University of Connecticut Athletics
Feature: Van Der Els Ready to Captain 2019 Huskies
9/27/2019 12:55:00 PM | Men's Cross Country
STORRS, Conn. – UConn director of cross country and track & field Greg Roy announced that junior Eric Van Der Els (Norwalk, Conn.) has been elected team captain for the 2019 cross country season.
Van Der Els is tasked with leading a young group this fall, a challenge the junior and his coach feel he is ready to take on. "Eric has been in a role were he got to lead competitively, now he gets to do it all," said Roy. "He gets to be the face of the program. I think this will really help him be a better all-around runner and student-athlete. And having lived through it with some of those other guys who came before him, it's only going to make him a better leader for our program."
With no seniors on the roster, he will head up a group that features eight freshmen, as the Huskies are a week away from heading back into action. He got the 2019 season kicked-off just like he did in 2018, winning the first race of the fall, the UMass Minuteman Invitational. Now, with a four-week break closing out with the next big race slated for October 5 at the Paul Short Invite at Lehigh, van der Els is ready to push this young group forward into the heart of the season.
"I am now more mature, more experienced with cross country and distance racing and I feel more confident out there," commented van der Els. "I am really excited to get things going at Paul Short with our first 8k and then on to Princeton. I thought the UMass race was a good opener for us, especially for our young guys. It was nice to see everyone out there, getting to race on the collegiate level and they did great."
Van Der Els has been working on turning his success on the track into success on the cross-country course as well and he feels like he has turned the corner. "I have struggled with some injuries in the past with the longer distance training program but I am more mature now, stronger now and I am feeling more confident and ready for the new challenges," stated van der Els. "I am just really excited to get the season going."
Last season, he finished 19th at the American Athletic Conference Championship race and also ran his first 10k race, competing at the NCAA East Regional in Buffalo, N.Y. On the track, he has won five medals between indoor and outdoor seasons combined, most recently this past spring when he took second in the 1,500 meters at the AAC title race.
"Eric is someone who has tremendous potential and is getting stronger all the time," commented Roy. "He is committed to being a good cross country runner. He has turned some previous physical issues into minor, minor issues. He has shown the young kids, who get those bumps and bruises this is how you can handle things. He will lead by example. We have a great relationship and communicate really well."
Leading a young group of teammates can present many challenges but it helps when you can look back on your own experience and those that captained the Huskies back then. "It is a great honor to be a leader for this team," stated van der Els. "I have had some great leaders in the past like Mike O'Donnell and Patrick Begley to look up to. I am looking keep that tradition going of being tough, staying positive and going out to win.
"It's a challenge for sure, but learning from those upperclassmen when I was the younger guy, that has helped me develop and will help me be a better leader of this group for sure."
Players Mentioned
