Both the men’s and the women’s UConn track and field teams took home a fourth consecutive BIG EAST championship two weeks ago, with 37 Huskies being named to the all-conference team.
As NCAA Championships approach, just two Connecticut runners see their seasons continuing, with the field of runners being trimmed down significantly by conference championship meets and national thresholds.
Senior Marc Morrison (SR) and sophomore Kyle Johnson (SO) will run in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday and Saturday at Virginia Beach.
Morrison’s historic senior season has etched him in Husky glory as one of the best jumpers in program history. Morrison set a new program record in the long jump with a 7.86 meter jump at the Penn 10 Elite Meet in January, qualifying him for the NCAA Championships.
Morrison also performed well in the BIG EAST Championships, taking first in the long jump (7.69 meters) and second in the triple jump (14.82 meters).
The senior will return to the NCAA Championships for the first time since a visit to Eugene in 2023 saw a 19th place finish of 7.52 meters.
Johnson will debut on the national stage in his sophomore season when he competes in the triple jump event.
The second year jumping specialist broke the program’s indoor triple jump record with a mark of 16.07 meters in the beginning of February at the Coach Greg Roy-al Rumble.
Johnson took home first place in the triple jump at the BIG EAST Championships with a mark of 15.60 meters, taking home hardware from the Chicago conference meet.
Both jumpers have been recognized as key contributors on one of the nation’s best jumping squads. The Connecticut jumping team was ranked inside the top 10 of the event squad rankings at times this indoor season.
“What a great accomplishment for Marc and Kyle,” said Director of Track and Field Alford Sullivan. “Both setting school records and both making the Indoor NCAA meet. This is the first time in a long time UConn has had two men at the indoor championships and I am extremely proud of these guys. I am excited to see them compete the best of the best this weekend and see where they land.”
Morrison will jump at 7 p.m. on Friday, while Johnson’ triple jump event doesn’t kick off until Saturday at 5:20 p.m. The events will both be streamed on ESPN+.