NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Brandeis University track and field teams had a pair of All-University Athletic Association performances, including a school record, on the first day of action at the UAA Championships hosted by NYU today.

ALL-UAA PERFORMERS

• For the women, junior captain Emma Liu (Taipei, Taiwan/Phillips Exeter Academy) broke her own school record in the hammer throw en route to a third-place finish and her first career All-UAA recognition and third time scoring.
• Liu's first throw of the day was 48.50 meters (159 feet, 1 inch), enough to clinch third. She surpassed her own school record by more than two full meters. She is Brandeis's first All-UAA women's hammer thrower since Michelle Wilson '02 in 2002.
• On the men's side, senior captain Lucas Dia (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) came in third in the 3,00-meter steeplechase. He ran a season-best 9:29.02, just 0.12 seconds off his personal best. After running third and fourth over the first three laps, he moved into first for laps 4 and 5, before dropping back to third over the final two.
• This was the Judges' first top-three finish at UAAs in the steeplechase since 1999, when Greg Foley '99 finished third.

MORE SCORERS

• For the women, junior Alisha Anderson (Denver, Colo. / Ralston Valley) just missed All-UAA honors in the pole vault, finishing in fourth place with a height of 3.47 meters (11 feet, 4 ½ inches). She was four inches out of the podium.
• Senior Anna Batelli (Oak Ridge, N.J. / Jefferson Township) placed sixth in the 10,000-meter run, posting a time of 38:35.57.
• The 4x800-meter relay placed sixth overall, as the team of senior Kayla DiBenedetto (Andover, Mass. / Andover), sophomore Sadie Harrow (Bangor, Maine/Bangor), senior Kyra Au (Great Neck, N.Y. / Great Neck South) and junior Ella Warkentine (Malvern, Pa. / Conestoga) turned in a time of 9:52.33.
• For the men, two Judges scored in the shotput, as senior Cam Peirce (Kittery, Maine / Portsmouth Christian Academy) placed fifth with a heave of 13.38 meters (43 feet, 10 ¾ inches), while sophomore Michael Laurin (Concord, Mass / Concord-Carlisle Regional) was eighth at 12.56 meters (41 feet, 2 ½ inches).
• Sophomore Kevin Wright (Concord, Mass. / Concord Carlisle Regional) earned a point for the throw squad with an eighth-place finish in the hammer throw, tossing 38.50 meters (126 feet, 4 inches).
• The 4x800-meter relay team of seniors Spencer Lee (Great Neck, N.Y. / William A. Shine Great Neck South), Dylan Whalen (Stow, Mass. / Nashoba Regional), Erik Lopez (Stamford, Conn. / Westhill) and Dia placed sixth with a time of 8:43.47.  

FINALS QUALIFIERS

• First-year Peterly Leroy (Malden, Mass. / Prospect Hill Academy Charter School) qualified in third place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.77 seconds, winning her heat.
• Senior Jordan Colon (Devens, Mass. / Bromfield School) is into the finals in the 100-meter dash with a prelim time of 10.97 seconds, good for the seventh seed.
• Two women will represent the Judges in the 400-meter hurdles, with senior Hannah Bohbot-Dridi (Mountain View, Calif. / Los Altos) coming in fourth in the prelims (1:05.33) and sophomore Natalie Liapis (Plainfield, Ill. / Plainfield North) taking the eighth and final spot in 1:07.80, edging out her next-closest competitor by 0.11 seconds.

UP NEXT

• Day two of the UAA Outdoor championships kicks off tomorrow at 9 a.m.