WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's cross country team has been selected as an at-large team to the 2021 NCAA Division III Championships, which will be held next Saturday, November 20th, at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Judges, who are ranked #26 in Division III by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, placed fourth in the East Region at yesterday's Regional championships. Brandeis placed four runners in the top 35 and just missed having all five runners among the All-Region squad.
"I was so proud of how the team ran yesterday," said head coach Sinead Evans, in her eighth season leading the team. "They all ran really smart and tough. They deserve to be rewarded for their performances all season long. It's great to be back to championship cross country competition."
The Judges have been led all season long by a trio of seniors: Niamh Kenney of Hanover, Massachusetts, who finished eighth at regionals; Erin Magill of South Duxbury, Vermont, who was ninth yesterday; and Natalie Hattan of Sugar Land, Texas, who was 13th overall in her first-ever regional race. Sophomore Juliette Intrieri of North Salem, New York, also claimed All-Region honors by placing 23rd, while junior Bridget Pickard of Westwood, Massachusetts, just missed a top-35 finish by 11 seconds. First-year Zada Forde of Leverett, Mass. and sophomore Lizzy Reynolds of Winchester, Mass. rounded out Brandeis's top seven at regionals.
The Judges will be making their sixth trip to the NCAA Division III Championships and first since 2018. The team's best finishes in program history were a pair of sixth-place finishes in 2018 and 1991. Kenney, Magill and Hattan were all first-year members of that 2018 squad.
The Judges are one of six University Athletic Association teams who will travel to the NCAA Championships. Emory University won the automatic bid from their region, while Carnegie Mellon, Case Western Reserve, Chicago and Washington University all earned at-large berths.
Spalding University and the Louisville Sports Commission are the hosts of the 2021 Division III Cross Country Championships. The women's race will begin at noon on November 20th, following the men's 11 a.m. race.