This Memorial Day weekend, the last four Brandeis student-athletes will be competing at their respective NCAA Championships.

Starting on Friday, first-years Sarai Sealy of New York, New York, and Peterly Leroy, of Malden, Massachusetts, will be competing at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Cleveland, Ohio. Sealy enters the meet as the second seed in the triple jump, while Leroy is ranked fourth nationally in the 400-meter dash. The meet starts today - Thursday - with Leroy's preliminary race coming on Friday afternoon and finals on Saturday. Sealy's event takes place on Saturday as well.

Meanwhile, senior Bhakti Parwani of Ahmedabad, India, and junior Rebecca Suarez of New York, New York, will be competing at the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Claremont, California. Suarez will compete in both the singles and doubles competitions, while Parwani is her doubles partner. Opening round action starts on Saturday at 9 AM Pacific (12 Eastern) for the singles tournament and 3 PM Pacific (6 Eastern) for doubles. 

With the championship fields announced after finals had concluded the Judges have been using their extra time in a variety of different ways.  Rebecca has been getting additional exercise at times that feel more natural, while Bhakti took advantage of the nicer weather to hit as many tennis balls as possible.  Sarai, who battled injury during the season, has been able to focus more on her recovery after practice. For Peterly, the break has afforded more time to work on the mental aspect of racing. "I've been visualizing my race, setting clear intentions for what I want to achieve, and making sure my body is fully rested and ready to perform at its best," she said. The need for rest is one that each of the Judges said was a key component to maximizing their time.

This is a repeat performance for all four Judges. The tennis players went to St. Louis last year, where they fell in the first round in doubles, while the track stars competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Rochester in March, where Sarai placed fourth in the triple jump and Peterly was 14th in the 400 meters. They will all bring lessons from that previous trip. Rebecca struggled with injuries in 2024, so she'll work on maintaining her peak physical performance. Peterly will focus on her performance without worrying about rankings or seedings, and being able to stay in the moment. Bhakti and Sarai each mentioned feeling the nerves or pressure of the moment last time around. Bhakti will try to treat this match like any other, while Sarai learned that it's important to have fun at the meet. "Seeing the other competitors talking to each other between jumps and making jokes showed me that it's okay not to take things so seriously."

Last time out, with the NCAA tennis championships in St. Louis - a University Athletic Association city that many Judges get to visit in their careers, but not the tennis team, who play their championships in Florida - Bhakti and Rebecca both found their trips around the city - to the Gateway Arch and on a boat trip around town - a memorable moment. Sarai enjoyed getting to bond with her teammates, Leroy and Garret Rieden of the men's team, while the overall camaraderie and energy of the meet was among Peterly's favorite things.

One of the most important aspects for the quartet is the opportunity to represent Brandeis on the national stage. It's a goal for all Judges, not just these four, but it's one that they've been working hard for, as they see it not only as a chance to represent themselves and the school, but their programs, and their teammates who also put in hard work all season long. "It means the world, really," Rebecca said. "I've been telling [coach] Pauri [Pandian] how I've wanted to compete at NCAAs in singles and doubles, and after three years, I've accomplished a goal I've had since I was a first-year."

The Judges are all looking for All-America finishes as they compete for national championships. "I feel confident about our chances going into the tournament," said coach Pandian of his tennis players. "Rebecca and Bhakti have played better and better as the season progressed, and they are peaking at the right time. I'm also excited to have them back for a second year in a row. You learn a lot of lessons your first time, and I know they will apply those lessons."

"I am very excited for Peterly and Sarai's first NCAA Outdoor Championshipa," said head track and field coach Miles Ketchum. "It is an extremely competitive field, but they are both as talented and capable as anyone at the meet. They are both competitors who can embrace and respond to the environment, and they are feeling prepared and ready to do their best."

No matter what happens, the Judges will give their best as their seasons come to a close. "I want to focus on the things that are under my control," Bhakti said. "I also want to enjoy my last college tennis tournament, since I graduated a few days back!"

Watch the action live by visiting https://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule/. Live Results from track and field are at https://results.leonetiming.com/?mid=7852, and women's tennis are at http://webapps3.cmc.edu/livescore/.