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Husky pride at an all-time high after championship win

A one-day pop-up shop sold hundreds of championship hats and shirts while students relished in Monday night’s title win.

STORRS, Conn. — The national title is back in Storrs after the UConn Huskies were named the 2023 NCAA champions.

Thousands of students were on their toes inside Gampel Pavilion on Monday night, screaming at every point along the way.

Working off little sleep, students brought that same energy to campus on Tuesday —many of them stopping to buy championship merch along the way. Students told FOX61 it feels like fulfilling a dream nine years in the making.

UConn students were proud going into the NCAA Championship game Monday night. Huskies are even more prideful after the team clinched its 5th title.

“It feels great to be a Husky, honestly. It’s a dream,” said junior Grace O’Brien of Guilford. “I started to get a little nervous once we were within five points but once we got within five minutes and we were up, I was like, ‘we won this.’”

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A dream win against San Diego State University.

“It was cinematic. I came out of Gampel and I was just looking around like, ‘wow, this is what it’s like,’” said senior Aristeed Davis of New York.

“It was like a movie experience. It was crazy,” said sophomore Nicole Eugenio of New Hampshire.

UConn maintained a dream lead over the Aztecs for most of the game and the dream-like sun shined over campus Tuesday as crews planted yellow daffodils in pots in front of Gampel.

Diehard Fan Supply’s one-day pop-up shop was selling out of championship merch.

“I never thought we would be national champions while I was here at least,” said Junior Alexandra Papas.

Others wearing historic gear from prior years that put the Huskies on the national map.

“This is a vintage 1999 one,” said recent grad James Pettit of Cheshire.

A Monday night dream Huskies are talking about all day long.

“The group chat was on fire and we’re all sending pictures from the day and the night,” Eugenio said.

Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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