Around the Grounds

29/1/17

Sarah Billings took no time breaking her own MUAC 800m record, improving it to 2:04.35 with a 6th place at the 2017 Hunter Track Classic.  The race was a high quality spectacle with all nine women in the hunt for the victory down the home straight, spreading seven wide on the track in the surge to the line.  Lora Storey of NSW (2:03.62) took the win and the first 8 athletes broke 2:05. Earlier in the evening NZ Nitro Athletics Team Member Ellen Schaef had smashed her 800m PB running 2:05.30 in her finest race for the summer so far. In another close race, three women pushed all the way to the line with Keely Small just edging Schaef into second. Schaef will be back in action at Lakeside Stadium as part of the Nitro Athletics series, taking on Usain Bolt’s All Stars, along with teams from Australia, Japan, China and England. Matt Scott also ran well in the B 800m to get 3rd place in 1:52.79.

Women’s A 800m

Women’s B 800m

A group of MUAC athletes took the opportunity to venture to Casey Fields for the 2017 Victorian Country Championships. Frankie Conway took the win in the Open 5000m in 14:53 off the back of a savage anti-taper, having trained hard that morning.  Joel Baden took a similar path in the high jump, clearing 2.08m for an easy win off the back of a hard week of training, with Joel Mason second in 1.98m.  Stella Radford won her steeplechase season debut in 10:30 with Jordan Mayston third in the 1500m in 4:17.  Christian Paynter claimed fourth in the discus (36.52m), 6th in the shot put (12.25m), 2nd in the javelin (55.70m), just in front of Mate Zahtila (55.15m). Emily Lawson took second in the 400m in 57.62 and fifth in the 200m (26.27) with Eleni Gilden joining her in the 400m final. MUAC Women took 2nd, 3rd and 5th in the pole vault with Cath Macrae (3.60m), Kath Iannello (3.50m) and Tamara Mancuso (3.30m) all vaulting well.

MUAC winter star Andrew Buchanan ran superbly in hot and testing conditions at the Stromlo Cross Country Course in Canberra, taking 8th place in the World Cross Country Trials.

MUAC athletes also cleaned up at the Rosebud Australia Day fun with victories to Nick Earl, Tim Hui, Phil Van Dueren and a comprehensive team victory as well.

MUAC athletes will be in action this weekend at the 2017 Victorian Multievent Championships and in final preparations for the biggest day in Australian club athletics, the AV Shield Final the following weekend.