Bryson sisters claim All-UAA honors, Judges put five in top 20 to finish third

Julia and Emily Bryson '19 were both named All-UAA for the second year in a row - the fourth-straight year for Emily
Julia and Emily Bryson '19 were both named All-UAA for the second year in a row - the fourth-straight year for Emily

PARKSIDE, Wisc. – In a stacked field featuring seven of the top 35 teams in Division III, the Brandeis women's cross country team placed third overall, thanks to the runner-up performance of senior Emily Bryson (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) and four runners among the top 20 finishers. The men finished in eighth place overall in a field featuring six top-35 squads. The race was held in Parkside, Wisconsin, and hosted by the University of Chicago.

HOW IT HAPPENED – WOMEN

  • The Judges were led once again by Bryson, who covered the six-kilometer course in 21:29.8, finishing behind Washington University's Paige Lawler by 14 seconds.
  • In her career, Bryson has turned in a finish in each of the top four spots at the UAA championships.
    • She won the race as a freshman, finished third as a sophomore and fourth as a junior.
    • She is the first woman in school history with four first-team All-Association results. Only two others were All-UAA first or second team all four years.
  • Emily's twin sister Julia Bryson (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) earned a second-straight All-Association honor, finishing 10th overall with a time of 22:32.7, a personal-best at UAAs by more than 30 seconds.
  • Julia Bryson finished two spots high from last year and was just five seconds and three places out of joining her sister on the first team.
  • Junior Danielle Bertaux (Prides Crossing, Mass./Beverly) was the team's fourth finisher a year ago, and this year she improved to third on the squad, finishing in 17th place overall. Her time of 22:47.2 was a collegiate best and missed the top 14 and All-Association honors by less than two seconds.
  • Bertaux placed 38th overall at last year's UAA championships, marking a 21-spot improvement.
  • Sophomore Niamh Kenney (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) also had a dramatic improvement over her debut season. Kenney, who finished 37th as a rookie, improved 18 spots to 19th place with a time of 22:57.0.
  • It was the second-fastest time of her collegiate career.
  • Rookie Jac Guerra (Guilford, Conn./Guilford) rounded out the top five scorers for the Judges with a 26th-place finish, which was good enough to be the second finisher among first-year runners. Guerra posted a time of 23:09.2, one second out of the top 25.
  • Finishing in the displacement positions were seniors Meaghan Barry (Marlborough, Mass./Worcester Academy) and Doyin Ogundiran (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East). Barry was down five spots from a year ago in 31st place with a time of 23:21.3, while Ogundiran was 59th overall with a time of 24:19.7.
  • Also representing the Judges were rookie Erin Magill (South Duxbury, Vt./Harwood Union, 63rd, 24:28.0); sophomore Andrea Bolduc (Auburn, Mass./Auburn, 64th, 24:32.5) and senior Christine Minor (Alameda, Calif./Alameda, 74th, 25:44.9)
  • In the team standings, the meet was won by #2-ranked Washington University, with 24 points. #12 Chicago edged #8 Brandeis, 71-73, even though the Judges had a slightly better combined time (1:52.55 to 1:53.36). Brandeis outpaced fourth-place and 18th-ranked Rochester by 50 points, while #17 Emory was just behind in fifth place.
  • The third-place finish was the best by the Brandeis women's cross country team since 2013, the last time the Judges went to the NCAA Championships. It also marks a three-place improvement from 2017. Their 73 points were the lowest total since 2002, also an NCAA year.

HOW IT HAPPENED – MEN

  • The Brandeis men were paced by sophomore Josh Lombardo (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook), who finished in 44th place with a time of 27:01.0. Lombardo improved 25 places from his rookie campaign, shaving 1:45 off his time from last year at UAAs.
  • Rookie Matthew Driben (Reading, Pa./Wyomissing) continued his excellent campaign as the team's second runner for the fourth meet in a row. Driben finished in 28:06.1.
  • Junior captain Dan Curley (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) finished in 68th place with a time of 28:24.3.
  • Sophomore Connor Crowley (Ludlow, Mass./Ludlow) was 73rd with a mark of 29:20.0.
  • Rookie Simon Powley (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport), sophomore Eric Rosenheim (Haddon Heights, N.J./Haddon Heights) and junior Jacob Judd (West Hartford, Conn./Conard) rounded out the Judges competitors in 75th through 77th place.
  • The Judges finished with 250 points, behind seventh-place Rochester, who scored 160. Second-ranked Washington University won the race with 31 points, edging #12 Carnegie Mellon who had 37. Brad Hodkinson of WashU won the race in 25:19.0.