From Brandeis University Athletics

The Brandeis University women's cross country team continued its fast starts to the 2015 season today by capturing the title at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. 

The Judges were the tops out of 42 squads over five kilometers, earning a win after finishing second a week ago.

TOP FIVE TEAMS (42 total)

1)      BRANDEIS 49

2)      East Stroudsburg 79

3)      Connecticut College 80

4)      Keene State 103

5)      Assumption 238

BRANDEIS INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS (5K, 315 runners)

1)      Emily Bryson 18:09.84 (5^rd overall)

2)      Kelsey Whitaker 18:23.75 (8^th)

3)      Maddie Dolins 19:29.09 (10^th)

4)      Lydia McCaleb 18:43.65 (14^th)

5)      Kate Farrell 18:50.06 (20^th)

6)      Julia Bryson 19:28.53 (34^th)

7)      Ashley Piccirillo-Horan 19:43.69 (45^th)

8)      Maggie Hensel 19:57.46 (65^th)          

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Rookie Emily Bryson (Quincy, Mass./No. Quincy) was the team's top finisher for the second week in a row, placing fifth overall and third among Division 3 competitors. She was three seconds out of the top 3 overall.
• Senior Kelsey Whitaker (Kingston, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) bounced back from the team's fourth position last week to move into second on the team and eighth overall.
• Junior Maddie Dolins (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park) gave the Judges three of the top 10 despite not being one of the team's top two runners for the first time in her career.
• With five of the top 20 runners, the Judges easily outdistanced second-place East Stroudsburg, a Division 2 school, 49-79.
• The team's spread was just 43 seconds  from first to fifth.  
• Since 2002, the Judges have had three runner-up finishes at UMass Dartmouth, including in their NCAA season two years ago, but have not won it until now.