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Several Brandeis sports teams competed over break. Here's a brief recap of how they performed.
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Softball
The softball team opened their season in New York over the winter recess, winning all three of their games. Before defeating Union College 8-7 in extra innings on Feb. 22, the Judges swept the doubleheader Feb. 21 against Castleton State College, shutting out the Spartans first by a score of 8-0 and then 1-0.
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The Judges came out swinging in their first game of the season, tallying 12 hits. The game remained scoreless until the fifth inning, where first baseman Melissa Nolan '14 connected for her first home run of the season. Nolan's run was a part of a four run inning for the Judges.
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Brandeis did not stop there, however, as the squad got another four runs in the sixth inning, which was highlighted by a RBI double from right fielder Amanda Genovese '15 and a RBI triple from left fielder Danielle Novotny '16. Starting pitcher Nikki Cote '15 went the distance, recording 10 strikeouts to pick up the win.
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In the second game against Castleton State College, the Judges scored their lone run just two batters into the game on a RBI double by Novotny. That was the only run Brandeis needed, though, as Cote got the save, finishing Nolan's scoreless effort over the final two innings. 
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The third contest of the road trip provided a challenge for the Judges. Union College got on the scoreboard first with a run in the first inning. The Judges responded by tying things up on a home run by Cote in the game's second inning. 
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After trailing by four runs heading into the sixth inning, the Judges scored three runs, including a two-run home run by second baseman Madison Gagnon '16. Brandeis scored the tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning on a two-out fielding error by Union to force extra innings. 
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In the eighth, Union intentionally walked the bases loaded and then recorded the second out of the inning,  but centerfielder Anya Kamber '15 the hit a walk-off single to win the game.
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The Judges next play in Florida against Salve Regina University and Haverford College on Saturday and Sunday, where they will look to continue their winning streak. 
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Baseball
The baseball squad concluded its first road trip in Florida with a 6-5 victory over the Rochester Institute of Technology on Feb. 24. With the win, the Judges improved to 2-4.
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Although the Judges opened their season in Florida with a 12-3 win on Feb. 18 against Warner University, they endured a four-game losing streak throughout the week. The Judges fell to Southeastern University 4-1 on Feb. 19, followed by three losses in as many days to Augustana College, falling by 3-2, 5-4 and 6-0 margins, respectively.
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In Brandeis' first game of the season, the Judges broke open the game in the fifth inning, scoring six runs on just four hits to take the 6-1 lead against Warner. The Judges never looked back, scoring three runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and two in the ninth to cruise to the opening day victory. Starting pitcher Colin Markel '14 picked up the win, and he was supported by formidable hitting performances from catcher Chris Ferro '13 and left fielder Nick Cortese '13, who each tallied three hits.
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Though the Judges gained the early lead in their second game with a run in the first inning, their bats went silent the rest of the way as the Judges lost a close one against Southeastern. First basemen Dan Gad '14 had the lone RBI for the Judges. 
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Brandeis' third contest of the week featured a notable pitching performance from pitcher Kyle Brenner '15, who allowed just two earned runs in six innings, while striking out three. However, Augustana College senior pitcher Jared McIntosh outdueled Brenner, allowing two earned runs in eight innings to pick up the win. 
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In the Judges' second game against the Vikings, Brandeis rallied twice from two-run deficits. In the seventh inning, Brenner's single brought in runs from Ferro and Cortese, and in the ninth inning, RBI singles from third baseman Kevin Barry '14 and right fielder David Tyre-Vigil '16 tied the game again. 
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The Judges did not close the game well, however, as Augustana College scored the winning run  in the bottom of the inning to record their second straight victory against the Judges.
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In their next game, the Judges were shutout for the first time this season, but still accumulated seven hits. However, they bounced back and recorded their second win of the season, as pitcher Craig Rothenberg '16 secured his first collegiate win. 
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The baseball squad will now have some time off to prepare for their University Athletic Association tournament, set to begin this Saturday against Washington University. 
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Men's Basketball
On Feb. 23, the men's basketball team had a chance to knock off rival New York University at the Coles Sports Center and put itself in a position to make the NCAA tournament. However, the Judges lost 59-57 in a game that came down to the last few possessions. They finished the season at 17-8 (8-6 UAA) and failed to make the tournament for the third season in a row.
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On Feb. 17, the Judges fell to Washington University, 76-60. Guards Jay Freeman '13 and Anthony Trapasso '13 and center Wouter Van der eng '13 were all honored for senior day. On Feb. 15, the Judges defeated the visiting University of Chicago 75-56.
Against NYU, the Judges failed to make shots down the stretch. Although they led by eight with a little more than 10 minutes left in the first half, NYU made a run to end the half. The game was close the rest of the way.
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NYU held a 57-56 lead with nine seconds left in the game. Brandeis ran a play for center Youri Dascy '14, who was fouled on his shot attempt. However, he missed both free throws and NYU secured the rebound, forcing the Judges to foul with just five seconds to play.
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NYU senior forward Max Wein knocked down both free throws. Brandeis called a timeout. They then got the ball up the court, but NYU intentionally fouled forward Alex Stoyle '14 with one second on the clock.
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Stoyle made the first free throw. Coach Brian Meehan called his final timeout and set up a play for Stoyle to miss and hope, somehow, that a Brandeis player would tip it in.
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The shot went up, and an NYU player batted the ball out of bounds, causing a frenzy.
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"We got all our best athletes, best jumpers in there," forward Connor Arnold '14 said. "We tried to get a miss off the rim so we could get a tip in. Unfortunately, they blocked us out well and we didn't get a chance."
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Guard Gabriel Moton '14 led the team with 14 points. Dascy had 11 points and eight rebounds.
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Against WashU, the Judges trailed for almost the entire game. Dascy led the team with 17 points. 
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On Feb. 15, the Judges led the entire way, opening up a 25 point lead at halftime. Stoyle led the all scorers with 28 points on 10-12 shooting and 4-5 from three. Freeman added 15 points, 5-5 from beyond the arc, in 16 minutes off the bench.
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With the possibility that Freeman and Trapasso will return next year due to redshirt eligibility, the outlook for next season is bright.
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Women's Basketball
The women's basketball team came from behind to defeat New York University on Saturday in front of a boisterous crowd in the packed Coles Sports Center in New York City. A big second half run sparked the 72-61 victory, giving the Judges an  overall record of 10-15 and,4-10 in the University Athletic Association.
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On Feb. 15, Brandeis dominated the University of Chicago 68-50, and on, February 17, the Judges put up a fight against No. 13 Washington University but ultimately fell, 62-57. Both games were at home.
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"The three seniors (forwards Erika Higginbottom '13, Courtney Ness '13 and Samantha Anderson '13 ) showed great leadership and determination throughout the entire game," said coach Carol Simon. 
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"I thought all three seniors ended their careers not only with a great win but all contributing significantly in the win," she added.
The Judges started the game quickly  by taking a 6-0 lead just one minute, 30 seconds into the game. The game's pace picked up from there, and NYU made a late run to take a 36-28 lead into halftime.
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At the end of an eventful second half, guard Kasey Dean '14 nailed a jumper with 3:48 to go, extending the Judges' lead to 58-50 and all but put the game out of reach. Higginbottom led all scorers with 16. Guard Janelle Rodriguez '14 and Samantha Anderson '13 both contributed 12 points.
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On Feb. 17, the Judges' game against the highly-touted WashU team came down to the wire. The biggest lead of the game came at the 4:55 mark of the second half with the Bears leading 53-44. The Judges still had a fight left in them to rally. 
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The Judges cut the lead to two, 54-52, after Cain's jumper with 2:33 to go. After a block by Higginbottom, guard Hannah Cain '15 drove down the lane and laid the ball in to tie the game at 54. On the next possession, however, Bears sophomore guard Maddy Scheppers nailed a three-pointer and gave the Bears a three-point lead. A late basket by senior guard Nishi Tavernier sealed the deal for the Bears.
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Cain scored a career-high 17 points to lead the Judges. Dean and Higginbottom both scored 10 points.
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On Feb. 15, the Judges dominated the University of Chicago from the outset. Just 3:30 into the game, the Judges held a 9-2 lead. They took a 33-21 lead into halftime, which they bolstered in the second half. Rodriguez led the way with a career-high 22 points. Higginbottom added 10 while Ness had eight points.
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Simon said she was proud of the way the Judges played during the last month of the season.
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"This was a group that really improved throughout the year," she said. "It's almost like you wish there was another month. I could see the maturation of the team, and the way we all matured as players was great."
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The Judges finished the season sixth in the University Athletic Association but the coaches hope that the improvement over the last month will carry into next season.