On Friday, the men and women’s cross country teams started off  what they hope will be a successful season. Both teams are warming up with the hopes of running their way to the NCAA Division III Championships and opened their 2018 season at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass. on Aug. 31. 

Both teams started their seasons off strong, competing in the 5-kilometer race. The men’s team ended with three of the top-five finishes. First-year Matthew Driben ’21 won the men's division by 1.6 seconds, with a time of 16:35.0, arriving before 2nd place sophomore Josh Lombardo. The times were very close, Driben running in 16:25.0 and Lombardo in 16:26.6. 

Two students from Wentworth Institute of Technology placed in third and fourth place. Rounding out the top five was the Judges’ Simon Powley ’22 with a time of 17:28.9. 

After these three runners, the men did not place again until Eric Rosenheim ’21 placed 13th with a time of 18:25.8 and Ben Watson ’20 placed 17th with a time of 19:17.1. The remaining top finishers were students from Wentworth and Regis College.  The Brandeis men’s cross country team ended the meet with an average time of 17:40.

In addition to the men’s strong start, the women’s team had an amazing meet. Coming  in first place was senior Emily Bryson ’19. Bryson won with a 27-second victory and a time of 18:11.7. 

In 2nd place for the Judges was Bryson's twin sister, Julia Bryson ’19, who finished in second with a time of 18:38.1. The team’s third finisher was Jac Guerra ‘22.  Guerra finished with a time of 18:49.1 and placed fifth in the meet. Two female runners from Wentworth placed in third and fourth place, preventing five consecutive Judges’ crossing the finish line.

Erin Magill ’22 and Andrea Bolduc ’21 rounded out Brandeis’ top five and the meet’s top seven with times of 19:46.1 and 19:58.7, respectively. Seniors Doyin Ogundiran ’19 and Christine Minor ’19 placed in 11th and 19th place, respectively. 

The Brandeis women’s cross country team ended the meet with an average time of 19:02. Other competitors who challenged the Judges were Wentworth and Regis College.

The next meet for the Judges will take place in two weeks on Sept 15th for the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Invitational. Following this, they will compete in meets every two months for September, October and November. Two weeks after the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, the team will travel to Bowdoin College for the Bowdoin invitational. Following that, the teams will travel to Connecticut College to compete in the Connecticuit College Invitational. Two weeks later, they will fly to Chicago to compete with their fellow UAA schools including host University of Chicago. Following that they will return to Brunswick Maine to take on Bowdoin College and the rest of the participating schools at the New England Division III Championships. The last meet of the season will occur in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin-Osh Kosh. The best runners for the Judges will compete with the best runners from across the nations top Division III schools. 

With the performances of Irie Gourde ’17 and the Bryson twins last season, the teams have a high bar to surpass. Brandeis running has recieved national recognition due to the efforts of those three runners and the younger members of the squad are eager to leave their own legacy on the program. The running season never ends and many Brandeis atheletes compete in all three seasons. They have been gearing up for the long haul