added a runner-up finish in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:57.82, which was good for both New England meets, as well as ECACs.
• Rookie Jac Guerra (Guilford, Conn./Guilford) also was runner-up in the mile run with a time of 5:07.32.
• Classmate Devin Hiltunen (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) finished second in the 200-meter dash with a New England D3 and Open qualifying time of 26.73 seconds.
• In the 600-meter run, sophomore Lisbeth Valdez (Providence, R.I./Hope) was third with a mark of 1:40.20, while senior Maya Bliss (Williamstown, Mass./Amherst Regional) was fourth in 1:41.41.
• In relay action, Anderson teamed with senior Kanya Brown (Amherst Mass./Amherst Regional), sophomore Tessa Holleran (Norwell, Mass./Norwell) and rookie Anna Touitou (Pleasantville, N.Y./Pleasantville) to take the runner-up spot in the 4x200-meter relay with a mark of 1:50.81.
• In the 4x400 relay, Lisbeth Valdez and twin sister Leinni Valdez (Providence, R.I./Hope) teamed with Hiltunen and Ogundiran to place third with a time of 4:05.36.

TOP PERFORMERS, MEN

• On the men's side, senior Scott Grote (Greenfield, Mass./Greenfield) was the top finisher, taking second place in the 35-pound weight throw, heaving it 15.84 meters (51-11 ¾) on his second-to-last throw to qualify for Division III New Englands and ECAC New Englands. It was his personal best. 
• The Judges also had a host of third-place finishes. Senior Regan Charie (Topsfield, Mass. / Masconomet Reg.) had two of them, running 7.18 seconds in the 60-meter dash and 23.25 seconds in the 200.
• Sophomore Breylen Ammen (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln Sudbury) added bronze in the pole vault with a height of 4.40 meters (14-5 ¼).
• Finally, junior Jack Allan (Wrentham, Mass./King Phillip Regional) was third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.77 seconds.
• The 4x400-meter relay team of junior Erez Needleman (Bronx, NY / High School of American Studies at Lehman College), rookie Jamie O'Neill (Auburndale, Mass./Newton North),  rookie Aaron Portman (Wheeling, Ill. / Adlai E. Stevenson) and Allan earned sixth-place points with a time of 3:38.80.

UP NEXT

• The Judges return to action next weekend with meets at Boston University and Tufts University.