Morris-Evans finishes sixth in long jump at UAAs, qualifies for hurdle finals

Dion Morris-Evans '23 (Photo by Cayla Fernandes)
Dion Morris-Evans '23 (Photo by Cayla Fernandes)
Posted: Apr 22, 2023

CHICAGO, Ill. -- The Brandeis University indoor track and field teams competed in the 2023 University Athletic Association championships at the University of Chicago today, producing eight scoring performances and sending four competitors to tomorrow's finals. Both squads were in sixth place after the first day of action, with the women scoring 9 points and the men, 10. 

MEN'S SCORING PERFORMERS

  • Senior Dion Morris-Evans (Canal Fulton, Ohio / Northwest) finished sixth in the long jump with a distance of 6.50 meters. This was just .01 meters shy of his personal record (6.51 meters).

  • Senior Artemis Reynolds (Cherry Valley, Mass. / Leicester) had a fantastic performance in the hammer throw, finishing sixth with a distance of 42.05 meters. This smashed their previous personal record of 40.46 meters. Senior Jonathan Hau (Taipei, Taiwan / Taipei American School) finished 13th with a distance of 35.59 meters.

  • Sophomore Cam Peirce (Kittery, Maine / Portsmouth Christian Academy) led the way in the shot put, finishing seventh with a distance of 12.66 meters. First-year Caleb Sharif (Newton, Mass. / Boston College High School) finished 12th at 10.87 meters.

  • In the 4x800-meter relay, junior Willem Goff (Pelham, Mass. / Amherst Regional), junior Henry Nguyen (Worcester, Mass. / Worcester Vocational Tech), senior Taylor Diamond (Roslyn Heights, N.Y. / Roslyn), and first-year Dylan Zhao (Staten Island, N.Y. / Brooklyn Tech) finished seventh with a time of 8:19.30.

  • The 3000-meter Steeplechase was a great success for the Judges, who set two personal records. Sophomore Lucas Dia (Montclair, N.J. / Montclair) finished 10th and narrowly stayed within 10 minutes, with a time of 9:57.98. This broke his previous record by more than 6 seconds. Sophomore Dashiell Janicki (New York, N.Y. / HS for Math Science and Engineering at City College) also set a personal record, finishing 12th with a time of 10:08.59.

WOMEN'S SCORING PERFORMERS

  • Junior Smiley Huynh (Bronx, N.Y. / Bronx H.S. of Science) competed impressively in the pole vault, finishing with the team's highest finish on the day, placing fifth with a height of 3.25 meters.

  • Sophomore Kyra Au (Great Neck, N.Y. / Great Neck South) had a record day in the 3000-meter steeplechase, finishing seventh with a time of 13:03.99. This barely knocked off her previous personal record of 13:04.13.

  • The 4x800-meter relay team of senior Victoria Morrongiello (Staten Island, N.Y. / Susan E. Wagner), first-year Ella Warkentine (Malvern, Pa. / Conestoga High School), senior Bridget Pickard (Westwood, Mass. / Westwood), and sophomore Kayla DiBenedetto (Andover, Mass. / Andover) finished seventh with a time of 10:02.05.

  • The long jump saw two strong performances. First-year Shaniece Nugent (Hartford, Conn. / Lawrence Academy) finished eighth with a distance of 5.12 meters, and Huynh finished 11th at 4.87 meters.

  • In the hammer throw, first-year Emma Liu (Taipei, Taiwan / Phillips Exeter Academy) placed 18th with a distance of 37.39 meters, sophomore Kate Hurlbert (Richmond, Va. / Trinity Episcopal School) placed 20th with a distance of 32.39 meters, and first-year Diane Meyer (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata) placed 21st, setting a personal record with 31.45 meters.

ADVANCING TO THE FINALS

  • In the 110-meter hurdle prelims, Morris-Evans finished fifth, qualifying for the finals with a time of 15.74 seconds. First-year TJ Showstead (Plymouth, Mass. / Plymouth North) just missed out on the finals in ninth place, setting a personal record of 16.75 seconds.

  • In the 100-meter hurdle prelims, junior Alya Campbell (Eastchester, N.Y. / Eastchester) placed fifth with a time of 15.28. This qualified her to compete in the finals tomorrow.

  • In the 800-meter run, first-year TJ Carleo (Newburyport, Mass. / Newburyport) placed fourth with a qualifying time of 1:54.31.

  • Junior Liz Korn (Piedmont, Calif. / Piedmont) qualified in the sixth slot in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:00.05. 

  • This was matched by junior Ori Slotky (Closter, N.J. / Northern Valley Regional) in the 400-meter hurdles, who also finished fourth with a qualifying time of 57.54.

UP NEXT

  • The second day of UAA action starts tomorrow at 11 a.m. Eastern (10 Central).