For all the things that twins share over a lifetime, very few have the opportunity that Brandeis runners Julia and Emily Bryson created for themselves, teaming up as part of the Judges’ distance medley relay team that won a national championship.
It was not a guarantee that the sisters would end up going to the same university. “We did not plan to go to the same school. We were adamant that the other person would not stand in our way,” Julia explained. “I knew I wanted to major in business and Brandeis was really the only school I looked at that offered that. There are a lot of schools to choose from in New England, but Brandeis checked my academic box and I fell in love with the track program after speaking with (then head coach) Sinead (Delahunty Evans). The combination of her and the team along with a strong culture made it an easy choice for me.”
“So much of our identity was lumped together that part of me wanted us to go on separate paths and create separate identities. I was looking for a strong science program. Brandeis had the academics, specifically the sciences I was looking for, and I fell in love with the track program and had great respect for Sinead. She recruited us very well. I waited until the last day to commit, which drove her crazy,” Emily laughed. “I wanted to have a separate experience from Julia and be on my own, but I knew Brandeis was where I was meant to be.”
The sisters did choose to live far apart on campus so they would still have different experiences. After having all their high school classes together, they only had a couple classes together in Brandeis either because of their minors in French or in a humanities lecture.
They enjoyed racing together, but admit the hardest part was watching the other sister race. “We had this joke that we would get more nervous for each other’s race than our own. When you are racing, you are in your own head and have some control. Sitting on the sideline, you are just hoping for the best,” Julia described. “I had a lot of those moments during our four years. It was great to see the highs and be there for each other for the lows. When you have someone who has been there every step of your life, it is great to celebrate and to have that unspoken language to help each other get through the more difficult times.”
“We understand each other better than any other person can. We could go to the other person’s room and unload when we needed to. It was nice knowing I had someone who would always be there,” Emily communicated. “We knew each other’s mental prep and shared more similarities than our teammates. We knew when we wanted to run slow or do something faster. So much of what we did was unspoken. Even with the DMR, we knew we could win, but we didn’t really talk about it.”
Julia recalled the one time they did talk about it. “About two years before it happened, we were on a run at home together and talked about winning. Our teammate Doyin (Ogundiran) was a super strong 800 runner and we believed we would get there one day. From then on, the goal was there, but we didn’t put pressure on ourselves,” she recollected.
With rookie Devin Hiltunen moving into the 400 leg of the DMR, the Judges added an integral piece for the 2019 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Boston. “It is hard to even come up with the right words to describe winning that championship together. It was really special to do it at home since we grew up racing at the Reggie Lewis track. Our coach from home was officiating the meet,” Julia stated. “I was the lead leg and Emily was the anchor. I will never forget it. It happened six years ago and I remember it vividly like it was yesterday. It was incredible to share that with teammates and family.”
“It was very surreal in the moment and we still get to share and talk about it. Our parents were always so supportive of our journey and for them to see both kids win a national title together was special,” remarked Emily, who was, as always, more nervous for Julia than for herself. “Once she handed the baton off in the position she did, I knew we would win, that I had to bring this home for the team and for my family. The best part was sharing the winning moment together when we finished, knowing we had accomplished our goal.”
Julia was also relieved when Emily captured the NCAA title in the mile the following day. “Watching her win again the next day was the cherry on top. I didn’t want to ruin her own race. I was worried that the DMR would take a lot out of her as the mental part is so hard, especially when you are on such an emotional high and then have to come back just over 12 hours later,” she said.
“Us winning the DMR gave me so much confidence that I could get it done. I love the mile and 3K (she won the NCAA title in the event in 2018), but my priority was the DMR. That was our baby!” Emily vocalized.