Chris Brown '12, finishing 3d in NCAA Div. III mile run, makes All-American

By Adam Levin

GRINNELL, Iowa -- Brandeis senior Chris Brown has claimed his first career All-America honor, finishing third in the mile run at the 2012 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field championships at Grinnell College.

Brown, who was seeded third entering the meet, ran the fastest time in preliminaries on Friday afternoon, 4:12.57, edging Kevin McCarthy of Wabash, Indiana, by 0.17 seconds. The time was a Grinnell facility record. In Saturday's finals, Brown ran in the pack for much of the race, staying between fifth and seventh place. After McCarthy surged to the lead in the final quarter-mile, Brown tried to catch him with his kick in the final lap. While it wasn't enough to claim the NCAA title, Brown moved into the top three on the podium, finishing with a time of 4:11.24. McCarthy eclipsed Brown's facility record with a winning time of 4:08.93, less than a second off the Division III championship meet record time.

"I'm really proud of [Brown's] performance," said Brandeis head coach John Evans. "He had taken a big step this season and finishing third in his first national track championship is a great achievement."

With his third-place finish, Brown had the first All-America performance by a Brandeis male at the NCAA Division III indoor track and field championships since 2005, when Ryan Parker '06 was runner-up in the 800-meter run. The six points that Brown provided helped Brandeis place in a six-way tie for 27th place out of 60 schools that scored points. The Judges were eighth among New England schools and second among UAA schools, behind Washington U., which tied for 18th with 10 points.

For the women, senior Kate Warwick '12 finished in 12th place in the 5,000-meter run, four spots out of All-America status.

Warwick, who was seeded third in the event headed into the meet, ran in a big pack for the first 2,000 meters. As a lead pack emerged featuring two runners each from eventual meet champion Wartburg College and Johns Hopkins University, Warwick stayed near the front of the second pack. As the leaders extended their advantage, Warwick fell off the pace and eventually finished with a time of 17:53.35, around 35 seconds out of the top eight which would have garnered her All-America status. With only one Brandeis competitor, the Judges did not score any points at the meet.

Click here for complete results: http://www.deltatiming.com/events/2012/2012-ncaa-division-3-indoor-championships/