The Brandeis Men’s and Women’s track teams participated in both the Boston University Terrier Classic and the Tufts University Branwen Smith-King Invitational which took place this past weekend. While the teams did not place well among some stiff competition in the Tufts meet, the Judges had some individual studs on the weekend. Two school records were set and three runners had top five NCAA Division III performances. The meet at BU was non scoring, but runners posted individual qualifying times. 

The men’s team placed 11th out of 14 teams in the competition. The runners ran hard, but were simply outmatched at a crowded meet. Graduate student Irie Gourde ’17 was a standout in the 400 meter run. He finished the race in 48.49 which was good for 10th in the competition. His time is actually the fastest anyone has run the 400 meter dash in all of Division III this season, however he is ranked fourth because the other three ahead of him ran on flat tracks as opposed to the banked track at BU. 

Also in that same race, Churchill Perry ’20 entered the national ranks. He finished in 49.54 seconds, good for 20th overall at the meet and also the 25th best time this season in Division III. Four athletes scored for the men’s team during the Tufts meet on Saturday. Regan Charlie ‘19 took home fourth place in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.32 seconds. He also was just a thousandth of a second away from making the finals with his 60 meter dash time. Brandeis also had runners Jacob Judd ’21 and Max Whitmore ’18 finish fifth and sixth respectively in the 1000 meter dash. Sophomore Jack Allan ’20 was fourth in the long jump and just missed the finals in the 60 meter hurdle. Rounding out the scorers for the men, Breylen Ammen ’21 just barely finished in scoring position, tying for eighth in the pole vault. 

The women’s team placed 14th out of 16 teams who participated in the Tufts invitational. Emily Bryson ’19 continues to impress. During the mile run at BU. Bryson finished eighth overall including sixth among collegiate runners. But that’s not what made the run special. Bryson broke her own school record with a time of 4:51.36, making her the fastest mile runner in Division III this season. 

That was not the only school record that was broken last weekend. At the Tufts meet, Jordin Carter ’18 finished third overall in the 20-pound weight throw with a distance of 14.78 meters, besting a 16 year old Brandeis record by just 5 centimeters. Other top performers include Julia Bryson ’19 whose mile won her heat and placed her 43rd overall. The 4x400 team was also very successful, finishing 18th including second in Division III. The dependable squad of Doyin Ogundiran ’19, Leinni Valdez ’21, Lisbeth Valdez ’21 and Lydia Harris ’20 won their heat with a time of 4:07.79. Ogundiran also made a name for herself as a soloist, placing 16th overall in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:13.42. It was the third-best time in all of Division III this season.

Stonehill College, a small Division II liberal arts college in Easton, Massachusetts won the meet for both the men’s and the women’s teams. For the men, they were followed by Tufts University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Amherst College. For the women, Wesleyan, MIT, and Amherst finished after Stonehill.

Up next, the Judges will continue their busy season with two more meets next weekend. All runners who posted qualifying times will be heading to the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston on Friday and Saturday to compete in the New England Intercollegiate Amatuer Athletic Association championships. The rest of the team will travel to Tufts University again for the Tufts University cupid invitational. 

The weekend following, the craziness continues with two more meets. Some of the team will travel to Boston University for the Valentines classic while others will be down the road at MIT for the Gordon Kelly invitational. After that, the team will travel to Middlebury College in Vermont to participate in  the New England Division III championships agaist other DIII schools from the region.