Hiltunen earns two All-UAA honors as women place fifth

Devin Hiltunen '22 (Photo by Sportspix.com)
Devin Hiltunen '22 (Photo by Sportspix.com)

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Sophomore Devin Hiltunen (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) earned a pair of All-University Athletic Association honors today at the 2020 UAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She helped the Judges to score 46.33 points and finish in fifth place, one placement down from their position of the past two years.

DAY ONE RECAP

Hiltunen finished second in the 400-meter dash and third in the 200 to earn her first two individual career All-UAA honors indoors. In the 400, she finished with a time of 58.39 seconds, just 0.14 off the winning time. Hiltunen had run three-tenths faster in prelims and was the top seed in the finals. In the 200, she was third in both the prelims and the finals. Her prelim time of 25.27 seconds is currently tied for 21st in the NCAA rankings, which would gain entry into the championships. In the final, Hiltunen ran 25.46 seconds, gaining All-Association honors by two-hundredths of a second.

Brandeis had two individual scorers in the 3,000-meter run. Junior Niamh Kenney (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) earned the team's third All-UAA honor with a runner-up finish. She ran the fastest final lap of the race, in 34.25 seconds, to finish with a time of 10:02.87, which is ranked 36th in Division III this season. Senior Danielle Bertaux (Prides Crossing, Mass./Beverly) also put on a great kick at the finish, running the final 200 in 36.62 to finish in fourth place with a time of 10:07.33, which is ranked 44th nationally. This was the first All-UAA honor for both runners during indoor track season.

Also scoring points in individual events were junior captain Andrea Bolduc (Auburn, Mass./Auburn), who came in fourth in the mile run with a time of 5:07.37, setting a personal best by about three seconds, and senior Willa Moen (Ashland, Ore./Ashland), who was seventh in the 60-meter hurdles with a p.r. time of 9.34 seconds, five-hundredths faster than her prelim time, which had also been a personal best.

Brandeis also had one scoring relay today, as the 4x400-meters came in fifth with a time of 4:02.50. The group was made up of rookie Yahni Lapa (West Newton, Mass./Newton North), junior Leinni Valdez (Providence, R.I./Hope), rookie Sydney D'Amaddio (Amston, Conn./RHAM) and Hiltunen.

The Judges will compete next weekend at the Tufts Last Chance meet with the hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Championships.