When the stakes are high, both the men's and women's track and field teams seem to perform best.

Competing at the University Athletic Association Championships at the University of Chicago, the teams featured one individual winner, a second place relay squad and many other standout performers in many of the competitors' final meet of the spring season.

Both teams finished seventh, with the women racking up 30 points, while the men collected 27.5 points.

The women made a strong showing in the 1500-meter run, as four Brandeis competitors ran. Kelsey Whitaker '16 took second in four minutes, 41.48 seconds, just 2.41 seconds behind New York University senior Emily Cousens. Amelia Lundkvist '14 was next in fifth, running 4:43.88. Victoria Sanford '14 took 11th in 4:53.02, while Kristi Pisarik '15 rounded out the Judges' effort in 4:55.13, good for 14th place.

As a senior, Lundkvist reflected on her final trip to the meet.

"It was pretty sad to realize that that was my last ever UAAs and that I didn't finish as I wanted but it was still a great trip and I'm really going to miss traveling with them and competing with them," she said.

Meanwhile, the foursome took second in the 4x800 meter relay, running a time of 9:21.61, just .76 seconds behind the Chicago's quartet. Later, the same four runners also placed seventh in the 4x400 meter relay, completing the race in 4:12.79.

A pair of first-years represented the Judges in the women's 5000-meter run. Maddie Dolins '17 and Kate Farrell '17 took 12th and 15th, respectively, timing in at 18:26.54 and 19:18.88.

Ashley Hebard '17 finished 14th and 15th in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes, respectively, timing in at 31.22 and 1:10.23.

Maggie Hensel '16 was Brandeis' lone competitor in the women's 800-meter run, placing 14th in 2:33.68.

The men's squad was paced by Mohamed Sidique '15, who won the triple jump with a leap of 14.33 meters.

"The meet went pretty well, not as well as many of us might have hoped but still a solid weekend," Lundkvist said. "[Sidique] won triple which was amazing and I'm pretty sure that qualifies him for NCAAs... [Whitaker] also came in second in the 1500 which was also awesome. She finished very strong and really had a great race."

Mark Franklin '17 picked up points in the high jump, leaping 1.84 to tie for fourth place with Emory University senior Brandon Bassell.

Jonathan Gilman '15 placed seventh in the men's javelin, throwing 47.56 meters. Adam Berger '15, meanwhile, took eighth in the triple jump with an effort of 12.86 meters.

Berger, Sidique and Franklin racked up eighth, ninth and 15th places in the men's long jump, leaping 6.24 meters, 6.22 meters and 5.70 meters, in that order.

Nick Wactor '17 led the Brandeis effort in the 200-meter dash, taking 13th in 23.08. Berger, Jeremy Wilson '17 and Ben Pomerantz '17 took spots 15 through 17, timing in at 23.94, 24.34 and 24.50, respectively.

In the finals of the 400-meter dash, Wactor and Sidique placed seventh and eighth, respectively, completing the one-lap race in 51.66 and 52.54. Wilson placed 14th in 54.08.

Matthew Becker '16 placed 12th in the 800-meter run. Becker broke the two-minute barrier for the first time, completing the two-lap race in 1:59.55.

In the other middle-distance event, Grady Ward '16 placed 14th in the 1500-meter run, going 4:07.18.

In the relays, the Judges amassed a trio of seventh-place finishes. The quartet of Tai, Wactor, Berger and Sidique ran the 4x100 meter relay (45.04). Later, Sidique, Wilson, Becker and Wactor clocked in at 3:30.25 in the 4x400 relay.

"UAAs [are] different because we are the black sheep of the conference," Lundkvist said.

"All of the other teams have much bigger numbers and much more depth than we do so that makes it hard for us to really compete as a team."

The team will next compete on Friday and Saturday at the New England Division III Championships, hosted by Springfield College.
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