The men and women’s cross country teams kick off their 2016 campaign on Sep. 3 at the Fens Classic hosted by Emmanuel College. Both squads will be looking to capitalize on the success of last year.

The 2015 schedule was full of early victories. The men proceeded to win the first two meets of the season at the Roger Williams Invitational and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Invitational.

The women started off comparably well, finishing second at the Roger Williams Invitational, before capturing a first place overall finish in the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. A highlight of the campaign came on Oct. 31 when the squad finished in fourth place in the University Athletic Association Championships. 

At the UAA meet, the team was paced by its star runner, Emily Bryson ’19, who was the individual champion of the event. Bryson will now be called upon to top her incredible rookie year. Not only was Bryson the top women’s runner in the UAA, she also earned All-American Honors while competing at the 2015 NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championships. Bryson was the first Judges first-year to ever be named a Cross Country All-American runner.

The women’s side also returns experienced runners in Maddie Dollins ’17, Kate Farrell ’17 and Julia Bryson ’19. Dollins had an all-around great 2015 season, highlighted by her recognition as an All-New England Selection at the NCAA New England Regional Championships on Nov. 14. 

However, the team will also have to replace elite graduated talent in Kelsey Whitaker ’16 and Maggie Hensel ’16. Whitaker had been the heart and soul of the Judges’ squad since joining the team. Her illustrious Brandeis career featured three NCAA Championships appearances in Cross Country and Track and Field. Last season, she was able to secure a top-30 finish at the UAA Championships, while Hensel finished in 54th place. 

The men’s team will similarly have to find replacements for top graduating runners. The squad will be without Grady Ward ’16, Liban Aden ’16 and Matt Becker ’16. Becker’s best finish of the season came in the Roger Williams Invitational, where his top-30 finish helped the Judges capture the gold.  While Ward had an off year last season after an impressive three previous seasons, his leadership and presence as team captain will be tough to duplicate. 

Although they are losing key pieces of the squad, the team does return most of its top runners from a season before. Ryan Stender ’18 was the top overall runner for the Judges in most of their events, including a third-place finish in the Roger Williams Invitational and a fourth-place run in the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, and will look to do so again. 

Mitchell Hutton ’18 also returns to the team after a season in which he was the Judges’ top overall finisher in the UAA Championships. Promising runners Roger Lacroix ’18 and Brian Sheppard ’18 round out an impressive junior group that looks poised to lead the team. 

The squad will also be led by top seniors in captain Quinton Hoey ’17 and Matt Doran ’17. Hoey and Doran both impressed in the NCAA New England Regional Championships with solid times. 

At the Fens Classic, where the Judges will begin their season, there will be elite teams from all around the New England region. The team will hope to get off to another fast start to help them go the distance and show the cross country league their capabilities.