WATERFORD, Conn. – The Brandeis University women's cross country team finished ahead of four nationally-ranked opponents today at the 2025 Connecticut College Invitational at Harkness Memorial State Park. The Judges finished in 13^th place with 444 points, ahead of #26 St. Olaf (456 points), #27 Coast Guard (469 points), #12 Amherst (489 points) and #14 Washington and Lee (539 points). The Brandeis men also competed at Conn. College, finishing in 32^nd place.

HOW IT HAPPENED, WOMEN

• The Judges had a spread of just 1:05 between their first and fifth finishers, helping them edge the four squads with a higher individual finish. For the first time this season, all five of the team's scorers broke 23 minutes.
• For the third meet in a row, grad transfer Shae Regan (Littleton, Mass./Littleton) was the team's top finisher. She covered the six-kilometer course in 21:53.10, lowering her personal best by three seconds. After a slow start, Regan moved from 60^th place to 49^th after the second 2.6-kilometer split. She would go on to finish in 44^th place overall.
• Graduate student Kayla DiBenedetto (Andover, Mass./Andover), in her second race of the season, was the team's second finisher turning in a p.r. by seven seconds in 22:26.34. DiBenedetto ran an extremely consistent race, staying with five spots of the top 70 and finishing in 75^th overall.
• Senior Ella Warkentine (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) also recorded a p.r. by breaking 23 minutes for the first time with a mark of 22:54.57. She kept pace with DiBenedetto through the first half of the race before falling a bit off the pace and finishing 113^th overall.
• First-year Mikaela Beeler (Livermore, Calif./Livermore) was the team's top finisher outside of the seniors and grad students, placing fourth on the team and 119^th overall with a time of 22:56.49. She ran consistently in the top 110 to 120.
• Senior Katriona Briggs (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo-Atherton) rounded out the top five, improving by 15 places over the course of the race to break 23 minutes for the first time with a mark of 22:58.33.

HOW IT HAPPENED, MEN

• Junior Hugh Licklider (Newton, Mass./BC High) led the Judges for the second week in a row, finishing in 136^th place with a time of 26:07.57, setting a personal best by 24 seconds for an eight-kilometer race.
• First-year Ben Weiner (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) continued his excellent rookie season, finishing as the team's second runner with a time of 26:18.74, shaving seven seconds off his p.r. to finish in 157^th place.
• Sophomore Parker Cook (Old Saybrook, Conn./Old Saybrook) ran his collegiate best for 8K with a time of 27:20.73, lowering his mark by 13 seconds to finish in 223^rd place.
• Senior Dylan Zhao (Staten Island, N.Y./Brooklyn Tech) was the team's fourth finisher, turning a time of 27:30.09, to place 236^th, while sophomore Ben Katsev (N. Andover, Mass./N. Andover) rounded out the top five with a time of 27:52.74, good for 249^th place.

UP NEXT

• The Judges will head to St. Louis on Nov. 1 for the 2025 University Athletic Association championships, hosted by Washington University.