Following a three-week layoff after the fall cross country season, Brandeis' track and field competitors shifted back into high gear Saturday for the start of their indoor track season at the Northeastern Invitational in Boston. The men's team was sparked by strong showings from its rookies, as Keith Thibault '10 finished second place out of 47 runners in the 800-meter run, while Brian McDonald '10 came in third place of 39 in the 3,000-meter run. On the women's team, captain Megan Bisceglia '07 finished sixth of 27 runners in the one-mile run and Ali Sax '09 finished fourth of 24 in the triple jump.

"It was a good start, and we got a chance to blow off some of the rust after taking it easy for a few weeks," coach John Evans said.

"We had a great cross country season, and that should carry over to track now that there are some good sprinters in the mix for the winter."

Thibault, competing in the first race of his collegiate career, managed to overcome some rookie jitters to finish with his second-place time of 1 minute, 56.48 seconds.

"I was incredibly nervous, and I had no idea what was going on out there, but I still ran fast," he said.

"I was training throughout the entire cross country season, and I was anxious to just race."

Thibault's performance only heightened Evans' already lofty expectations for the first-year runner.

"[Thibault] ran a great race, and he can be one of the top runners in the country over the next few years," Evans said.

McDonald, who finished the 3,000-meter run in 9:03.38, had already experienced a full cross country season coming into Saturday, but this was still his first indoor race at the college level.

"I ran pretty well considering that I am new to indoor track," McDonald said.

The rookie credited his patience for his third-place finish.

"Coach Evans just told me to stay behind the lead guys for the first mile and then try to see what I had left to go after people at the end," he said.

Matt Jennings '09 also turned in a solid performance for the men, finishing sixth out of 36 runners in the one-mile run with a time of 4:24.05.

Expectations for the men's team are high coming off a cross country season in which the Judges finished second at the University Athletic Association championships and cracked national polls. The cross country season did end in disappointment, as the team narrowly missed out on qualifying for Nationals, but Dan Suher '08 said that the Judges are putting all that behind them and getting off to a fresh start for indoor track.

"It was unfortunate that we just fell short of nationals in cross country, but we are shifting gears now," Suher said.

"Track and cross country have different atmospheres, so the feelings from the fall season don't carry over so much."

But what Suher hopes will carry over from the Judges' cross country season was the team's groundbreaking success.

"After our cross country season, the name Brandeis is going to be taken more seriously in New England and throughout the country," Suher said. "People now recognize more than just the striped jerseys. They know we are a real competitor when we step on the track."

Bisceglia led the women's team in the one-mile run with her sixth-place finish in 5:20.67. She was followed by teammates Mary Schillinger '08 and Emily Terrin '08 in 12th and 13th place, respectively.

Sax's fourth-place finish in the triple-jump, with a 10.77-meter leap in the finals, was especially encouraging for the Judges. Sax was hindered by knee problems for much of last season, but now looks to be back at full strength this year.

"It felt really good to start well since I was hurt last year," Sax said.

"I really wanted to place among the Division I competitors there, and I did that."

In the 800-meter run, women's captain Alyssa Ross '07 finished ninth of 34 competitors with a time of 2:27.05.

"It was a decent start for me, but hopefully I will get a lot faster," Ross said.

"It's been six months since I have raced, so it is hard to get back into shape."

It's difficult to evaluate the women's team this early with the Judges still awaiting the return of three sprinters-Olivia Alford '08, Adie Sprague '08 and Sandra Canuto '08-studying abroad this semester.

The Judges next compete Saturday at the Harvard Invitational in Cambridge at 10 a.m.