The UConn Fast Break - 5/24/21
All the UConn sports news you need to know. Not affiliated with the University of Connecticut.
Welcome to this week’s Fast Break.
UConn has a new arena on the way, coaching contract extensions, and another Big East title!
That and more in this weekly newsletter from the folks who bring you The UConn Blog on SB Nation, Storrs Central on Rivals, The UConn Hockey Hub on Patreon, and more!
Weekly Rewind
UConn baseball wins Big East regular season crown - An impressive achievement for Jim Penders and the Huskies in their first year in the league. UConn’s now up to No. 22 in RPI and No. 30 in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30 Poll. D1 Baseball has the Huskies projected as safely in the field for the NCAA tournament.
UConn (finally) breaks ground on new hockey arena - Hopefully a sign of good things to come for the men’s and women’s hockey programs.
Mike Cavanaugh signs 5-year contract extension - The men’s hockey program should continue to rise under Cavanaugh’s leadership with a new arena coming as well.
Geno Auriemma signs contract extension - According to the CT Post Geno was making just under $30,000 in his first contract at UConn. Now he’s earning $3 million!
UConn adds Wake Forest to future football schedule - Solid addition here: a low-caliber P5 opponent signed to a home-and-home.
Pat Winkel earns Big East Player of the Week - This UConn lineup has a lot of pop. This past weekend Pat Winkel led the way with 3 HR and 9 RBI as the Huskies blew out Seton Hall in all four games.
Sydney Watson named US Lacrosse All-American - The senior midfielder posted a team-best 56 goals, 13 assists, and 69 points while earning Big East Midfielder of the Year and All-Big East first-team honors unanimously.
Great story about UConn football commit Langston Hardy:
Have you seen Homefield’s fresh lineup of retro Huskies swag?!
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Watch This!
A fun behind-the-scenes look at UConn Softball’s run to the Big East Tournament final!
Umm, wow. Just wow.
UConn, Great Pic
An incredible drone’s eye view of Elliot Park from Ian Bethune!
The new ballpark was open to the public this past weekend. The Huskies responded with a four-game sweep of Seton Hall in front of the home fans. I had the pleasure of going on Thursday, it was a lovely time and great to be out on the lawn watching live sports. They’ve even got some Adirondack chairs lined up at the top of that hill - iconic!
Memory Lane
It was a special night, the kind of night that made it seem like anything was possible for this program. Fun play for the win against an undefeated Houston team.
More football memories… Dan Orlovsky sporting the UConn Aeropostale-era jerseys.
Coach’s Corner
Their programs are in much different places, but it’s great to see Cavanaugh and Auriemma get their extensions around the same time. We know the two have great respect for each other and Geno has been spotted at some #icebus games!
Feature on Jim Penders from the Hartford Courant’s Dom Amore:
Randy Edsall continues to make great strides in his golf game.
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Big League Buzz
Morgan Tuck joins CT Sun in front office role
UConn commit Frank Mozzicato choosing between college and the MLB Draft
In case you were wondering, Andre Blake is still doing great:
Parting Thoughts
UConn baseball starts the Big East Tournament on Thursday and seems to be in a good position to earn an NCAA Tournament bid. Be sure to check out their first game of the weekend on Thursday and keep tabs on The UConn Blog for updates on the action.
College sports fans, through no fault of their own, tend to focus on the teams that they’re able to follow easily on television, social media, and local news. UConn has given football and basketball fans a lot to cheer about, but the athletic department as a whole has seen a lot of success and deserves broader attention from supporters of the school.
Field hockey, ice hockey, soccer, baseball, softball, and golf are all examples of sports where UConn has had great success with tremendous student-athletes whose stories are just as worthy of telling as any football or basketball player.
Our team at The UConn Blog, Storrs Central, and others is always interested in going deeper, and our detailed coverage of men’s hockey, baseball, and both men’s and women’s soccer hopefully reflects that. If you ever know of anything going on with those sports or have stories to share about old UConn teams, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us any time!
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