Vann Moffett appreciates everything about this spring track season, from spending time with his Stony Brook University teammates to workouts and competing in meets.

All those things that were taken away from Moffett a year ago as a senior.

"I definitely have appreciation for all the little things," said Moffett, an East Lyme High School graduate. "Everything about competing and traveling and all the stuff. It really makes you sit back and really appreciate how it was and how it is and that we're lucky to be able to compete now even."

Moffett is thoroughly enjoying the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19 related disruptions. After receiving an undergraduate degree last year, he's competing as a graduate student.

He's taking full advantage of the opportunity.

He set two school records, completing the 3,000 meters in eight minutes, 2.23 seconds at the Ocean State Invitational in Providence on April 9 and breaking his own program mark in the 5,000 with a time of 13:58.51 at Raleigh Relays in North Carolina in late March.

"It's just pretty cool, honestly," Moffett said. "I'm just trying to go out and give it my best and just get the most out of myself and that just ended up being what I've been able to run. That's another thing, too, with COVID, you realize every time you get to go out there, it's really a privilege being able to compete. You've got to make the most of it every time."

There was never any doubt in Moffett's mind that he would return for fifth year at Stony Brook.

Like countless other high school and college athletes around the country, Moffett experienced the disappointment of a season being canceled due to the pandemic last spring.

For the first time in years, Moffett spent a spring on the sidelines.

"It was weird," he said. "I was home back in Connecticut. I kept training. I stayed mostly positive and optimistic that we'd get to where we are now."

Moffett already completed a successful four-year cross country career in the fall of 2019 by earning All-Region, All-America East first team and All-conference academic honors. He was second in the American East championship, a meet Stony Brook won.

He wanted to finish his outdoor track career, so he elected to return for a graduate year. He ran indoor track for four years, as a senior helping set the distance medley relay school record in a winning performance at the America East Indoor Championship and placing first in the 3,000.

"It was pretty much a no-brainer," Moffett said. "I had to think about it for a little bit just because my coach wanted me to think about it for a little bit. He was saying when everything got shut down that it was very emotional right now, take your time and think about it.

"As I did, I just needed to finish out my career with an outdoor season."

Moffett also changed the course of his career path.

"I was actually looking at law school," Moffett said. "But when COVID happened, I couldn't give up the opportunity to come back to Stony Brook, so I switched gears a bit and did human resource management. I like that so much. Going through my graduate program so far, it's really what I want to do now. So that was nice to be able to come back and compete and I was also able to figure out my career path, too.

"There were two good things that came out of the pandemic."

Thanks to some helpful advice from a former Eastern Connecticut Conference runner, Moffett ended up attending Stony Brook, located in Brookhaven on the north shore of Long Island.

During his college search, Moffett talked to former Ledyard runner Bryce Hedman, who also ran at Stony Brook.

"It seemed like a program that I could fit in and run," Moffett said. "Bryce got me in contact with the coach and reached out and then it went from there."

Moffett admits that at first, he was a bit concerned about running at the Division I level. He had a terrific high school career, receiving all-state honors in track and cross country. He also was named The Day's All-Area Boys' Cross Country Runner of the Year in 2015, winning the Class MM individual title that fall.

He's earned an education both in the classroom as well as in track and cross country.

"I was a naive 17–18-year-old coming in," Moffett said. "But I can't even tell you the amount of stuff that I know now compared to back then. It's insane just how much I've learned and how much I've grown as a runner and as a student-athlete in my five years here now."

Moffett still has more he wants to accomplish. He's shooting to qualify for the NCAA Championship for the first time.

"I know it's within my capabilities to do it," Moffett said. "Once you get to the regionals, you just race to get there. I don't think it's crazy to say that I have a shot. Sometimes you've got to be confident in yourself and believe that you can do it. Because if you don't believe you can do it, who else will?"

He'll finish up his graduate degree work after taking some summer classes and then start looking for a job.

And he'll keep running, competing in road races.

"Definitely my passion for running has grown," Moffett said. "It's not something that I can just give up just because my NCAA career is over. I've put in years and thousands and thousands of miles. It's not something that's going to just go away."

g.keefe@theday.com