The men and women’s cross country team took part in the 2015 Open New England Championships this past weekend at Franklin Park in Boston.
The women’s cross country team, ranked 22 in Division III by the USTFCCCA, delivered one of their best performances in years finishing 17th overall and third of the Division III teams present. In the top five Division III teams, Brandeis ranked 3rd, below MIT and Middlebury. MIT was fifth overall in the competition, and MIT and Middlebury are top 10 ranked teams in Division III.
Rookie Emily Bryson ’19 led the Judges as the team’s top finisher, finishing 27th overall and third in Division III in the 5K. Bryson excelled in her first season, making this meet her third in a row finishing first for the Judges. In addition, Bryson gave the best performance by a Brandeis runner at the Open New Englands since 2010, when Grayce Selig ’11 finished seventh overall. Maddie Dolins ’17 finished second for the Judges, placing 39th overall and sixth in Division III. Kelsey Whitaker ’16 contributed a third runner for the Judges in the top 20 for Division III, placing 17th in Division III and 95th overall. Bryson’s twin sister also gave a strong performance for the Judges, as Julia Bryson ’19 was among the Judges’ top five runners in the 5K, finishing 146th overall and 35th in Division III. Molly Paris rounded out the Judges top five with an overall performance of 250th and 62nd in Division III.
The men’s cross country team gave a similar performance in the Open New England Championships, finishing 28th overall and seventh among Division III schools present. Ryan Stender ’18 was the team’s top finisher, placing 22nd in Division III and 89th overall. This was Stender’s third meet in a row as top performer. This performance earned Stender University Athletic Association Player of the Week for men’s cross country for the week ending October 11. Matt Doran ’17 finished second for the Judges placing 144th overall and 33rd in Division III, while Liam Garvey ’18 finished 160th overall and 35th in Division III as the third finisher for the Judges in his first meet of the season. Roger Lacroix ’18 had his highest finish, with fourth for the Judges in the 160th place overall and 37th in Division III. Brian Shepard ’18 rounded out Brandeis’ top five finishers, placing 166th overall and 39th in Division III. The top five finishers for the Judges finished within one minute of each other, making the race a tight one.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams head to Connecticut College this weekend for a tune-up tournament before the New England Regional Championships in November in the same location. The Judges will return to Franklin Park in three weeks for the University Athletic Association championships.
