CLEVELAND, Ohio - Brandeis University senior Ally Connolly (Concord, N.H./Concord) earned second-team All-University Athletic Association honors today with a 14th-place finish at the 2009 UAA cross country championships hosted by Case Western Reserve University. She helped the Judges to a fourth-place team finish.
Connolly was the Judges' top runner for the first time this season, covering the six-kilometer course in 24:19.47. She improved her performance at the UAA championships from 2008 by 40 places. Connolly is the Judges' first All-UAA performer since 2006 when Camille Stevens-Rumann '07 came in 13th.
On the team front, the Brandeis women were one of five nationally-ranked UAA squads at No. 26. With 100 points, they finished behind conference champions, seventh-ranked Washington University (37 points), No. 11 Case Western Reserve (59 points) and No. 28 NYU (73 points) and ahead of No. 32 Emory (139 points). Brandeis improved by three places over last year's seventh-place finish and earned a spot in the top half of the UAA for the first time since 2002, when they finished second.
Sophomore Alyssa Pisarik (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford), the team's top runner last year came in 17th place with a time of 24:22.60, improving by five positions. Junior Grayce Selig (Narberthm, Pa./Springside School) came in 20th in a time of 24:30.83. The Judges finished with five of the top 25 competitors as junior Marie Lemay (Saco, Maine/Thornton Acad.) and sophomore Emily Bisceglia (Durham, Conn./Coginchaug) placed 24th and 25th, respectively, with times of 24:37.96 and 24:38.62.