MUAC women get bronzed as summer heats up
2015 Victorian Track Relay Championships
A bronze medal for our 4x800m women crowned a strong day for MUAC at the State Relay Championships, where MUAC was the only club to field teams in all eight open relays. Ellen Schaef set a strong pace early, despite having already run a leg in the 4x400m relay, handing over to Olivia Honore in a medal position that the team never relinquished. Both Honore and Sarah James ran smart legs through the middle of the race gaining valuable time in the final stages of their legs. Sarah McSweeney had the speed and fortitude to hold her position, crossing the line in 3rd place and stopping the clock at 9:38.22.
Schaef featured earlier in the day as MUAC qualified for the final of the 4x400m to be held at the Zatopek:10 next Saturday night. The team of Schaef, Gwen Thornton, Jeanette Van Den Bulk and Kaitlin Morgan ran superbly to take fourth in their heat, holding off Australian 400 Champion Morgan Mitchell’s team to claim a spot in the final. Gwen Thornton’s sub 56s split deserves special mention.
It was a boisterous Open Men’s 4x800m with 13 teams in the final featuring several international representatives and the Australian 800m record holder. Dan Pratt settled into the large pack early on and gave his all, handing over to James Maguire and toppling to the ground. Maguire and David Park set final runner Sam Blake up for a solid final leg and he delivered an impressive run to get the team under 8 minutes for the 8 laps in sixth place.
All eight teams featuring 21 athletes acquitted themselves well and did the MUAC sash proud. Pre and post race relaxation was significantly improved by the kind provision of beanbags by the University. MUAC will look to provide this amenity again at future events.
A big thanks to all the athletes who made themselves available to represent MUAC on one of the big days of the summer calendar, especially as the teams changed in the week leading up. A special thanks to Hannah Alderton for coming back to Melbourne early on Saturday to run the Medley Relay.
MUAC athletes will be back in action on Tuesday at Vic Milers Meet 2 and Rare Air Club at Box Hill, lower grade Zatopek on Thursday at Aberfeldie and at the Zatopek:10, featuring the Australian 10000m Championships and Olympic Selection Trials this Saturday night at Lakeside Stadium.
