10 minute read
Hawk Nation
Haleemot Adeyanju ’22
Track & Field Sets Multiple Milestones
It was an indoor season to remember for the men’s and women’s track & field teams. Throughout the season, the Hawks recorded numerous all-time program top-10 marks and times, set nine school records, and had 10 student-athletes earn all-conference accolades.
Among the individual accomplishments: Graduate student Nicholas O’Brien had a stellar season on the track finishing in Hartford’s all-time record books in multiple events. O’Brien finished his indoor season at the America East Championship meet smashing the 10-year-old school record in the mile.
Nicholas O’Brien, graduate student
Brianna Harris ’22 owned the sprinting events for the Hawks this season. Setting three top-10 all-time marks in program history, she also broke her own 300-meter dash record at back-to-back meets.
Brianna Harris ’22
Haleemot Adeyanju ’22 blazed around the track in the 800 meters all season. After setting the standard for the Hawks in the event back at the 2020 America East Championships, Adeyanju broke her own record on two separate occasions in back-to-back meets this past year.
Anthony Clavette ’23 had an outstanding indoor campaign, capping off the winter season with a silver medal finish in the men’s high jump, earning All-Conference accolades at the America East Championships. Clavette was also recognized by the conference, earning America Anthony Clavette ’23 East Field Performer of the Week honors after his winning high jump performance at the Brown Invitational.
Anthony Clavette ’23
Keith May ’23 had a strong season on the track, being a member of three All-Time relay teams while also breaking a record that seemed unbeatable. May originally broke Evan Jaworski’s 1000meter record at the New England Championships, yet in the final race of the season at the America East Championship meet, he broke his own record. Joseph Stephenson ’25 led the Hawks throwers on the men’s side. In his first ever appearance as a Hawk, he shattered the school-record mark in the weight throw. Stephenson then broke his own record in back-to-back meets. Kaden Leonard ’25 became the fastest male in Hartford indoor track and field history at the Yale Season Opener. Leonard crossed the line in the 60-meter dash in a blazing time that broke Charles Tankeh’s record from 2017.
New Track and Field to Be Added
A new track and field on campus is scheduled to open in 2023. The outdoor facility is expected to cost approximately $7.5 million and will serve not only UHart student-athletes and programs, but provide access for club sports, recreation activities, and a safe walking and running location for the entire campus community.
This new resource will allow the University’s track & field and cross country athletics programs to increase their enrollment of high-achieving students.
IN THE COACHING BOX
Jen Nardi Has High Hopes for Women’s Lacrosse
As a standout goalkeeper at the University of Massachusetts, Jen Nardi led the nation in save percentage her junior year and was an All-America candidate. Now, more than two decades later, she looks to steer the University of Hartford’s women’s lacrosse program into unchartered waters.
With a deep passion for the sport of lacrosse, and an unwavering commitment to the overall studentathlete experience, Nardi stands ready to guide one of the Hawks’ newest programs through its infancy and make it competitive on a national scale.
Last September, Nardi was named Hawks’ head women’s lacrosse coach— the second in the program’s fouryear history. The fact that Nardi has established a career centered around sports is not surprising. She played lacrosse, basketball, field hockey, and several other sports throughout her childhood in Nyack, New York, with her father serving as coach for many teams—as well as for those times when she and her friends simply enjoyed themselves on neighborhood streets.
“I grew up playing pretty much every sport that you can think of,” says Nardi, who received a master’s degree in sport management from Southern New Hampshire University in 2013. “To be honest, I didn’t know for sure as a kid if sports would be the center of my career, but surely I could not ever imagine it not being a big part of my life.”
In fact, prior to her decision to make sports the foundation of her professional life, Nardi studied hospitality and tourism management at UMass. Meanwhile, on the lacrosse field, her four years were so stellar minding the nets that her senior-year media profile acclaimed that Nardi “will leave UMass as one of the top goalies in NCAA history,” a statement that is backed up by statistics. A goalie from 1998 to 2001, she graduated as the program’s all-time leader in saves—a record that still stands—and finished with a stellar 7.91 goals-against average and .624 save percentage over 55 career games.
Jen Nardi brings to UHart a passion for lacrosse and a commitment to developing the total student-athlete.
In 2000, Nardi was named an Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Northeast Region First Team honoree, helping pilot UMass to an Atlantic 10 Championship.
“I now feel fortunate that lacrosse provided me with the opportunity to make a living,” Nardi readily adds. “After all, sports is at the core of who I am.” While not officially competing this season, the Hawks, with Nardi at the helm, are using the time on and off the field to adapt as UHart makes the transition to an NCAA Division III athletics model.
“My goal is to eventually have a program that is highly competitive on a national basis,” Nardi says, “and I see that prospect with a transition to DIII. It’s a very good opportunity.”
She is quick to point out that such an opportunity is also a challenging one, particularly since no other women’s lacrosse program has gone through this specific change. But, at the same time, it is a very sensible adjustment.
“It’s between a rebuilding effort and a restarting effort,” she explains. It’s a step in the right direction simply because it allows us to be more competitive, and ultimately, more successful.”
To be sure, however, it’s not all about the results on the scoreboard. “What I do as a coach is educate,” she explains. “In addition to competitive skills, coaches also teach life lessons. Everything our student-athletes do, on or off the field, is important to us.”
Nardi is vitally interested in how her players develop as people and as productive members of society—and as good representatives of their school and their communities. “Ultimately, that’s more important than wins and losses,” she concludes.
It’s not exactly a new philosophy that Nardi has adopted, for she has been coaching ever since graduating from UMass in 2001. She has served as an assistant coach at UMass, the University of Vermont, Long Island University, and the University of California; as head coach at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts; and as interim head coach at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Nardi most recently served as head coach for four years at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York.
Each position during her impressive career track was marked by notable statistics, several records, and a number of honors. In her first season at Smith, Nardi led the Pioneers to the New England finals of the Eastern College Athletic Conference championships. She was also named the college’s Coach of the Year, with the most wins in a single season. Her 2018 Manhattanville team scored a school-record 258 goals and finished in a three-way tie for first place in its conference.
Outside of the college environment, Nardi spent time as the executive director of a youth group known as the Brooklyn Crescents, where she oversaw all lacrosse activities on behalf of 600 young athletes.
Her tenure at UHart is still less than a year old, but Nardi has made a concerted effort to get to know her players and is truly enjoying that process day after day. “They are a remarkable group of young people,” she notes proudly. “They want to see the UHart lacrosse program be as successful as I do.”
All told, what Jen Nardi has accomplished in the past, and what she is endeavoring to accomplish in her new post at UHart, continues to prove to her what she and her players and colleagues knew all along: professionally speaking, she is doing not only what she’s destined to do, but also what she truly loves to do.
HAWKS EXCEL IN THE CLASSROOM
(from fall 2021 semester)
3.46 Combined GPA for student-athletes
80.2 Percentage of student-athletes with a 3.0 or above GPA
31 Number of consecutive semesters studentathletes have recorded at least a 3.0 combined GPA
3.82 Volleyball team’s combined GPA, tops among all sports
New Athletics Model Takes Holistic Approach to Benefit All Students
The NCAA has approved the transition of the University of Hartford’s athletics program to Division III.
UHart will formally move forward in the NCAA reclassification process in preparation for active membership no later than September 1, 2025.
“Our future athletics model will continue to support a competitive intercollegiate athletics program, in addition to a holistic approach inclusive of health, recreation, and wellness components for all students,” says Dr. Sharon Beverly, acting vice president of athletics and recreation.
The University is engaged in encouraging conversations with competitive DIII athletic conferences and intends to share updates on provisional conference membership in the coming months.
“We are dedicated to building a future structure for intercollegiate athletics that equitably and sustainably supports transformative athletic and academic educational experiences for our students— contributing to the bright future of the University of Hartford,” Beverly adds.
The Department of Athletics, with input from the campus community, will build out a new athletics strategic plan that demonstrates a strong commitment to Hartford Athletics; a vision of excellence for the Department and student-athletes; and a plan for a vibrant recreation program for the entire campus community.
An overview of the four beginning goals:
GOAL 1: ATHLETICS LEADERSHIP, CULTURE, AND ENGAGEMENT
Our vision is to create a transformational experience that prepares student-athletes to be forward thinkers and leaders in society. Our student-athletes will have the opportunity to grow in and beyond their sport through ongoing academic support and achievement, internships, study abroad, leadership development initiatives, and community service. Holistic wellness, with an emphasis on mental health, will be one of our top priorities for our student-athletes.
GOAL 2: COMPETITIVE SUCCESS
We will maintain the competitive drive our programs are already known for and we will strive for championships. We look forward to establishing new rivalries with other DIII schools in our region with the support of the full campus community. As we are provisionally accepted to a new conference during our transition, we will begin exploring the addition of new sports and facility enhancements. Tennis, ice hockey, and field hockey are just a few of the possibilities. The construction of a new track and field for our student-athletes and the entire campus community is planned for 2023.
GOAL 3: BUILDING THE NEW MODEL
To achieve and maintain success, we are creating a new model for athletics that fully integrates the Department into University culture. We will recruit and retain an athletics staff that reflects our world by establishing hiring and training programs with a focus on diversity. We will encourage our coaches and other employees to seek out leadership opportunities, including on NCAA committees. The Department will work with the University to prioritize expenses and investments critical to our success.
GOAL 4: CREATING A ROBUST RECREATION PROGRAM
A key piece of our new model is a vibrant recreation program that fosters community fitness and a lifelong approach to health and wellness for everyone at the University. We will be revamping and expanding our club sports and intramurals to encourage greater student participation and to create new leadership opportunities.
