University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Big East Outdoor Track & Field Championship
Huskies Out to Defend Title Hosting BIG EAST Championship
5/12/2022 8:53:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
STORRS, Conn. – For the first time since the spring of 2007, the BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championship comes to Storrs this weekend with the defending champion UConn Huskies looking to defend their title on their home turf.
All the action will take place at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex on Friday and Saturday, May 13 and 14. The championship event is open to the public and admission is free. Parking is available in the South Garage.
Fans can also follow along online with the live video stream at FloTrack along with Live Results.
The BIG EAST Outdoor Championship returns to Storrs for the first time since 2007. The Huskies were scheduled to host last spring's title meet in their return season to the conference, but the site was moved due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This will mark the fifth time the BIG EAST Championship will be held on the UConn campus (2022, 2007, 2006, 2003, 2002). The Huskies won the title at home in the 2002 season.
"When you host this meet, you're rooting for the weatherman and then after that, you just put the athletes out there and they provide the fireworks," commented Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Greg Roy, who will be coaching his final BIG EAST Championship event this weekend after announcing his retirement after 37 seasons at UConn at the conclusion of the season.
"Everyone knows that all the other schools in this conference are coming to Storrs, Connecticut and are looking to ruin our day and it's up to us to say 'no, we have other plans'," commented Roy. "Team wise, we need to stay aggressive and be 'UConn'. We have a saying, whoever gets on the bus, is ready to go and ready to do the job."
The UConn men will enter the event as the defending champions and are out to capture their sixth BIG EAST Outdoor Championship (2021, 2013, 2011, 2002, 1982) and 16th overall BIG EAST track title (10 indoor/5 outdoor). The Huskies hosted a pair of meets at home this spring, winning the UConn Dog Fight and also the UConn Northeast Challenge.
The Huskies won the league championship last spring in record breaking fashion in their return to the conference. The Huskies set new BIG EAST records for total team points, piling up 294, and individual event champions with 12 title winners. UConn smashed the previous records of 246 points posted by Marquette in 2016 and eight event titles, set five times and most recent by Villanova in 2015.
UConn won six field events and the decathlon as well as five on the track, taking gold in 12 of the 23 total events held. In addition, UConn had 25 medal winning performances over the two day meet in Geneva, Ohio, 24 individual events and one relay.
The Huskies rolled into the outdoor season off an indoor campaign where they won every scored meet they competed in, including the BIG EAST Championship and IC4A Championship. UConn heads into this championship weekend having last competed at the historic Penn Relays and come in at the top of the BIG EAST event rankings in 11 events, six individual sin the field, four on the track and one relay.
On the men's side, eight Huskies will be looking to defend their individual titles from last spring. In the field, senior Daniel Claxton (Nesconset, N.Y.) is the defending champ in the high jump, also wining the title at the indoor championship, and is leading the BIG EAST rankings coming in. His best height of 2.09 meters this spring is also 87th nationally.
Sophomore Richmond Kwaateng (Lowell, Mass.) is the defending champ in the long jump, and event he also won at the league indoor championship. He comes in at the top of the league rankings, sits 50th nationally at 7.66 meters, and is also tops in the league in the 100 meter dash (10.38). Junior Joseph O'Brien (Shrewsbury, Mass.) is the defending champion in the 100 and 200 meter dashes and has been working his way back from an injury late in the indoor season to rank seventh in both events coming in.
Junior Travis Snyder (Saco, Maine), the defending champ in the pole vault and indoor winner, is leading the BIG EAST and is ranked 30th in the NCAA this spring. He was an NCAA Championship qualifier last outdoor season. In the hammer throw, senior Christopher Keegan (West Hartford, Conn.) was the gold medal winner last spring and won the gold in the weight throw during the indoor season. He comes in third in the BIG EAST rankings.
In the 110-meter hurdles, sophomore Terrel Williams (Maplewood, N.J.) is the defending gold medalist and sits at the top of the rankings and 39th nationally. Junior Wellington Ventura (Cresskill, NJ) is tops in the 400-meter hurdles, won the event last spring and is ranked 52nd in the NCAA.
Senior Jordan Torney (Toms River, N.J.) is the defending BIG EAST champion in the decathlon and was an NCAA qualifier last season. He will compete along with teammates Benjamin Grosse (Wayzata, Minn.) and Nicholas Pronovost (Coventry, Conn.). Grosse comes in ranked first in the BIG EAST and Torney third.
Sophomore Colin Winkler (Barkhamsted, Conn.) is the top-ranked javelin thrower this spring and is also ranked 66th in the NCAA. Senior Matthew Brady (Biddeford, Maine) is at the top of the league rankings in the shot put and is second in the discus. Brady won the shot put at the indoor championships.
"Certainly the goal is be on the top and have a better view than everybody else, that is always the goal for any athlete," said Roy. "But what we are asking our athletes is can you deliver what we call a 'championship performance'? On the day, go one centimeter higher or farther or one-hundredth faster than you've ever gone before. You can't be better than your best. In my experience, championship performances will win championships."
Players Mentioned
