At the non-scoring Tufts University Cupid Invitational, both the men’s and women’s track and field teams participated in several events, allowing each athlete to work individually on their skills without the pressure of needing to secure a win for the team. On the men's side, Brandeis performed well in the 200-meter dash and the 1000-meter run.  On the women’s side, the top events were the 200-meter dash, the 400-meter dash and the high jump. Additionally, the University Athletic Association Athlete of the Week was awarded on Jan. 31 to Brandeis runner Emily Bryson ’19 for her superb performance in the mile run. Bryson currently holds the best time in the nation for the mile run with a time of 4:52.18  in the National College Athletic Association Division III.

For the men, the 200-meter dash was a top event, as it included several Judges who managed to finish with impressive times. Two Brandeis runners were among the top three finishers, including second-place finisher Regan Charie ’19 with a time of 22.96 seconds and third-place finisher Irie Gourde ’17 with a time of 23.10. On top of this success, Churchill Perry ’20 finished in sixth place with a time of 23.41 seconds.  Although this was an unscored meet, this event would have surely favored Brandeis in competition had a team score been calculated.

In the 3000-meter run, Brandeis’ Brian Sheppard ’18 finished seventh at 8:54.82. 

The Judges also ran well in the 4x400 relay with Jeremy Wilson ’17, Jacob Judd ’20, Irie Gourd, and Erez Needleman ’20 finishing second in 3:34.28.

Perry finished off the day with yet another successful event, finishing fourth in the Triple Jump at 13.86 m.

It was definitely a dominant meet for the men, and with it coming this early in the season, their success should only grow.

On the women's side, several runners were also able to execute in multiple events. 

In the 200-meter dash, Kanya Brown ’19 finished fifth in 27.41 seconds. In the 400, Doyin Ogundiran ’20 performed well, finishing third in 1:01.50. Additionally, in the 800, Madeline Hayman ’20 took 3rd in 2:29.00, and Aubrey Clemens ’20 grabbed 5th with a time of 2:32.00. This was Hayman’s first race after injuring her foot earlier in the year, and, as a rookie, it was also her first ever college race. Winning third was a tremendous accomplishment for her: “I was really nervous to race in my stripes for the first time since my injury but once the gun went off I remembered how much I love racing,” she said. “I'm very excited to race again next week and chip away at my time.” Hayman should be a dominant presence throughout her college career, as she is already performing well as a first-year.

The women also ran well in the 4x200, finishing in second place out of four. The runners were Jessie Moore ’18, Maya Bliss ’19, Kayla Kurland Davis ’20, and Brown. In the shotput, Brandeis’ Jordin Carter ’18 finished solidly in fourth at 10.59 meters.