Memorial Foundation Established To Honor Beloved Greenwich Coach

Greenwich CT

08 January, 2021

6:02 PM

Description

GREENWICH, CT — As he entered his fourth year running for Greenwich High School, both on the school's cross country and indoor and outdoor track teams, Alex Kosyakov found himself wanting to quit for various reasons. He may have done it too, had the Class of 2019 graduate not spoke to Coach William "Bill" Mongovan first, who reminded him that running was about more than just results. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.) "It was really because of him that I figured out I didn't want to miss out on my last year with the team," Kosyakov said. "It's not just the meets and the competitions, it's about my team and being a part of that whole organization, and just finishing what I started. I owe it to him for getting me to stick it out for my last year." Kosyakov was one of many current and former student-athletes who were hit hard by the news of Mongovan's death in late December. According to Gus Lindine, the high school's director of athletics, Mongovan coached cross country, indoor track and track and field in Greenwich for 55 years, both at Greenwich High School and at St. Mary's of Greenwich high school prior to its closure. See also: Beloved Greenwich High School Track Coach, Mentor Dies: Principal For Kosyakov and many others like him, Mongovan was more than simply thier coach; he was a teacher, a mentor and a friend, who always brought out the best in student-athletes and went above and beyond what his position demanded. "I don't think [Mongovan] saw the athletes he coached as just runners that he had for four years that would eventually move on," said Alexander Bein, a former GHS runner and Class of 2020 graduate. "He really saw everyone as a person and like family." Upon receiving news of Mongovan's death, Kosyakov, Bein and a group of over a dozen former GHS runners looked for ways they could help preserve Mongovan's legacy. "Since Mongo had been with the Greenwich High [athletics] program for so long and had such a huge impact, it was pretty unbelievable that he was just not going to be there anymore. We [wanted] to do something so that his memory and legacy would live on." It was this desire that prompted the group to establish The William Mongovan Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to raise funds to create a scholarship in Mongovan's name for GHS student-athletes. Kosyakov serves as president of the foundation, while Bein serves as treasurer. Verna Yin, a fellow Class of 2019 graduate and former GHS runner, serves as secretary. "The goal is mostly to honor Mongo's contribution to the sport," Yin said, "and to just raise enough money to create a memorial for him and a scholarship for outstanding Greenwich High School students so that we can live up to what Mongo believed in." Officially established Dec. 24, the foundation is currently raising money through a GoFundMe campaign and donations submitted by many across the state who also wish to preserve Mongovan's legacy. "It's been really amazing to see how many people have gotten behind this," Kosyakov said. "There are probably over a dozen former runners from Greenwich High School that have been involved in this whole process, and then of course everybody who has donated so far." It is a labor of love for the group, who looked to Mongovan's own tendency to go out of his way for students as inspiration for establishing a scholarship. "We believed a scholarship would be very appropriate because Mongo also somehow had the time to care about what people were thinking about after high school," Kosyakov said. "He knew all these college coaches and knew the whole process. He helped a lot of kids actually get running scholarships and such. We sort of want to make sure that's not lost, even though he's passed away." Mongovan also had a sincere passion for the sport he coached, with Kosyakov noting he's never known anyone who loved running more than his former coach. "He was definitely the person who dedicated the greatest number of years to the sport," Yin said, "and it was his passion and belief in the team that made him the most dedicated, from what I could tell." According to Bein, Mongovan's impact wasn't restricted to Greenwich; it extended throughout Fairfield County and across the state. "Every year at the FCIAC cross country championship, he was always the one firing the gun," Bein said, "which I always thought was pretty cool. It gave me a little more comfort heading into the race that it was someone familiar who had that powerful position...he not only impacted Greenwich people, but people far and wide."