In their last race before the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, the Brandeis men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to compete in the Connecticut College Invitational on Oct. 15. Last year, the men’s team finished in 15th place, and the women’s team finished in seventh.
Senior Matthew Driben ’23 not only led the men’s team, but the entire race. He finished the first 8k of the day in first place with a time of 25:25.40. This was his fastest 8k time by 14 seconds and his third race win this season. Sophomore Lucas Dia ’25 was not far behind. Dia finished in fourth place with a time of 26:22.60, which was a new personal best in the 8k for him. This was the second time Dia has finished under 27 minutes. Then came first-year TJ Carleo ’26 in 12th. He finished with a time of 26:43.40. First-year Rob King ’26 was shortly behind him in 24th place with a time of 27:11.10. Sophomore Daniel Janicki ’25 rounded out the top five runners for the Judges with a 74th place finish. He ran the 8k in 29:36.30. Sophomore Ethan Meilander ’25 and senior Taylor Diamond ’23 finished in 95th and 125th respectively. Meilander finished the race in 30:31.60, while Diamond finished in 34:55.30. Overall, the men’s cross country team finished in third place with 109 points.
In her first race of the season, junior Juliette Intrieri ’24 was the top racer for the women’s cross country team, as she finished 6k in 39th place. She finished in 22:48.00 and set a new personal best by 15 seconds. Senior Bridget Pickard ’23 was next from the Judges with a time of 23:24.70. Pickard placed 83rd and she also set a new personal best in the 6k with a 24-second improvement. Junior Lizzy Reynolds ’24 finished shortly later with a time of 23:29.20 in 88th. First-year Katriona Briggs ’26 finished 95th in her first time running the course. She was just a few seconds behind Reynolds, with a time of 23:33.20. Sophomore Zada Forde ’25 rounded out the team’s top five with a 23:35.60 finish. Forde placed 100th and set a new personal record by 15 seconds. First-year Ella Werkentine ’26 was not far behind Forde as she finished in 107th place. In her first time running the course, Werkentine finished the 6k in 23:42.30. Junior Katie Lyon ’24 came next with a time of 24:09.20 and in 144th. She improved on her previous 6k time by over two minutes. Junior Adah Anderson ’24 finished in 266th and improved her previous 6k time 30:29.5 to 26:22.80. The women’s team overall finished in 14th with a score of 378.
The next stop for both of these teams is the UAA Championships in Georgia on Oct. 29. Last year, the men’s team finished eighth, while the women’s team finished in sixth.
Editor-In-Chief Victoria Morrongiello is co-captain of the women’s cross country team and did not contribute to the writing or editing of this article.
