The Brandeis men’s and women’s track and field teams spent their weekend at Boston University as they competed in the Valentine’s Invitational on Friday and Saturday. 

The majority of the women’s events were scheduled for Friday, while nearly all of the men’s events came on Saturday.  This meet was very intense, including an enormous number of competing athletes, yet the Judges were still able to make their presence known.

For the women, sprinter Kayla Kurland-Davis   ’20 impressed spectators in the 60-meter dash by topping out in her section with a time of 8.41 seconds.  In the 400-meter dash, sprinters Maya Sands-Bliss ’19 and Lydia Harris ’20 stood out with second- and third-place finishes in their sections, sporting times of 1:02.94 and 1:03.52, respectively.  The Judges showed what they were made of in the 200-meter dash as well.  Kurland-Davis and Jessie Moore ’18 each came in second in their sections with times of 27.38 seconds and 27.05 seconds, respectively, while sprinter Kanya Brown ’19 notched a third-place finish in her section with a time of 27.09 seconds.  For distance, Kyra Sheeve ’18 picked up an impressive third-place finish in her section with a time of 5:16.85.

While the women faced fierce competition at this meet from a number of powerhouse colleges, including multiple Division I programs, they still left their mark with some outstanding performances coming from all areas of the team.

For the men, sprinter Regan Charie ’19 flew through the 60-meter dash with a second-place time of 7.25 seconds, finishing just a few milliseconds behind the first-place finisher.  Lorenzo Maddox ’20 also stood out with a fifth-place finish in his section with a time of 7.38 seconds.  The men also shined in the 400-meter dash thanks to sprinter Irie Gourde ’17.  The senior came in third place in his highly seeded section with a time of 48.68 seconds.  The performance put him in 22nd place overall for the event which included more than 200 competitors.  Furthermore, fellow senior sprinter Jeremy Wilson ’17 came in first in his section of the event with a time of 51.80 seconds. 

In the 200-meter dash, Gourde once again dazzled as he blew by his competitors and came in first in his section with a time of 21.95 seconds.  The time put him at 15th place overall in yet another event of more than 200 competitors.  Gourde has proven himself as a true leader on this squad, and the Judges have been able to depend on him to excel in any setting against any competition.  Furthermore, Charie displayed his remarkable versatility, as well, with a second-place finish in his section of the event with a time of 22.50 seconds.  Maddox also dominated his opposition with a first-place section finish in 23.36 seconds.

This was an incredibly competitive meet filled with a massive number some of the best athletes in the region.  While both the men’s and women’s squads struggled to appear in the top overall places for this meet’s events, they had numerous standout performances that displayed their growing potential and talent. Seniors like Gourde have shown again and again that they are dependable leaders who will earn the crowd’s attention at any meet.  First-years like Kurland-Davis are already dominating out on the track with so much left to learn and grow from.  From the youngest to the oldest members, both squads boast an enormous amount of ability and have a lot to look forward to in the coming years as they only continue to grow and develop.

Both of the Judges’ teams will look to show what they are truly made of against top competition from all around the northeast region at the Division III New England Championship this Saturday.