Brandeis women’s cross country experienced more success over the Oct. 13 weekend, where they competed in the Pre-National Meet, held in Winneconne, Wisconsin. Running against some of the strongest teams in NCAA Division III, the women walked away from the course with a third place prize.

Entering the meet ranked No. 18 in the nation, the team shocked the competition and competed above their ranking. Their success earned them a major bump in the rankings; the team ranks at No. 8 in the nation according to the most recent rankings.

Senior captain and defending NCAA national champion Emily Bryson ’19 paced the team, capturing fourth place with a time of 21:38.50. She was the top New England runner. Julia Bryson ’19, another senior captain, wasn’t far behind. J. Bryson was the second of the Judges to cross the finish line after running for 22:46.20, enough to secure a 28th place finish. Danielle Bertaux ’20 achieved a personal best at the Pre-National Meet, running 23:00.50. She finished 39th overall.

The men’s cross country team didn’t need to go nearly as far for their meet. The team travelled to Connecticut College to compete in the Connecticut College Invitational. The men finished 24th overall among a densely populated race.

Their top performer was Josh Lombardo ’21, who finished in 93rd place with a time of 26:24.40.

Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams have a big race coming up next. They will be heading to Parkside, Wisconsin, where the University of Chicago will host this year’s UAA Championship Meet on Sunday, Oct. 28.