Sydney University Athletics Club (SUAC) representative Nicholas Hough began his lead up to the World Junior Championships in spectacular fashion over the weekend breaking the Australian Junior record for the 110m Hurdles.
Hough, a Sydney University Elite Athlete Program (EAP) scholarship holder (B. IT & B. Law) recorded a time of 13.38, taking nearly a tenth of a second off the record at a meet in Mannheim Germany.
The time puts Hough well and truly into the picture for a medal at the World Junior Championships (July 10-15).
Overseas, SUAC Club Captain and fellow EAP scholarship holder Lachlan Renshaw recorded another good performance finishing 2nd in the 800m at a meeting in Nivilles in Belgium.
Renshaw (B. Commerce ) will have two more races in Europe to qualify for the Olympic Games – he needs to run 1.45.60 to qualify for the games but is narrowly outside the mark having recorded a 1.45.80 earlier in the season.
Back at home, SUAC had some major success as the club successfully defended the NSW Cross Country crown they won in 2011 with a dominant display of team running at Camberwarra Mountain in Nowra.
The team consisting of James Nipperess (2nd), Russell Dessaix-Chin (3rd), Hugh Williams (5th) and Jack Colreavy (7th) finished a long way clear of the second place team Randwick Botany Harriers; in fact the boys from SUAC were nearly 15 minutes in front on total times.
Nipperess (B. Health Science – Physiotherapy), Williams (Bachelor of Health Science) and Colreavy (Masters of Economics) are all EAP scholarship holders.
Nipperess put in one of his best ever performances and looked a winner with less than 2km to go in the 12km event.
He was locked in a battle with Jeff Hunt who will contest the marathon at the London Olympics for Australia for the best part of the second half of the race.
Hunt only managed to get the better of Nipperess in the closing stages, and Hunt went onto to say in the post race that it was one of the toughest races he had ever been a part of at the NSW Cross Country Championships.
In the women’s event EAP scholarship holder Milly-Jane Clark (B. Applied Science/M. Nutrition) continued her good form with a 2nd place finish.
Fellow EAP scholarship holder Eliza Barton (B. Animal & Veterinary Bioscience) finished a promising 5th in the junior women’s event which augers well for her considering she is predominantly a track athlete.
On Sunday at the NSW Short Walk Championships (20km) SUAC took home the gold in the Men’s team walks, with Brendon Reading (a recent SUAC recruit) posting a very credible 96 minute performance on debut in the all-white uniform.
EAP scholarship holders and brothers, Derek Mulhearn and Jordon Mulhearn (took home silver and 4th place respectively – Jordon was making his debut at the 20km distance.
Vanessa Noble finished 5th in the Women’s NSW short walks.
In the Winter premiership SUAC are looking a very strong chance to retain the title they first won in 2011.
The wins over the weekend in both the Walks and NSW Cross Country see SUAC move more than 60 points ahead of their nearest rival with four events remaining, considering a win is worth 25 points the men of SUAC will be very difficult to run down.
