Ava Connerty

Ava Connerty of North Riverside was recently crowned national champion in the women’s 100-meter hurdle at the NJCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Utica, New York, on Saturday, May 10. Winning the race by two-tenths of a second, Connerty made history as Triton College’s first women’s track national champion and earned her second consecutive NJCAA All-American honor.

“I don’t have any superstitions or good luck charms,” said Connerty. “It’s just pure talent and preparation.”

Connerty insists she stumbled upon her passion for track by accident. After starting in gymnastics as a young girl, she later joined her town’s Little League team. Her coach and teammates were amazed by how fast she could run the bases. Taking that compliment to heart, she joined the track team at Riverside Brookfield High School and began honing her skills.

“I initially committed to a Division II school in North Dakota after high school,” she said. “It wasn’t a good fit for me. I (decided) to transfer to Triton because it was close to home.”

Since joining Triton’s track team, Connerty has flourished, breaking records while crushing her goals.

“We really pushed our athletes for this championship,” said track coach Jason Guevarra. “I could see it in Ava’s eyes that she was ready. She did amazing.”

Looking ahead, Connerty hopes to continue running and transfer to a four-year university, possibly somewhere in Florida. In the meantime, she’s focused on her success at Triton College.

“It feels great to be honored in front of the Board of Trustees,” she said.