McMahon High's Van Der Els Officially Signs To Run For UConn

NORWALK, Conn. -- Brien McMahon High senior Eric van der Els officially signed his letter of intent this week to continue his cross country and track career at the University of Connecticut.

Eric van der Els, right, with his parents Mitch and Lynn, signed a letter of intent earlier this week to continue his distance running career at UConn.
Photo Credit: *Contributed*

Tom Renner

11/20/2015 5:30 a.m.

Van der Els won the State Open, Class LL and Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference championships this year. He finished third in New England.

He committed to run for the Huskies last month but needed to wait until the official signing period to confirm his choice. Van der Els drew interest from Virginia, Georgetown, Providence and Iona before choosing UConn, where his sister is a student.

After coming to McMahon as a soccer and baseball player, van der Els quickly found his niche as a distance runner.

Beginning with the Junior Olympics in the summer between his freshman and sophomore years, van der Els has progressed rapidly up the ranks to become the latest in a long line of Division I distance running athletes.

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