Top stories of 2022; No. 7: A plethora of injuries hamper Huskies
Dec. 24—As the year draws to a close, the Journal Inquirer has compiled a list of the Top 10 Stories of 2022 for north-central Connecticut. This is the fourth in that series, which concludes on Dec. 31.
Everybody loves a winner and there were plenty on the Journal Inquirer's local sports scene in 2022.
There was also injury and heartbreak as teams and individuals would rise and fall, reach great heights or come up short.
Here's a look at the top 10 sports stories from the JI region.
1. Bueckers' bum knee
The news was shocking.
Paige Bueckers missed 19 games a season ago with a knee injury but returned in time to help UConn to the national championship game. With a healthy Bueckers leading the charge, the Huskies would be a leading contender for what's been an elusive 12th title.
But on Aug. 3, UConn announced that Bueckers — the 2021 national Player of the Year — would miss the 2022-23 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee playing in a pick-up game two days earlier.
"I was going full speed and sort of tried to come to a full stop," Bueckers said. "It was some contact, not a lot of contact, but it just kind of gave out. I knew it was bad. I felt a pop. I'm not really sure I heard it but I felt it for sure. I went to the training room and I was extremely frustrated. I knew some thing was wrong."
She had surgery Aug. 5. It was the same knee she hurt her sophomore year though Bueckers said that the injuries are not related.
Bueckers, who will turn 22 in October, is eligible to enter the 2023 WNBA Draft but has said she'll return to the Huskies next season.
"I'm not leaving. That is not in question," she said. "People asked me, 'What are you thinking about, fifth year, COVID year, redshirt this year?' I'm not thinking too far ahead about that at all. But I will be playing college basketball again."
2. Rising poll numbers
The UConn men's basketball team was outside the Top 25 in the Associated Press preseason poll but quickly made an entrance on Nov. 14 — at No. 25.
"It's a good start. It's a good start," UConn senior guard Nahiem Alleyne said. "But we're not satisfied with it. Twenty-five? I feel like we're a Top-5 team. Everybody has their different opinions. We're just going to keep on rolling, keep on doing our thing."
As the Huskies kept winning, they kept moving up in the poll. Their victory Thanksgiving weekend at the Phil Knight Invitational — with wins over Oregon, Alabama, and Iowa State — got them into the Top 10. They'll enter Christmas weekend with a 13-0 record and a No. 2 ranking behind fellow unbeaten Purdue.
"I feel good," Alleyne said Monday. "I feel like we are where we're supposed to be. Like I said before in the summer, I thought we were a Top-5 team. So, we're just going to continue working, staying consistent, and just playing UConn basketball."
The Huskies were last ranked No. 1 in the AP poll the week of March 2, 2009.
UConn is back in action Wednesday against Big East rival Villanova at the XL Center in Hartford.
3. Mora momentum
Jim Mora took over a UConn football team that won one game in 2021 and had not sniffed a bowl game since 2015.
After a 41-10 loss to North Carolina State on Sept. 24, the injury-plagued Huskies were 1-4 and had been outscored 148-24 in consecutive losses to Syracuse, Michigan, and the Wolfpack. Their only win was against Northeast Conference and FCS member Central Connecticut State.
But on Oct. 1, they stunned Fresno State 19-14 and began a run that got them back to .500 at 5-5 heading into a matchup with No. 19 Liberty at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford. UConn led early, fell behind, then bounced back and its 36-33 win over the Flames made it bowl eligible.
"This one, something about it just feels so amazing," UConn linebacker Jackson Mitchell said. "In that locker room, we know how low we were, how many hard times we've been through and so for us to get to this moment, it's just a lot of shared emotions, a lot hugs, a lot of smiles, a lot of laughs. Just because we're so happy and so grateful to be in this position."
The Huskies lost their regular season finale at Army but were given a spot opposite Marshall of the Sun Belt Conference at the Myrtle Beach Bowl in South Carolina. The Thundering Herd took a 28-0 lead on Monday before two touchdown runs by Victor Rosa gave UConn some life. But it would get no closer in a 28-14 loss.
4. Return visit
The UConn women went 15-4 a season ago without Bueckers, who returned to action Feb. 25. With her, the Huskies won their final two regular season then rolled to the Big East tournament title. They were given the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Bridgeport Regional.
UConn rolled past Mercer in the opener then survived a scare from Central Florida to reach the Sweet 16 for a record 28th time in a row. At Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, the Huskies used a second-half surge to put away Indiana and then faced top-seeded North Carolina State. It was a classic. With Bueckers scoring 15 points in the extra sessions, UConn reached its record 14th consecutive Final Four with a 91-87 double-overtime victory.
With Bueckers playing in her hometown of Minneapolis, the Huskies ended their four-game losing streak in national semifinals by ending Stanford's one-year championship reign at the Target Center. Christyn Williams' two free throws with 11.0 seconds left iced a 63-58 victory.
But in the national championship game, South Carolina built an 18-point first-half lead. The Huskies got within six in the third quarter and trailed by seven with nine minutes to go before the Gamecocks pulled away again for a 64-49 win.
The Huskies finished 30-6.
5. Swinging for the fences
No baseball team from the Northeast had been to the College World Series since 1979 when UConn reached Omaha. But after holding on to defeat host Stanford 13-12 in Game 1 of the best-of-three NCAA Super Regional on June 11, the Huskies were one win away.
But the Cardinal evened the series with an 8-2 win the next day. In the deciding game on June 13, UConn jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first inning only to see Stanford respond with two runs in its half of the frame. Then in the third Kody Huff's grand slam capped a six-run outburst for the Cardinal, who went on to a 10-5 win to earn a CWS berth.
But under coach Jim Penders, the Huskies (50-16) set a program and New England single-season record for wins. They swept the Big East regular season and tournament titles to earn a fourth straight NCAA tournament berth and advanced to their second Super Regional by taking out host Maryland in the College Park Regional.
6. The ring is the thing
Luke Broadhurst of Stafford, Zach Donahue of South Windsor, and Tim Pfaffenbichler of Windsor Locks started their college baseball careers. Ryan Bagdasarian of Glastonbury began his career at UConn-Avery Point before spending a year in Storrs.
But in the spring of 2022 they were together playing for Eastern Connecticut State University and the Warriors ended their season with the Division III national championship. Eastern capped a 49-3 campaign with a 3-2 win over Salisbury to complete a sweep of the best-of-three championship series June 7 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
It was the Warriors' fifth national championship and first since 2002.
"You don't get too many opportunities to win championships," Broadhurst said. "For us to get to this point and break through and actually do it, it's indescribable."
In the final game, Bagdasarian delivered a two-run single in the fifth inning that proved to be the game-winning hit.
After the season, Broadhurst transferred back to UConn to complete his eligibility and coach Brian Hamm took the head coaching job at Yale.
7. Minor details
Frank Mozzicato from Ellington and East Catholic High began his career in the minor leagues in the Kansas City Royals system. Meanwhile, Stafford native Josh Simpson is a step away from the big show with the Miami Marlins.
Mozzicato, the overall No. 7 pick by the Royals in the 2021 MLB Draft, made his professional debut on May 18 and threw three scoreless innings for the Class A Columbia (South Carolina) Fireflies May 18 against Myrtle Beach, He allowed one hit with three walks and three strikeouts.
The remainder of the left-hander's summer proved more difficult. In 19 games (all starts), he was 2-6 with a 4.30 earned run average. In 69 innings he allowed 55 hits, walked 51, and fanned 89.
Simpson, a Stafford High and Columbia University graduate taken by the Marlins in the 32nd round of the 2019 Draft, was placed on Miami's 40-man roster in November. He is rated the No. 28 prospect in the Marlins' organization.
On April 7 he was promoted to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the Double A Southern League and had a break-through summer going 5-2 with a 3.88 ERA. In 40 games, he walked 29 and struck out 89 over 55Î innings, holding hitters to a .164 batting average. Pensacola would go on to win the Southern League playoff title but without Simpson, who was promoted to Jacksonville of the International League on Aug. 21. With the Jumbo Shrimp he pitched 12Ï innings over 10 games and was 2-0 with a 4.38 ERA and 23 strikeouts.
8. Manchester Road Race
It was a Thanksgiving Day that Conner Mantz will never forget. While on his honeymoon, the Mapleton, Utah native broke the course record by 12 seconds en route to the winning the 86th running of the Manchester Road Race in 21:04.
The 2023 Road Race is also one that those watching will never forget. Following Mantz, the second-fifth-place finishers also eclipsed the previous record set by Edward Cheserek in 2019.
Mantz was in fourth as the lead pack turned onto Main Street. He matched a move made by Wesley Kiptoo and passed him in front of the Salvation Army building. Morgan Beadlescomb also passed Kiptoo to finish second. Kiptoo himself finished third while Andrew Colley and Hillary Bor rounded out the top five.
In the women's field, Weini Kelati didn't have another record-breaking performance like she did in 2021. But she dominated the field once again to capture her second straight title.
The 25-year-old from Flagstaff, Arizona finished in 23:39, 42 seconds faster than runner-up Jessa Hanson. Kelati finished 30th overall and 44 seconds behind her course record time. Taylor Werner was third while Anna Dibaba was fourth and Calli Thackery fifth.
9. Champions tour
The Run to the Sun ended in championships for the East Catholic boys and East Hartford girls basketball teams. James Jones scored 14 points and his two free throws with 19 seconds left proved decisive in the Eagles' 50-49 win over Notre Dame-West Haven in the Division I final. Player of the Year Shailyn Pinkney made sure there was no such drama for the Hornets as she had 26 points in a 54-33 rout of Wilton in the Class LL final that gave East Hartford its first title.
On the ice, the Newington co-op that includes Manchester defeated Conard 3-1 for the Division III title at Quinnipiac.
On the diamond, Windsor baseball won its first state title since 1991 as Nate Acabchuk pitched a four-hitter in a 3-1 win over Maloney in the Class L final at Palmer Field.
On the track, the Windsor boys and girls swept the Class MM titles.
On the links, RHAM captured its first state title by taking the Division II crown. The individual title went to Ellington's Bradley Sawka. In the fall season, Northwest Catholic's Cole Banning of Tolland was the Division II champion.
On the pitch, Owen Hoffman's penalty kick in overtime gave Ellington a 2-1 win over Weston in the Class M final. Sydney Ledoux's goal with 2:39 left in the first half was enough to give the East Catholic girls a 1-0 win over Lyman Memorial and the Class S crown. Both games were played at Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford.
On the volleyball court, Ally Hadley was named the finals MVP for the second straight year as RHAM made it back-to-back state titles with a sweep of Woodland in the Class M final.
On the cross country course, the Glastonbury girls won the CCC, Class LL, State Open, and New England titles with the Guardians' Brooke Strauss capturing the individual title in the State Open. Somers won the Class S girls championship while Suffield junior Griffin Mandirola grabbed the Class SS boys individual title.
10. Little big stuff
The South Windsor U-10 Little League All-Stars' magical summer was endless.
Lyle Dresser tossed a shutout en route to being named tournament MVP as South Windsor defeated Abington (Pennsylvania) 3-0 to win the Eastern Region championship in Cranston, Rhode Island. South Windsor went 16-1 in a 59-day span and took home the District 8, Section 4, state, New England, and Eastern Region crowns. It was the first U-10 team in town history to win a state title and the first South Windsor team to win a New England title since the U-13 team did in 1988.
"It's about the development at the end," South Windsor manager Seth Falco said. " These kids are better. But I mean they earned every bit of those banners and rings. I'm so proud of them. I still can't get over the fact of what it's been like. It's been an amazing ride."
The Manchester U-12 All-Stars' bid to return to Williamsport came up short though they did successfully defend their District 8 and Section 4 championships. Their run came to an end in the state final four with two losses to East Lyme.
The Ellington and Glastonbury U-11 All-Stars made up half of the state final four. Ellington finished third in the event as it was eliminated by Glastonbury. But Glastonbury had to settle for second after losing in the championship round to Westport.
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Journal Inquirer staff writer Adam Betz contributed to this story.
For coverage of all sports in the JI's 18-town coverage area, plus updates on the UConn women's basketball team and head coach Geno Auriemma, follow Carl Adamec on Twitter: @CarlAdamec, Facebook: Carl Adamec, and Instagram: @CarlAdamec.
