BOSTON, Mass. – The Brandeis University indoor track and field team opened its 2019-20 season today at the non-scoring Emmanuel College Invitational at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. The Judges were led by sophomore All-American Devin Hiltunen (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy), who picked up one win and another top-five finish.
Hiltunen crossed the line first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.41 seconds. She won her heat by three-tenths of a second over a foe from RIC and bested a runner from Division I Merrimack by 0.16 seconds from a different heat. In the 400-meter dash, Hiltunen came in fourth overall behind three Division II competitors. Her time of 1:01.76 was a couple of seconds out of first place, but also a second-and-a-half ahead of the next Division III competitor. Rookie Sydney D'Ammadio (Amston, Conn./RHAM) was seventh in the 400 with a time of 1:03.45, third among D3 runners.
Another rookie, Yahni Lapa (West Newton, Mass. / Newton North) took home a win in 500-meter run with a time of 1:23.97, about 0.5 seconds ahead of the runner-up.
Junior Andrea Bolduc (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) had an excellent opening meet in the mile running, winning the race with a time of 5:22.53. Classmate Leinni Valdez (Providence, R.I./Hope) ran her first collegiate mile and placed fourth with a time of 5:33.29.
Rookie Victoria Morrongiello (Staten Island, N.Y. / Susan E. Wagner) took sixth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:30.41, third among D3 runners, while sophomore Elizabeth Dunphy (Cary, N.C./Cary) was seventh and fourth, respectively, with a time of 2:34.09.
The Judges also had a successful, young 4x400-meter relay finish in second place with a time of 4:08.89, with Lapa, D'Amaddio, Valdez and Hiltunen placing only behind a Division II team from Southern New Hampshire.
In the field events, senior Willa Moen (Ashland, Ore./Ashland) came in third in the pole vault with a height of 2.74 meters (8-11 ¾). She was also ninth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.90 seconds) and 10th in the high jump (1.45m, 4-9).
For the men, senior multi-event athlete Jack Allan (Wrentham, Mass./King Phillip Regional) had a fine all-around performance. He placed second in the 60-meter hurdles, edging the third-place finisher from D2 St. Rose by 0.02 with a time of 8.68 seconds. He was also second in the long jump at 6.55 meters (21-6) and fifth in the high jump (1.85 meters, 6-0 ¾).
The Judges did not have any winners on the men's side, but they had several more top-five finishes in addition to Allan's. Sophomore Dion Morris-Evans (Canal Fulton, Ohio / Northwest) was third in the high jump with a height of 1.95 meters (6-4 ¾). Junior Breylen Ammen (Lincoln, Mass. / Lincoln Sudbury) took third in the pole vault with a height of 4.00 meters (13-1 ½).
On the track, the Judges excelled in the middle distance races. Sophomore Aaron Portman (Wheeling, Ill. / Adlai E. Stevenson) was the runner-up in the 800 with a time of 1:59.95, getting just edged out by 0.12 seconds. Sophomore Jacob Grant (Rockville Center, N.Y. / South Side) was fifth in the 800 in 2:02.39.
In the mile run, a pair of seniors, Alec Rodgers (Wakefield, Mass. / Wakefield Memorial) and Daniel Curley (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) took third and seventh, respectively, with times of 4:37.25 and 4:40.10. Junior Josh Lombardo (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook) claimed fourth in the 3,000-meter run, just missing breaking nine minutes with a time of 9:00.98.
The men also put together a fine showing in the 4x400 relay, with Portman, sophomore Jamie O'Neill (Auburndale, Mass. / Newton North), rookie Dean Campbell (Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass. / Manchester-Essex Regional) and junior Patrick Quinlan (Northampton, Mass./Northampton) coming in third with a time of 3:31.54, trailing only teams from D2 schools.
The Judges return to action next semester when they host the annual Reggie Poyau Memorial Invitational.