The Sydney University Athletic Club (SUAC) continued its unbelievable run of good form on weekend with wins in the women’s, men’s and overall competitions at the NSW Club Championships.
In the women’s competition SUAC scored 268.50 points to beat home UTS Norths (221) and ASICS Wests with (177). The men’s point score showed an even more dominant performance by SUAC scoring 300 points, to UTS Norths 217 and Sydney Pacific 195 in third place.
The overall point score saw SUAC more than 130 points in front, scoring 568.50 to UTS Norths in second with 438 and Sydney Pacific in third with 295.50.
The NSW Club Championships is a team event with many SUAC athletes competing in more than one event on the day in order to get the club across the line. There were of course a number of standout individual performances.
Anneliese Rubie’s run in the women’s 400m was phenomenal. Rubie ran 53.06 in very windy conditions, setting a new personal best time and putting herself well into to the picture for selection in senior Australian teams later in the year. In the same event Charlotte Van Veenendaal finished third.
The women’s 1500m saw Melinda Witchard run the fastest time of the day with Kelly Young from SUAC finishing third. In the women’s Javelin SUAC took out the top two podium positions with Chrissie Grun throwing 44.07 and Annie Davies 42.42. Gillian Ragus made a return for SUAC finishing third in the shot put, and to top things off for the SUAC women the team of Charlotte Van Veenendaal, Anneliese Rubie, Hannah Gibbs and Elizabeth Jenkins won the 4x100m, breaking the club record for the event in the process.
On the men’s side of the competition performances of note came from Andrew Giltrap who finished second in the shot put and first in the javelin, with Andrew Baker also third in the javelin. Miles Cole –Clark was 3rd in the high jump having just returned from a stress fracture in his first competition.
The three time national champion in the 110m hurdles Justin Merlino showed his class taking out the 110m hurdles in a slick time of 14.14 despite running into a stiff headwind. Nick Hough fought a close battle to finish second in the 100m to Olympian Tim Leathart from Sydney Pacific.
Richard Haggie was impressive in winning the 400m with SUAC’s Ian Dewhurst in second place. SUAC middle distance stalwart Brett Halls won the men’s 1500m closing very quickly in the last 200m to storm to victory. Derek Mulhearn finished second in the 3,000m walk and in the final event of the day the SUAC 4x100m team of Stephen Andreazza, Justin Merlino, Josh Tassell and Andrew Clarke recorded a solid victory to top off a great afternoon for the club.
The win on the weekend confirms the club’s status as NSW’s premier senior athletic club and adds to an ever growing list of achievements for the club this year including a win by the men in the NSW Winter Premiership, wins in the men’s, women’s and overall competition by a record margin at the Australian University Games, the club’s most dominant ever performance in the NSW State Relay Championships, first place in the NSW Open Pennant Championships and now a win in the men’s, women’s and overall Club Championships. Thus making the 2012/13 season arguably the best in the club’s long history.
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