The Sydney University Athletics Club (SUAC) has topped the medal tally for the second consecutive year at the NSW State Championships, finishing with an enormous haul of 17 medals during the three day event.
Many of SUSF’s Elite Athlete Program (EAP) scholarship holders were particularly dominant throughout the weekend. One of those athletes was sprinter Anneliese Rubie who won both the 200m and 400m events in dominant fashion at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre (SOPAC). In the 200m Rubie (Bachelor of Liberal Arts & Sciences) ran a personal best, running into a stiff headwind. The 2011 World Championships representative is in the form of her life and will race this weekend at the Sydney Track Classic.
Other state championship wins came from Justin Merlino, who beat team mate Nick Hough in the 110m hurdles, having earlier finished third in the 100m. SUSF EAP scholarship holder Hough (Bachelor of IT/Bachelor of Laws) took home the silver in the 110m hurdles.
Milly Clark (Bachelor of Applied Science/ Masters of Nutrition) won the 3000m steeplechase for the second consecutive year, while Josh Ralph (Bachelor of IT/Bachelor of Laws) ran a personal best to beat Australian Representative Kurt Mulcahy in the men’s 400m and take home his first NSW state title.
SUAC athletes finished with four silver medals: Alix Kennedy (Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Law) in the discus; Jack Colreavy (Masters of Commerce) in a pulsating race in the steeplechase; Neil Berry in another exciting race in the 10000m; and as mentioned earlier, Nick Hough in the 110m hurdles.
Bronze medals came from Kelly Young in the 800m; Andrew Giltrap (Bachelor of Science {Advanced Honours}) who won two – one in the shot put where he threw a personal best and also in the javelin; Eliza Barton (Bachelor of Animal & Veterinary Bioscience) ran a massive personal best to also take home a bronze medal in the 1500m. Derek Mulhearn (Bachelor of Science {Exercise Sport Science}/ Bachelor of Science Nutrition) was third in the 5000m walk, with Larissa Pasternatsky (Bachelor of Commerce) finishing in the bronze medal position in the 100m. Finally Chrissie Grun (Bachelor of Education {Secondary}/ Bachelor of Human Movement Health Education}) finished third in the javelin.
This year’s championships also saw a huge number of other SUAC athletes finishing in the top eight in the state, showcasing the incredible depth that the club currently possesses across the board. The best example of this depth is in the men’s 100m, where SUAC had four competitors make the final – a modern day first for the club.
This weekend SUAC athletes will head back to the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre (SOPAC) to compete in the Sydney Track Classic – the biggest meet in Sydney this year.
