UPDATED 11/17 at 10:23 p.m.
For the third consecutive year, the women’s cross country team earned a national ranking from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. This season’s national ranking is the highest the Judges have been ranked in the previous three seasons. The Judges are returning six of their top runners from last year’s squad that finished eighth in New England. Senior captains Emily and Julia Bryson ’19 are returning for their final season on the team. Emily finished ninth in the region and earned her third straight cross country All-American honor. Julia earned All-New England honors for the first time, finishing in 24th place. Sophomore Niamh Kenney ’21 was Brandeis’ third finisher in New England and senior Meaghan Barry ’19 ranked fourth in New England and the third captain of the 2018 squad. Brandeis’ women’s cross country team is one of six New England teams nationally ranked in the top 35 and fourth among five in the University Athletic Association (UAA).
The Brandeis Judges Cross Country women’s team opens the season with a top five finish in their opening weekend at Wellesley. The nationally ranked #28 Judges opened with a five-kilometer race and finished with 19 points, having five of the top seven finishers win the race. Senior and three-time cross country All American Emily Bryson earned her 27th victory with a final time of 18:11.7, with her twin sister Julia Bryson finishing second with a final time of 18:38.1. First-year Jac Guerra ’22, from Guilford, Connecticut, ran his first collegiate race, finishing third with a final time of 18:49.1, 20 seconds ahead of the next finisher. Rookie Erin Magill ’22 finished in sixth place with a final time of 19:46.1 and sophomore Andrea Bolduc ’21 came close behind in seventh place with a time of 19:58.7. Seniors Doyin Ogundiran ’19 and Christine Minor ’21 finished in 11th and 19th place, respectively.
The men had a battle to the finish with rookie Matthew Dirben ’22 winning by 1.6 seconds with a final time of 16:35.0 and sophomore Josh Lombardo ’21 finishing close behind him at 16:36.6. Another Brandeis rookie, Simon Powely ’22, took fifth in the race with a final time of 17:28.9. Sophomore Eric Rosenheim ’21 placed 13th final a time of 18:25.8 and junior Ben Watson ’20 finished 17th with a final time of 19:17.1.
The women return to the track with the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Sept. 15 and will compete in the UAA Championships on Oct. 28 in Parkside, Wisconsin. They will round off their season with the New England Championships on Nov. 10 at Bowdoin College before NCAA competition. The men return to action on Sept. 15 at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational.
Under the guidance of Head Coach Sinead Evans, the track and field men and women’s teams were honored by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The men having an average 3.44 GPA and the women a 3.35, the Judges had six members of their team honored as individual All-Academic honors by earning top at a Top-50 national ranking Division III school. Both Bryson sisters, Emily and Julia ’19, for the women and Regan Charie ’19, Scott Grote ’19, Churchill Perry ’19, and Ryan Stender ’18 for the men.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to Jac Guerra ’22 by she/her/hers pronouns. Guerra uses he/him/his pronouns.
