The men and women’s cross country team will look for continued improvement among lowerclassmen and strong performances by seniors in the upcoming outdoor season, one which focused on individual results during last year’s campaign. 

Led by Kelsey Whitaker ’16 and Grady Ward ’16, the squads will square off in at least six outdoor races, beginning with the Roger Williams University Invitational on Sept. 5 and ending with the University Athletic Association Championships on Oct. 31. 

Whitaker has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of her three collegiate seasons, while Ward captained the men's squad last year. 

The women’s squad lost senior captain Kristi Pisarik ’15 but will return the rest of the squad. The squad will return key competitors in the junior class, including Maddie Dolins ’17, Kate Farrell ’17, Lydia McCaleb ’17 and Ashley Piccirillo-Horan ’17. 

The women took second place overall at Keene State Invitational last year, anchored by Dolins's title-winning run. 

Dolins covered the five-kilometer course in 18 minutes, 46 seconds, more than 10 seconds ahead of the second-place Whikater. 

The Judges also saw McCaleb turn in a top-15 time at the meet, stopping the timer at 19:44. 

One week prior, the Judges took fifth out of 38 teams in the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, led by Dolins’s fourth-place finish of 18:03. Whitaker set a career-best 18:52 at the race, managing to secure a top-25 finish in the process. 

The squad will return to UMass Dartmouth on Sept. 19, their second race of the season. 

The men’s squad graduated two key competitors in Greg Bray ’15 and Jarret Harrigan ’15—arguably the side’s top runner during the indoor season—but return a strong sophomore class with Liam Garvey ’18, Mitchell Hutton ’18 and Ryan Stender ’18. 

The squad took two wins during the outdoor season last year and earned third place at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Invitational last September, a result they can match at this year’s race on Sept. 19. 

The men will also return to the Keene State College Invitational on Oct. 3 after taking the top spot at the meet.

Harrigan and Stender took the top two spots at the Keene State Invitational last year, turning in times of 26:33 and 26:34, respectively, in the five-mile race. 

The squad will also have a chance to improve on its eighth-place finish from the Connecticut College Invitational in mid-October, the final tune-up before hosting the UAA Championships the following weekend. 

The squad will also send runners to the Codfish Bowl Invitational on Sept. 26 in downtown Boston, hosted by the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Brandeis will host the 2015 edition of the University Athletic Association Championships on Oct. 31, welcoming conference runners to Franklin Park in Boston to determine who will be crowned UAA Champions for the outdoor season.  

Whitaker is the Judges’ best bet to qualify for the NCAA Championships after earning a bid to last year’s race via the All-New England Honors she earned at the New England Division III Regionals last November. 

At the meet she ran 18th overall, turning in a time of 22:30 to help give the squad 13th place out of 57 overall teams.

Both squads will open their seasons at the Roger Williams Invitational on Sept. 5 before traveling to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational two weeks later.