On March 14 and 15, three athletes from the Brandeis Judges track and field team competed in the NCAA Division III indoor track finals. Garrett Rieden ’26 won his heat in the 800-meter relay with a time of 1:53.67 to advance to the finals. In the finals, Rieden finished in sixth place with a time of 1:52.77. His sixth-place finish made him the first men’s All-American from Brandeis in indoor track since 2018 and the first in the 800-meter since 2005. “Garret had a successful championship in his first time qualifying for nationals, winning his preliminary heat and earning team points,” said distance coach Michael Schmidt. “To be an All-American your first time out is a major accomplishment. His hard work and resilience has paid off in a big way. He already can’t wait for outdoor season. It was a great weekend to be a Judge!”
In the triple jump, Sarai Sealy ’28 finished in fifth place and also earned All-American honors. Her first jump of 12.29 meters set a personal record and had her in first place going into the second jump. However, she was unable to improve her score as other competitors out-jumped her on the subsequent jumps. Sealy was the first woman to score for Brandeis at the NCAA finals since 2022. She is the third Judge to ever win All-American honors in the triple jump and the first since 2009.
“Sarai showed composure and competitiveness at her first NCAA Championships,” said head track and field coach Miles Ketchum. “It is a big stage, and managing the nerves and excitement is not easy. She made the finals, achieved a personal best and finished fifth in the nation, which is higher than she was seeded. I know she is proud of herself and hungry to get another chance to compete at the highest level.”
Peterly Leroy ’28 competed in the 400-meter dash. She finished third in her heat and missed the finals by just 0.4 seconds. However, her time of 56.80 seconds was good enough for her to break the school record for the third time this season, beating her time from the Tufts Last Chance Meet by 0.07 seconds and beating the previous record that had stood since 2002 by almost a full second. Leroy was also part of the women’s 4×400 relay team that set the school record in that event earlier this year. Her time earned her second-team All-American honors.
“Peterly showed up and competed her best today,” Ketchum said. “To set a PR and a school record, and finish as a second-team All-American at her first NCAA Championships is not an easy task. It’s a testament to her composure and potential. Being so close to making the finals, I know she will be hungry to close that gap during the outdoor season.”
The women’s team tied for 45th place at the NCAA finals, while the men’s team tied for 50th. With only three athletes qualifying, it is not surprising that the Judges had a low finish. Now that the indoor track season has wrapped up, the Judges will prepare for the start of outdoor season on March 28, when they will travel to Bryant University for the Black and Gold Invitational.
