The UConn track and field team dominated the Indoor Track and Field Big East Championships this past weekend, with both the men’s and women’s teams winning. The wins for the men’s and women’s teams secured their fourth-consecutive Big East Track and Field Championship.
The men add a record 13th championship to their trophy case, breaking their own record of 12, which they achieved last year. The UConn women’s team still has a bit to break the record for most titles, as Villanova has 17 championships compared to UConn’s six.
The UConn men’s team put up 236.5 points and four first-place finishes, while the women put up 189 points and five separate first place finishes in 18 events.
The remaining top five men’s teams were Villanova with 113 points, DePaul with 90 points, Georgetown with 77 points and Providence with 56.5 points. The remaining top five women’s teams were Georgetown with 112 points, St. Johns with 93 points, DePaul with 91 points and Villanova with 85 points.
For the men, UConn junior Mekhi Stone won the 400-meter final by almost a whole second, running 47.23 seconds. In the high jump, sophomore Dar Jankovic and freshman Enaji Muhammad took home a one-two, while seniors Marc Morrison and Kasey Savage took a one-two in long jump.
The UConn men’s team took the top three spots in the triple jump, as sophomore Kyle Johnson finished first, with Morrison and Savage behind him. UConn also finished one, two and three in the heptathlon, with junior Diarmuid O’Connor finishing first, sophomore Joshua Mooney finishing in second and junior Max Ringwall finishing third.
For the women’s team, senior Jenna Zydanowicz won the women’s 5000-meter, while freshman Faith Kiplimo finished second. In the women’s pole vault, senior Mallory Malz took home first with freshman Piper Linn, junior Rachael Mason and sophomore Katie Floering finishing in second, third and fourth for UConn.
In long jump, senior A’liyah Thomas took home first with a jump of 6.12 meters, and senior Zayin Roe scored the top spot and 10 points in the women’s triple jump. The women’s team for UConn also took the top three spots of the pentathlon, with freshman Maresa Hence finishing in first with 1062 points. Sophomore Audrey Kozak finished in second with 3420 points, and freshman Mackenzie Braunstein finished in third with 3409 points.
There were also some awards handed out at the Big East Championships, as UConn’s coaching staff won both the women’s and men’s Coaching Staff of the Year. UConn men’s Savage and O’Connor also won the men’s Most Outstanding Performers in Field Events Award and Savage won the men’s High Point Performer of the Meet award.