Huskies Out Front After Day One at BIG EAST Indoor Championship

Huskies Out Front After Day One at BIG EAST Indoor Championship

2/27/2026 7:44:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

CHICAGO, Ill. - UConn men's and women's track and field kicked off the 2026 Indoor BIG EAST Championships on Friday, with both programs in pursuit of winning their fifth consecutive indoor championships. Both teams ended Friday with the lead. The men's side leads the field with 57 points after five scored events, with the women's squad leading the way with 88 points after six scored events. The Huskies claimed 11 medals, highlighted by five individual BIG EAST crowns on day one.

Multis:

The Huskies swept the pentathlon. Ruby Tillson took home gold with 3,933 points. Alyssa Elliott claimed silver with 3,898 points. Audrey Kozak secured bronze with 3,716 points.

60m Dash: Ruby Tillson won at 8.63 seconds. Mackenzie Braunstein finished second at 8.87. Audrey Kozak claimed third at 8.90 and Alyssa Elliot took fourth at 8.91.
High Jump: Tillson took home the high jump at 1.70m. Kozak took third at 1.64m. Elliott finished fifth at 1.58m and Braunstein placed eighth at 1.46m.
Shotput: Elliott finished second in the shot put at 11.37m. Tillson claimed fourth at 9.94m, with Braunstein and Kozak finishing fifth and sixth, with respective throws of 9.75m and 9.30m.
Long Jump: Kozak won the long jump competition at 5.64m. Elliott finished second at 5.62m. Tillson finished third at 5.53m and Braunstein secured fourth at 5.25m.
800m: Elliott won the 800m at 2:14.31. Tillson took second at 2:17.77. Braunstein finished third in 2:18.67. Kozak finished fourth in 2:23.47.

Josh Mooney leads the Heptathlon with 3,169 points. Diarmuid O'Connor enters Saturday in second with 3,133 points and Dar Jankovic finished the day in third with 2,959 points.

Mooney won the 60m dash with a time of 6.93. Diarmuid O'Connor finished third with 7.10. Michael Johnson finished fourth at 7.14 and Dar Jankovic claimed seventh at 7.38.
Mooney continued his strong start, winning the long jump at 7.09m.
O'Connor won the shot put at 14.52m. Mooney claimed second at 13.89m and Jankovic took third at 12.78m. Johnson secured fourth with a throw of 12.77m.
Jankovic secured the best mark in the high jump at 2.04m. O'Connor placed second at 1.92m and Mooney secured third at 1.89m. Johnson finished sixth at 1.71m.

Men's Field:

Pole Vault: UConn took all three spots on the medal stand with Wyatt Martin grabbing gold at 4.80 m, Max Ringwall the silver at 4.50 m, and Dar Jankovic grabbed the bronze at 4.35 m.
Weight Throw: Marshall Potter won the weight throw at 18.37 m. Alex Krause took a fourth-place finish with a throw of 17.41 m and Lucas DeCrescenzo followed in sixth place with a toss of 16.58 m.
Emi Erekosima took home the men's long jump crown at 7.08m. Max Ringwall finished fourth at 6.76m.

Women's Field:

Rachel Mason claimed the BIG EAST crown in the pole vault, clearing 3.92m, the second-best mark in program history. Piper Linn and Abigail Bernas claimed fourth and fifth respectively at 3.65m. Piper Linn finished sixth at 3.55m.
Gabriela DeFelice finished fourth in the weight throw at 18.37m.
Long Jump: UConn claimed the third through six spots. Maresa Hense took the bronze, recording a jump of 5.88 m. Brooklyn Taylor took fourth at 5.88 m, Jaidah Garrett was fifth at 5.82 m and Alyssa Elliott was sixth at 5.64 m.

Men's Track:

Mohamed Wahdan (1st- 8.03), Wyatt Gravier (2nd- 8.06), Jordon Quinn (3rd- 8.31) and William Watson (6th- 8.45) all qualified for the 60m hurdle finals tomorrow.
Del Lindsay qualified for the 400m finals, with a time of 47.92, the fourth-fastest time in the preliminary rounds.
Medwin Odammten, Damon Simpson and Noble Gongon all qualified for the 60m finals. Odamtten finished second at 6.75. Simpson claimed third at 6.83 and Gongon placed fourth at 6.85.
John Canale qualified for the 800m final with a time of 1:52.29.
Peyton Butler, Noble Gongon and Damon Simpson all qualified for the 200m final. Butler finished fifth at 21.61. Gongon took seventh at 21.65 and Simpson took eighth at 21.69.

Women's Track:

Sascha Letica claimed the bronze medal in the 5000m at 16:30.84
Loghan Hughes qualified for the one mile final, finishing eighth in the prelims with a time of 4:52.51.
Brooklyn Taylor, Maresa Hense, and Maia Rich all qualified for tomorrow's final 60m hurdle final. Taylor set a new personal best of 8.38, the fourth-best mark in program history. Hense finished fourth at 8.65 and Rich claimed fifth at 8.91.
Anna Connors and Emerson Flaker both qualified for the 400m finals tomorrow. Connors finished second at 54.24 and Flaker ran the sixth-fastest time, crossing the line at 55.23.
Brooklyn Taylor qualified for the 60m final with a time of 7.56m.
The DMR team of Calista Mayer, Jessica Starr, Samantha Moore and Brooke Strauss finished fourth with a time of 11:36.05.

The 2026 BIG EAST Indoor Championship will conclude on Saturday afternoon. Action will get underway at 12 noon EST from the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center.