WINNECONE, Wisc. – Competing against one of the deepest fields of the regular season, the 18th-ranked Brandeis University women's cross country team had an outstanding performance at the Pre-National Meet at the Lake Breeze Country Club in Wisconsin today. Facing off against 16 other nationally-ranked teams and 52 squads total, the Judges came in third place overall, placing their top six runners among the top 100 finishers.
The Judges finished with 213 points, behind only second-ranked Washington University (70 points) and No. 4 MIT (108 points). Brandeis finished ahead of No. 12 Wheaton (Ill.) by 23 points, No. 5 Wisconsin-Eau Claire by 43 and No. 6 Carleton by 45 points. UAA foes No. 26 Chicago were sixth (273 points) and No. 28 Emory were 10th (296 points).
The Judges were paced, as usual, by senior twins Emily Bryson and Julia Bryson (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy). Emily finished fourth overall with a time of 21:38.5, 15 seconds off the winning time. This was her fastest time for 6K outside of a championship meet. Emily was the top New England finisher by more than half a minute. She was also second among University Athletic Association competitors. Julia came in 28th place with a time of 22:46.2, her third-fastest 6K time at the collegiate level. Julia was fifth among New England runners, behind only her sister and three MIT competitors.
Junior Danielle Bertaux (Prides Crossing, Mass./Beverly) had her best finish as a Judge, coming in third on the team and 39th overall, covering the course in 23:00.5. Bertaux had only once finished as the team's third runner. She was ninth among New England competitors. Sophomore Niamh Kenney (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) was the fourth finisher for Brandeis, posting her second-fastest time in college with a mark of 23:16.3 to place 57th overall. Kenney was about six seconds out of a top-50 finish.
Brandeis's next two runners were separated by just two seconds, as senior captain Meaghan Barry (Marlborough, Mass./Worcester Academy) placed fifth on the team in 85th place with a time of 23:39.2, while rookie Jac Guerra (Guilford, Conn./Guilford) was 89th with a time of 23:41.6. Rookie Erin Magill (South Duxbury, Vt./Harwood, Union) rounded out the Brandeis runners in seventh place with 25:22.6, placing 247th.
The Judges also sent a second squad to the Connecticut College Invitational, where they finished in 20th place out of 25 teams. Senior track standout Doyin Ogundiran (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) led the squad in 81st place with a time of 23:33.5, while sophomore Andrea Bolduc (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) was 91st with a mark of 23:44.6.
The Judges return to Wisconsin in two weeks in Parkside for the University Athletic Association championships, which will be hosted by the University of Chicago on Sunday, October 28. The UAA currently boasts six top-35 teams in the USTFCCCA national poll. The Judges hope to return to Winnecone for the NCAA Championships on November 17th.