WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's track and field team will send three entries to this weekend's NCAA Division III Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, hosted by UMass Boston. The Judges will feature the top-seeded entries in both the distance medley relay and the mile run among their entrants.
Leading the way will be senior Emily Bryson of Quincy, Massachusetts. The University Athletic Association Most Outstanding Track performer, Bryson is the top seed individually in the mile run and will anchor the top-seeded distance medley relay. Bryson set school records in both events this season, running 4:45.48 in the mile on February 15th at the Fastrack Last Chance Meet in Staten Island, New York, and 11:41.98 in the DMR this past weekend at the Tufts National Qualifying Meet. Last season, Bryson won the national championship in the 3,000-meter run. She will attempt to become the third Brandeis woman to win multiple national track and field championships and the second to do so in more than one event.
Joining Bryson on the record-setting distance medley relay were twin sister Julia Bryson of Quincy, Massachusetts, who ran the 1,200-meter leg; sophomore Leinni Valdez of Providence, Rhode Island, who ran the 400; and senior Doyin Ogundiran of Dix Hills, New York, who ran the 800. Rookie Devin Hiltunen of Quincy, Massachusetts, has also run the second leg of the event this season as the team's top 400-meter performer. Julia Bryson in the mile and Ogundiran in the 800-meters were both eligible to compete in their individual events at the NCAAs, but instead are choosing to focus their efforts on winning a national title in the DMR. Last season, the Bryson twins, Ogundiran and Valdez's twin sister Lisbeth Valdez of Providence, R.I., earned All-America honors with a third-place finish in the DMR.
Joining Emily Bryson in the individual events is rookie Jac Guerra of Guilford, Connecticut, who will also be competing in the mile run. Guerra's UAA Championships third-place time of 5:06.61, converted to 5:03.61 was ranked 38th nationally at the end of the season. With several runners choosing to compete in other events, he will be seeded 16th at the championship meet this weekend. Guerra is the only first-year runner among the 20 in the field.
The NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held on March 8 and 9. The women's mile run prelims will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday evening, with the finals of the distance medley relay at 8:45 p.m. The mile finals will be held 3:05 on Saturday afternoon.