WALTHAM, Mass. – Senior
Smiley Huynh of the women’s indoor track and field team and senior
Willem Goff of the men’s indoor track and field team have been named the Brandeis University Athletes of the Week for the week ending January 14, 2024. The award is presented weekly by the Chateau Restaurant Group.
Huynh, a native of
The Bronx, New York, was a double-winner for the Judges at the 2024 Reggie Poyau Memorial Invitational, Brandeis’s lone home meet of the year. Huynh captured the pole vault with a height of 3.55 meters (11-7 ¾) and took the long jump with a distance of 5.05 meters (16-1 ¾), edging the runner-up from UMass Boston behind her second-best jump of 4.93 meters. Her pole vault height is a persona best and is tied for ninth-best in Division III so far this season.
Goff, of
Pelham, Massachusetts, led a group of five Brandeis men who scored in the 3,000-meter run. Goff earned the win by five-and-a-half seconds with a personal-best time of 9:15.97, besting junior
Lucas Dia of
Montclair, N.J., who ran 9:21.51. Dia was just ahead of senior
Henry Nguyen of
Worcester, Mass., who ran 9:21.74. Sophomore
Dylan Zhao of
Staten Island, N.Y. and junior
Ethan Meilander of
Broadview Heights, Ohio, rounded out the scorers in the 3K in sixth and seventh with times of 9:50.67 and 9:56.62. Nguyen and Zhao also ran pr’s in the event.
In their first-ever meet under new head coach
Miles Ketchum, the Brandeis women won the 2024 Reggie Poyau Memorial Invitational, besting 10 other teams, while the men placed third of nine squads, trailing only two teams who were significantly larger. Brandeis returns to action next weekend at Tufts’ Branwen Smith-King Invitational
This is the eighth year that the Brandeis Athlete of the Week program has been presented by The Chateau Restaurant Group. The Athlete of the Year Program highlights a top Brandeis student-athlete who has had an outstanding athletic achievement from the week prior. Each selected student-athlete will be featured on the Brandeis athletics homepage and inside the Chateau Waltham and Jake N Joes
Owned and operated by the Nocera Family, the Chateau Restaurant of Waltham opened in 1933 and set the standard for providing the tradition of Italian family dining, friendly service and quality food at reasonable prices for its customers. Located on 195 School Street, with 900 seats, the Chateau is always ready to accommodate large parties.
The Nocera Family consists of 6 brothers who have always had a passion for playing sports. In 2010, The Nocera Family launched a new concept, Jake n JOES Sports Grille. Jake n JOES Waltham opened in 2014 and is the best place to watch a game and enjoy quality food.
"Brandeis student-athletes are fantastic role models in our community,” says Chateau President Joe Nocera, “They exemplify the ideals of excellence and commitment both on and off the playing field. The Chateau Waltham and Jake n JOES Waltham are proud to partner with Brandeis Athletics to continue to enhance a positive focus within the Waltham Community."
Huynh is a 2020 graduate of Bronx High School of Science. For more information on Brandeis women’s track and field, visit their web page at
https://brandeisjudges.com/sports/wtrack.
Goff is a 2020 graduate of Amherst Regional High School. For more information on Brandeis men’s basketball, visit their web page at
https://brandeisjudges.com/sports/mtrack.
For more information on Brandeis athletics, visit our web page at
www.brandeisjudges.com or follow us on social media on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook @BrandeisJudges.
