University of Connecticut Athletics
J.J. Clark Readies For First Season At UConn
8/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
STORRS, Conn. - With the 2014-15 season just over two weeks away, University of Connecticut women's track and field coach J.J. Clark has settled into his role at the helm of the program and looks to make an immediate impact for the Huskies in their second season in the American Athletic Conference.
Clark, who has coaching experience that dates back to 1986, was hired at UConn on June 29 after a 13-year stint at the University of Tennessee. The New Jersey native helped lead the Volunteers to two NCAA indoor championships in 2005 and 2009 and has eight SEC titles to his name. In addition to a wealth of international experience, which includes a coaching stint at the 2008 Olympics, Clark developed a history of academic excellence from his student-athletes throughout his 28-year career.
While Clark has been one of the most consistent and successful coaches at the NCAA Division I level over the last decade, he welcomes the opportunity to bring the UConn program to the forefront of national track and field scene.
"It's been a very warm welcome," Clark said on his early impressions at Connecticut. "Everyone has been so helpful. I appreciate the other coaches reaching out to me to see if they there was anything they could do. Other departments have been great. I'm thankful to be surrounded by such a great group of coaches and staff. I'm ecstatic to be here and let the process begin of competing for a championship."
Despite being on the job for just over a month, Clark and his staff, which includes Amy Begley and Clive Terrelonge, have high expectations for a program which has seen rapid growth in the last few years.
"I know what it takes to be at the top level and win. I've been fortunate enough to experience it firsthand and I want to use all that knowledge and learning to catapult UConn to a position where we can compete nationally and build momentum from previous coaches to make this program a great place to be for student-athletes."
Clark, who graduated from Villanova in 1986, has already developed a strong sense of pride for his new school, citing its unparalleled academic and athletic success in the last decade. The Huskies' three national championships (men's and women's basketball, field hockey) in 2013-14 are something that Clark plans to use to help motivate his student-athletes.
"Obviously, UConn is a place where you can win. Look at the championships from last year and years past. This is a place where the administration and fan support is great enough to allow us to win. We have the facilities, support and structure to take a student-athlete and win."
"What is unique about UConn is that last year we were ranked in the top-20 among all public universities in the country. That tells you that this is an outstanding academic institution. When you couple that academic success with the national championships that have been won here, that's the best combination we could want. Academic achievement and athletic success are what these student-athletes are looking for and that is what we offer here at UConn."
The first-year head coach is no stranger to national accolades. He was named the National Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in 2009 and the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) in 2005. In his time at Tennessee, 46 different student-athletes combined to earn All-America honors on 192 occasions.
While Clark's time in the SEC was undoubtedly crucial to his head coaching experience, he believes that his strong work ethic and commitment to his staff and roster will translate well into The American.
"I could be in any conference and my expectations would be the same: to be the best in the conference and the best nationally. We will recruit, train, and mentally prepare our student-athletes to be the best. The SEC experience definitely gave me an awareness of the commitment it takes to be the best and I'm going to use that knowledge to try and be the best. I know we have the capability to have success in the American Athletic Conference. "
Much of Clark's success at the NCAA level has been because of his unmatched ability to connect with his student-athletes and push them to achieve superior performances on and off the field. Clark wants his program to represent toughness and commitment to academic and athletic excellence.
"The student athletes are going to go out there and compete and give everything they have, every time you see them. When you see UConn, I want people to know that we're here to fight and these student-athletes are committed to doing their very best to make UConn a place that is recognized as one of the premier Universities in the country. We want people to know UConn will get it done and we will not compromise academic integrity."
Clark and his staff officially begin the 2014-15 cross country campaign on Aug. 29 when the women's cross country team heads to Reading, Pa. to take part in the Lights Out Invitational.
