STORRS, Conn. – The 2026 BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships presented by JEEP kicked off on Thursday with decathlon and heptathlon multi-events, as well as the hammer throw and 10,000-meter run. All events are taking place at Sherman Sports Complex on the University of Connecticut campus.
 
On the women’s side, UConn finished day one leading with 20 points, followed by Villanova (18), Providence (15), DePaul (13), Marquette (5), Creighton (4) and St. John’s (3).

Butler (25) leads the men’s teams at the conclusion of day one. UConn finishes the day with 19 points for second, followed by DePaul (16), Georgetown (11), Villanova (5) and Marquette (2).

Friday's schedule begins at noon ET with both the men’s decathlon 110-meter hurdles and the women’s heptathlon long jump. Field events start at 3 p.m. with the men's long jump, while running events begin at 2 p.m. with the 1,500-meter prelims.


ESPN+ will broadcast the running events live starting at 2 p.m. along with highlights of the field events. Adam Giardino will be on the call, with Ben Eskin reporting.

For more information about the remaining two days of the championships, visit the Championship Central page.

Men’s Decathlon
Today’s decathlon events included the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400-meter dash. UConn’s Diarmuid O’Connor is first on the leaderboard with 3,934 points followed by teammate Dar Jankovic (3,557) and Marquette Gus Kasun (3,460) to round out the top three. O’Connor finished first in the 100-meter dash (11.14), long jump (7.00m), 400-meter dash (48.85) and shot put (14.66m). Connecticut's Jankovic claimed the top spot in the high jump for the third year in a row (2.10m). Teammate Michael Johnson sits in sixth with a first-place finish in the 400-meter dash (48.35).  
 
Women’s Heptathlon
Thursday’s four heptathlon events that were on the schedule included the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter dash. UConn's Ruby Tillson leads the heptathlon with 3,276 points after day one, taking first place in the 100-meter hurdles (13.75) and high jump (1.70m). She’s followed closely by teammate Audrey Kozak (3,172 points) who placed first in the 200m (24.37m), and Alyssa Elliott (3,052 points). The remaining three events will take place on Friday.

Hammer Throw
For the women's hammer throw, DePaul’s Elena Opp took home the gold with a final distance of 54.15 meters. UConn’s Gabriela DeFelice placed in second (52.25m), while Villanova’s Jesslyn Bentum came in third (51.25m). On the men's side, Alex Bernstein of DePaul claimed first with a throw of 70.33m. Connecticut’s Marshall Potter followed in second place (62.06m), while fellow Husky Alex Krause placed third (59.66m).
 
10,000 Meters
In the day's final event, Providence’s Gabby Schmidt won the the women’s 10,000 meters with a time of 33:43.63. Villanova’s Margaret Carroll came in second with a time of 33:50.45, while UConn’s Chloe Trudel crossed the finish line in 34:01.88 for third place. On the men’s side, Butler recorded two of the three medals, as William Zegarski took first place for the second consecutive year with a time of 28:51.84 to become the eighth straight Bulldog to take gold in the event. Georgetown’s MacCallum Rowe finished second with a time of 28:52.61. Zegarski teammate Matthew Forrester finished in third 28:55.93.