Last weekend, Exeter University Athletics Club (EUAC) sent twenty-four of their finest athletes deep into enemy territory, to the BUCS Indoor Athletics Championships in Sheffield. What followed was an electric weekend of highs, lows and everything in between, as Exeter battled it out against ninety-eight other universities.
Highlights of the weekend included outstanding performances in the middle and long-distance events. Jacob Harrison placed 2nd in his 1500m heat, running a swift 4:06.69. He improved this time to 4:02.18 in his semi-final, despite being impeded by an athlete falling in front of him. Kate Bain cruised to an easy victory in her 800m heat and ran a brisk 2:15.59 in her semi-final, but unfortunately fell short of qualification for the final. Mark Ruby comfortably navigated his heat in the 3000m and qualified directly for the final, where he raced to a brilliant club record of 8:11.34, finishing 7thoverall. Several other Exeter athletes narrowly missed out on semi-finals and finals qualification, with Alistair Klemz, Akeem Akintokun, Ayomide Cole, Bronwen Stratton-Thomas and Jamie Macdonald all missing out on qualification for their respective next rounds by just one finishing place. Club captain Bethany Wallis was unfortunately unable to finish her race in the women’s 3000m.
Elsewhere, there were a slew of personal bests: Marry Asse in the women’s 60m, Oscar Cleeve and Tom Slater in the men’s 800m, and Tallulah Robin-Redmond in the women’s 3000m. Jemima Byers in the women’s 400m ran her quickest time in over eighteen months, and Lucy Moore posted her fastest result in the women’s 60m in six years. Jemima and Lucy were joined by Ayomide Cole and Kate Bain for the women’s 4x200m relay, in which they put up a spirited effort, finishing 3rd in their heat.
In the men’s sprints, there were impressive journeys of redemption. Three of our most promising sprinters were disqualified from their individual events (Rohan Gray with a false start in the men’s 60m, Vladislav Levchenko and Elliot Marston due to lane infringements in the men’s 200m and 400m). However, all 3 joined the experienced Akeem Akintokun in the men’s 4x200m relay, and our Exeter speedsters, motivated to show what they’re capable of, powered to a convincing victory in their heat, finishing in 1:30.66, a fantastic new club record. The following day, despite fatigue and soreness from their qualifying performance, they finished 5th in a brilliant, all-action final.
In the field, there was a mixed bag of results. Orin Vitalis sustained a hamstring injury, forcing him to withdraw from the competition. George Mackenzie, after a heavily disrupted period of winter training, failed to clear a height in the men’s pole vault. However, Amelia Heasley added 24cm to her previous personal best in the women’s long jump, leaping out to 4.33m, Maurice Sainsbury equalled his personal best from last year in the men’s long jump with 5.65m, and Bill Mallen bounded out to 13.39m in the men’s triple jump for another club record.
‘We were one of the loudest teams, showing our support. This momentum will be key as we head into BUCS outdoors in May’
Charlie Wright, EUAC Track and Field captain
Charlie Wright, EUAC’s track and field captain, who himself ran well in the men’s 3000m after a winter disrupted by injury, had this to say about the three days of competition: “The weekend was a huge success with three club records broken and multiple finalists. BUCS nationals brought our training groups together, strengthening team spirit. We were one of the loudest teams, showing our support. This momentum will be key as we head into BUCS outdoors in May.”
Tom Berry, Exeter’s short sprints and jumps coach, also gave his thoughts on the championships to Exeposé: “BUCS indoors is one of my favourite events of the year… We build our training from late September to peak at BUCS indoors. If we get this right, athletes run PBs, and this happened with bells on! Four sprinters and jumpers came home with big personal bests. Three others equalled their PBs or were very close. Unfortunately, (three) of our male athletes, who were in fantastic shape, were disqualified. These athletes had an option; to wallow in their disappointment or to pick themselves up, dust themselves down, and redeem themselves in the 4x200m relay. They chose the latter!… This showed determination and resilience and also highlighted how much of a team atmosphere there is at the University Athletics Club. The relay runners had each other’s backs, and the teammates in the stands were behind them all the way… We’re building really nicely. The plan is to be one of the best universities in the country for athletics, so if there are any students with track and field experience reading this, come and get stuck in with us.”
Disappointment and near-misses for some, offset by eight personal bests, three club records, and elation for others. Regardless of variation in personal results, our Exeter athletes fostered a great sense of togetherness and never wavered in their support for one another. Athletics may be an individual sport, but EUAC tackles the big occasions as a team.
