Brandeis' indoor track team now boasts five top-8 athletes in the 1,600 and 800-meter runs, the pole vault and the distance medley relay after this weekend's meets against Boston University and Tufts University.Any athlete in the top-8 of the NCAA rankings at the end of the season is guaranteed a trip to the NCAA championships in Bloomington, Ill.

"I think [making the NCAA championships] gives people something to strive for," Farrell said. "It gives the team something to think about and look forward to either for this year or in the future."

Joel Sunshine '07 added his name for the second time to the list of nationally-ranked Judges by winning the mile run at BU in a time of 4:15.54, cutting five seconds off of his previous best.

"My best mile time in high school was 4:52, and my best time now is 4:15," Sunshine said. "I've been pretty healthy in general and have been able to improve all the time. My coaches here have been awesome and very supportive of me, and I picked up the level of my training, so I have improved a lot."

Sunshine had already achieved a national ranking in the distance medley relay along with Aaron Skolnik '05, Ralph Chery '07 and Ryan Parker '06.

Parker is also ranked in two events, holding the third-best time in the 800-meter with 1:53.01.

Jane Farrell '06 was the only Brandeis woman to be ranked nationally, capturing sixth place in the pole vault with a height of 11 feet 6 and one-quarter inches.

"We've had strong performances," Farrell said. "The girls four by-two is very happy with the time we got, it will seed us first in the heat at [the New England Invitational]."

For the younger athletes, the chance to be led by more experienced runners who have grown during their careers at Brandeis is encouraging.

"It definitely boosts your confidence," Daniel Suher '08 said, "to see a guy like [Sunshine] who took almost 40 seconds off his mile time after high school, and also to have guys like [Parker] who are All-Americans. These are great guys to train with everyday."

Adie Sprague '08 placed fourth in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 9.39, and Camille Stevens-Rouman '07 came from behind in the last lap of the one-mile run to win the event with a time of 5:25.

Mark Bercy '07 qualified for the New England Division III meet with personal records in both the long jump, with 20-feet-7-inches, and the 55-meter hurdles with 8.30 seconds.

"From the beginning of the season we expected people to qualify [nationally]," Coach Mark Reytblat said. "Farrell has been a highlight of the team; she has placed in her running and in her vaulting. We have lots of talented people, some great individuals that we expect to perform well and now they are performing really well."

Both the men's and women's teams have endured a rash of injuries. The women have had to compensate for the losses of Amanda Kelly '08, Remy Coyle '07, and Sandra Canuto '08, while the men are without Frank Longo '08 among others. But they are on the mend as Brandeis heads toward the UAA and New England meets.

The team has been successful despite its size this season. Although the injuries were detrimental to the already diminished roster, the team has come back strong and is poised to do damage.

"Everyone's been getting faster every race," Coyle said. "Despite the injuries we've still been getting better every race, and a lot of people are setting new [personal records]. Everyone that's able to compete is doing really well. We should be able to do well despite not having all the people we would like."

The next meet for the Judges is the Division III championship on Friday and Saturday, followed by the UAA Championships on Feb. 25 and 26. The NCAA national championships are being held on March 13 and 14.

"We have two important meets coming up with the Division III and the UAA," Reytblat said, "and we expect some people to win and to be in the top of New England."

"I think our chances are pretty good compared to last year," Farrell said. "We have a lot of really strong competitors. It will really depend on how everyone is feeling, and whether the injured players can come back. But if everyone's feeling well, I think we have a really good shot at the UAAs.