The rain in New London, Connecticut, this past weekend did not stop the Judges from giving a stellar performance against nationally ranked cross-country teams. The #35 ranked women’s cross country team took sixth at Connecticut College’s meet on Oct. 14, 2017, and the #28 ranked men’s team took fifth.
The women’s cross country team ran a 6-kilometer course for the first time this season. Twin sisters Emily and Julia Bryson ’19 were the top runners for Brandeis. Emily Bryson placed sixth overall with a final time of 22:18.6, while her sister Julia placed seventh with a time of 23:32.7. Rookie Niamh Kenney ’21 finished third finishing 46 in 23:55.1, while teammate Meaghan Barry ’19 placed 60 with a time of 24:14.9 after sitting out at the Keene State meet. Doyin Ogundiran ’19 finished for the team with an 84 place finish with a time of 24:37.0. The team finished sixth out of 21 teams with a final score of 185. The women’s cross country team is looking for another strong performance at UAA Championships in two weeks, which will showcase some of the most talented teams in the country.
For the Brandeis men’s cross country team, Ryan Stender ’18 led the judges for the third time this season with an eighth place finish and a time of 25:31.7 His teammate Mitchell Hutton ’18 was the second Judge to cross the finish line, placing 17 overall with a time of 25:27.0. Liam Garvey ’18 came across the finish line in 35 places with a time of 26:26.3. Rookie Luke Ostrander ’21 came close behind Garvey by 1.5 seconds to put him in 37 with a time of 26:27.4. Classmate Mark Murdy ’21 was the team’s fifth man to finish for Brandeis with a time of 26:47.7 for 55 places. Brain Gao ’20 was Brandeis’ sixth runner in 61 with a time of 26:51.5. His run was a three-second personal record for the eight kilometer distance with much tougher conditions than his previous best. Rounding out the varsity squad was Brian Sheppard ’18 with a 65th finish at a time of 26:54.6. These were the best team places for Shepard and Gao this season. The Judges placed fifth in the overall team standings out of 20 competing schools earning a score of 142 points.
The men and women’s cross country teams compete in the UAA Championships the following week at Garret Mountain Reservation in New Jersey.
