WALTHAM, Mass. - With a pair of large packs leading the way, the Brandeis University cross country teams defeated cross-town rival Bentley University today. The men, ranked No. 13 in Division III, had a pack of five runners finish before any Falcon, earning a 15-48 victory, while nine Brandeis women ran in a pack to earn a 15-50 victory.

On the men's side, Judge junior Sam Donovan (Newton, Mass./Newton South) picked up the win, covering the 6,000-meter course at Weston High School in 19:54. Classmates Devon Holgate (Cumberland, R.I./Cumberland), Dan Anastos (Peabody, Mass./Peabody Veterans) and Paul Norton (Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional) and sophomore Chris Brown (No. Chelmsford, MA/Chelmsford) rounded out the winning pack. Senior captain Steve Bergantino (Guilford, Conn./Guilford) was the first Bentley harrier to cross the finish line with a time of 19:56, while senior Andy Watson (New Milford, Conn./New Milford) was 10^th in 20:01. Brandeis is ranked No. 13 overall in Division III and third in New England, while Bentley is ranked fifth in the East in Division II.

For the women, Brandeis junior Grayce Selig (Narberth, Pa./Springside School) earned the win against Bentley for the second year in a row. She completed the 4,000-meter course in 15:45. She ran in a pack with eight teammates to help the Judges to victory. Finishing with the same time as Selig were junior Marie Lemay (Saco, Maine/Thornton Acad.); sophomore Kate Warwick (Boxborough, Mass./Acton-Boxborough); senior Ally Connolly (Concord, N.H./Concord); sophomore Erin Bisceglia (Durham, Conn./Coginchaug); sisters Alyssa and Beth Pisarik (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford); junior Hannah Lindholm (Madison, Wisc./West); and junior Emily Owen (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill). The first two Bentley runners crossed the line in 12^th and 13^th place, as junior Lauren Lesniak (Dracut, Mass./Dracut) finished with a time of 16:05 and sophomore Evelyn Marrero (Amsterdam, N.Y./Amsterdam) had a time of 16:20. Brandeis is ranked No. 9 in New England in Division III, while Bentley is sixth in the East in Division II.

Bentley v Brandeis Dual Meet @ Weston High School

September 4, 2009

Distance: 6,000m

Men                                       Time

1. Sam Donovan, Brandeis                                         19.54

2. Devon Holgate, Brandeis                                       19.54

3. Paul Norton, Brandeis                                            19.54

4. Dan Anastos, Brandeis                                           19.54

5. Chris Brown, Brandeis                                           19.54

6. Steve Bergantino, Bentley                                      19.56

7. Ryan Cheng, Brandeis                                            19.59

8. Ben Bray, Brandeis                                                 19.59

9. Alex Hulse, Brandeis                                              20.00

10. Andy Watson, Bentley                                         20.01

11. Jake Newfield, Brandeis                                       20.05

12. Will Collins, Brandeis                                           20.06

13. Dan Fava, Bentley                                               20.08

14. Mik Kern, Brandeis                                              20.10

15. Brian Sutherland, Bentley                                    20.12

16. Sean Reagan, Bentley                                           20.19

17. Ryan Salvo, Bentley                                             20.27

18. Tom Witherell, Bentley                                         20.29

19. Aaron Udel, Brandeis                                           21.28

20. Ray Chen, Brandeis                                              21.35

21. Gabe Kimbel, Bentley                                          21.46  

22. Mark Jordan, Bentley                                           22.17

Team Score: Brandeis 15, Bentley 48