Top Dog: Chloe Thomas Wins BIG EAST Championship, First in UConn History
LEESBURG, VA.- Chloe Thomas has been making history for UConn cross country all season long. It was only fitting that she rewrote the history books at least one more time on Friday morning at the BIG EAST Championships, becoming the BIG EAST Individual Champion in UConn history.
The senior from Dundas, Ontario was locked in a pack of eight competitors in the first 2K of the 6K race. As the intensity of the race picked up, the pack began to thin out slowly. With two-thirds of the race complete, Thomas and defending champion Chloe Scrimgeour from Georgetown were in lockstep. Until they weren't.
The final stretch of the race was all Thomas, standing out in the blue UConn jersey on an unseasonably warm Friday morning. Thomas commanded the course for another meet record, crossing the finish line with her two hands proudly representing the Huskies like she has all season. Thomas completed the 6K course in 19:36, a staggering 14 seconds ahead of the field. In a season that saw Thomas break multiple meet records at the Spiked Shoe Invitational and the Paul Short Run (the latter earning her National Female Athlete of the Week), it should come as no surprise that she stole the show on Friday.
Thomas set the tone for an outstanding team performance for UConn that saw the Huskies come in third out of eleven BIG EAST teams, finishing behind nationally ranked Georgetown and Providence, upsetting ranked Villanova in the process. Jenna Zydanowicz charged into the top 10, finishing the race in 9th at 20:25, earning the West Hartford, Connecticut native All-BIG EAST First Team honors. Caroline Towle (Bedford, Mass.) put together a strong performance as well, finishing the race at 20:41, earning her 11th in the conference and All-BIG EAST Second Team Honors.
The future of the program shined bright on Friday, as sophomores Malin Rahm (Schaffhausen, Switzerland) and Chloe Trudel (Amherst, NH) placed in the top 30 with times of 21:42 and 21:52, respectively.
Quote from Director and Head Coach of Cross Country & Track and Field Beth Alford- Sullivan:
"I am thrilled with the outcome for the Huskies in this BIG EAST Championship. Led by our top dog Chloe Thomas, with the first ever BIG EAST Individual Champion going to a Husky. No one is more deserving, she ran a perfect race in one of the nation's top championship fields, once again setting a course record. This team competed as hard as I have seen at my time at UConn, knocking off nationally ranked Villanova and earning three All-BIG EAST Selections, with Chloe, Jenna (Zydanowicz) and Caroline (Towle). This really sets up our team well in a great spot going into the NCAA Regionals in two weeks."
Up Next: UConn will compete in the NCAA Northeast Regionals in Hopkinton, New Hampshire on Friday, November 15th.
Players Mentioned
Players Mentioned
Latest Women's Cross Country
- Another One: Chloe Thomas Wins USTFCCCA Northeast Region Athlete of the YearSTORRS, Conn.- Senior Chloe Thomas was named the NCAA Division I Northeast Regional Female Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Tuesday.
- Chloe Thomas Earns All-American Honors, Finishing 9th at NCAA ChampionshipsVERONA, Wisc.- Chloe Thomas and Jenna Zydanowicz finished their UConn cross country careers among the best in the nation on Saturday morning, racing at the NCAA Championships at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course hosted by the University of Wisconsin.
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- Thomas and Zydanowicz Lead Huskies in Northeast RegionalHOPKINTON, NH- For the last four years, Chloe Thomas has rewritten the UConn history books. Coming into the cross country season, she had put together one of the most decorated careers in the program's history. On Friday morning, she continued her historic 2024 season with something that no Husky has ever done before.
- Cross Country Toes Line in Northeast RegionalsSTORRS, Conn.- After an excellent individual and team showing on November 1st at the BIG EAST Championships, UConn cross country will take their talents back to Hopkinton, New Hampshire for the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships Friday morning. The Huskies competed and won the Bruce Kirsh Cross Country Cup earlier this season in Hopkinton and are eager to replicate this success on Friday.
- Cross Country Hungry for History at BIG EAST ChampionshipsSTORRS, Conn.- As the calendar flips to November, UConn women's cross country will turn the page to championship season, as the Huskies race in the BIG EAST Championships in Leesburg, Virginia. The 6K race begins at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, November 1st, hosted by defending conference champion Georgetown University.