All-Americans! Bryson wins 1,500-meter crown, Ogundiran takes 6th in 800m

Emily Bryson, 1,500m national champion; Doyin Ogundiran, 800m All-American
Emily Bryson, 1,500m national champion; Doyin Ogundiran, 800m All-American

GENEVA, OHIO – Brandeis University senior Emily Bryson (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) capped her illustrious career in style today, winning her third national title of the year and the fourth of her career in the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Bryson stayed within the pack for the first three-quarters of the race, with no runner able to open up a large lead. As has been her style for the past two years, Bryson put on a finishing kick, running the final 200 meters in 1:04.21, the fastest final lap of the race by two-and-a-half seconds. Bryson's final time was 4:28.44, as she pulled away from Bates College senior Ayden Eickhoff to win by 2.29 seconds. Bryson finished her season undefeated against Division III runners in the 1,500 meters to claim her first NCAA title outdoors after winning three times at the indoor championships.

With the crown, Bryson ties Victoria Petrillo '99 for the second-most national titles in Brandeis history. This is also Bryson's ninth All-America honor, but first outdoors. She is tied for fourth in career All-America honors with nine, but has done so more events than any other Judge, earning four cross country honors, two in the distance medley relay, and one each in the indoor 3,000-meters, indoor mile, and now the outdoor 1,500-meters.

Later in the day, senior Doyin Ogundiran (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) earned her first individual All-American honor by placing sixth overall in the 800-meter run. After earning a berth in the finals when her preliminary run was interfered with, Ogundiran was seeded 11th in today's race. She was able to make a terrific move on the final lap to get into All-America position, finishing with a season-best time of 2:11.76, bettering her preliminary mark by just a shade under two full seconds. This is Ogundiran's third career All-America honor, to go along with two indoors as a member of the distance medley relay. It is also her first outdoor honor.

The 13 points earned by Bryson and Ogundiran put Brandeis in a tie for18th place in the final team standings, fourth among UAA schools (Washington U, 2nd; Emory, 7th; Chicago, 8th) and third among New England institutions (Williams, 10th; Bridgewater State T14th). This is the first time the Brandeis women have scored at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2011 and the first time since 2003 that multiple Judges have scored at the meet. 

After the meet, Brandeis head coach Sinead Evans said, "I am so incredibly proud of both Emily and Doyin's performances today. Both have worked so hard over the last four years. They have been incredible leaders and teammates. Both have led in very different ways, but each has left the team a better place. They are passing the baton to their teammates for them to continue that excellence. A New England coach said to me today that her team aspires to be like the Brandeis team, that she was impressed with how gracious in victory they were after winning the DMR. I believe a program couldn't ask for a better compliment. The goal for our athletes is to help them bring out the best in their athletic career but to do it with class, and these two women, as well as our graduating senior class, have left our program a better place."