WALTHAM, Mass. – Women’s track and field first-year
Sarai Sealy of
New York, New York, and men’s track and field junior
Garret Rieden of
Littleton, Massachusetts, have been named the Brandeis University Athletes of the Week for the week ending March 2. The Brandeis Athlete of the Week program is presented by The Chateau Restaurant and Jake N Joes Bar and Grill.
Sealy and
Rieden were honored for their performances at the 2025 University Athletic Association Championships at the University of Chicago.
Sealy won Brandeis’s first UAA crown in any event for the women since 2022 and the first in her event since 2009 with a championship in the triple jump. Sealy's three successful jumps were all enough to win the title, with her fifth attempt of 12.23 meters (40 feet, 1 ½ inches) being her best. With the jump, Sealy moved into sixth place in the NCAA Division III rankings, putting her in excellent position to qualify for the championships in two weeks. She dethroned Washington U.'s Ebunolua Opata, who is currently the top performer in Division III this season, as the UAA champion. Sealy also ran the third leg of the 4x400-meter relay that placed fourth with a time of 3:58.31.
Rieden, who was third in the preliminaries in the 800-meter run, ran a personal-best in the finals to finish in second place. His finals time of 1:52.84 is good for 14th in Division III this season. The top 20 in each event qualify for the NCAAs, with one week’s worth of competition before selection. Rieden's finish gives the Judges an All-UAA 800-meter runner for the second year in a row. He was also the anchor leg on the team’s sixth-place 4x400-meter relay.
The Brandeis women finished in fifth place at the UAA Championships with 51.5 points. It was their best finish since 2022 and their highest point total since 2019, when the conference starting scoring eight places in all events. The Judges were just 3.5 points behind Case Western Reserve in fourth place. The men placed seventh with 18 points, six more than they had scored in 2024.
Brandeis track and field will have one last chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships on Saturday afternoon at the Tufts Lat Chance meet.
This is the ninth 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."
Sealy is a 2028 graduate of the Ursuline School. For more information on Brandeis women’s track and field, visit their web page at
https://brandeisjudges.com/sports/wtrack.
Rieden is a 2022 graduate of Littleton High School. For more information on Brandeis men’s track and field, please visit our homepage at
https://brandeisjudges.com/sports/mtrack.
For more information on Brandeis athletics, visit our web page at
www.brandeisjudges.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook @BrandeisJudges.
