UConn sweeps Big East for first time
STORRS — After nearly four decades leading UConn’s track and field program, longtime coach Greg Roy has begun his farewell tour in historic fashion.
For the first time in program history, the Huskies won both the men’s and women’s Big East Outdoor Track and Field Championships team titles. After also clinching the conference’s men’s and women’s indoor team titles in February, the 2022 season marks the first time the school has swept all four conference team titles in a single season.
Roy, UConn’s Director of Cross Country and Track and field, teared up after the meet talking about the win to reporters.
“Track and field at its finest. It’s unbelievable,” said Roy, who retires this July after 37 years leading UConn.
While the men’s program earns their sixth total, and second consecutive, Big East outdoor title, UConn’s women’s program won its third conference outdoor title and first since 1995. The men won with 258 points followed by Georgetown with 125 and Butler with 109. UConn’s women won with 209 points followed by Villanova with 156 and Georgetown 112.
“The men were clearly the favorite and they’re a program that we’ve built to this point through the last forever,” Roy said. “We had our best teams ever like three, four years in a row. This is kinda like the remnants of those great teams. The kids just know what to do and how to do it. You put them out there and they take care of business.
“The women, we’ve been building them through the years and the three hardest years of my career; coronavirus, coronavirus and then my health and stuff like that. We are at a place where I thought we’d be almost two years ago. It was really hard to get here and .... ,” Roy began before taking a second to collect himself from tearing up. “They learned how to win in indoors at the Big East.
Two years ago, it was win the New Englands, last year it was get your (butt) kicked by Villanova. This year was learn to win, and they won.”
Connecticut locals highlighted UConn’s historic performance over the twoday competition at George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex.
Starting on Friday, New Milford’s Mia Nahom jumpstarted the first day of competition with a record firstplace finish in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Nahom, who five hours beforehand finished second in her heat of the 1500meter prelims, stuck with Villanova’s Anna Helwigh and Lydia Olivere for the majority of the steeplechase run. With about 450 meters left in the seven-lap run, Nahom made her move and got in front of the Wildcats.
“Villanova being in front of me was nerve wracking because we’re obviously in the team title race with them, so I wanted to beat them,” Nahom said. “After the last water jump, I came out of it pretty strong so I kinda knew like, ‘I have to make a move now.’”
Less than 100 meters later, Nahom had separated herself from Villanova and finished the last 250 meters by herself. Nahom’s firstplace time of 9 minutes and 52.81 seconds was not only a personal best but broke her previous school record and set the Big East and Facility record in the event as well. As of mid-day Saturday, Nahom’s time was ranked No. 14 nationally.
“When we’re talking about team points, 10 is a lot and every race I go into I try to win and there’s nothing wrong with second, third or fourth but I really wanted to win one before I leave,” Nahom said. “It means a lot to do it here, in front of a lot of alumni that have been through a lot with me, cheering and a lot of my teammates surrounding the track and it felt good.”
Norwalk native Eric Van Der Els won his first career Big East outdoor title Saturday
afternoon in the men’s 1500m.
After getting stuck in a pack of runners through the race’s first two and a half laps, Van Der Els spotted a small, thin opening in between the pack’s two front runners with about 450 meters to go. He squeezed himself through the first two runners and led for the next 150 meters before Butler’s Jesse Hamlin and Georgetown’s Jack Salisbury caught up to him.
“It was getting late in the race and I was boxed in pretty much the whole time and when you have a small opportunity with 450 to go, that was the time,” he said. “That was my calling to go and I just decided to go ahead. I had enough wiggle room being a small figure like myself, so I was able to get through and just start ripping.”
The three transitioned into a full-on sprint around the final 200-meter mark and kept themselves in a pack until the run’s final 10 meters. Again, relying on his smaller frame, Van Der Els used one last kick to edge out Hamlin and Salisbury to cross the line first in 3:46.64.
“It’s a good way to end a spectacular career at UConn. It couldn’t have gone better,” Van Der Els said. “That was all I had. I had the hometown cheering for me, that’s great about having the homefield advantage. It was awesome seeing the crowd and that’s what brought me home.”
After entering the weekend with the conference leading height in the women’s high jump, Berlin native Patricia Mroczkowski finished the event in second place with a personal best after it went to a jump off between her and Villanova’s Sanaa Barnes. Both Mroczkowski and Barnes cleared 1.86 meters on first attempt but had equal miss attempts at heights both below and above 1.86. Barnes earned the title after clearing 1.86 for a second time while Mroczkowski failed to do so.
“In our program that’s called a championship performance. You can’t be better than your best and
she was,” Roy said. “She’s gonna take something away from this that’s invaluable, keeping your composure in face of adversity because that was.”
Junior Nicholas Pronovost from Tolland ended the first day of the decathlon in second place with 3,877 points on Friday. However, his competition was cut early on day two of the decathlon after tearing his Achilles at the end of the 110-meter hurdles, said Roy. The injury prevented Pronovost from competing in the final four events of the decathlon. He finished with 4,576 points after six events.
The Huskies now begin the homestretch of the season with NCAA East regional
prelims in two weeks, May 25-28 in Bloomington, Indiana. Athletes who are ranked in the top 48 nationally of their event qualify to compete in the NCAA prelims. Then, based on their results in the prelims, the top-12 best athletes in each event will advance to the NCAA Championships scheduled for June 8 — 11 in Eugene, Oregon.
“Look where we are. We’re right where we need to be. I’m really excited for the kids and the program,” Roy said. “I’m really excited. I’m really happy. Walking off feeling great.”