In the first club indoor event of the season, BUAC travelled down to Lee Valley to compete in the Intervarsity competition against Loughborough, Brunel and Cardiff Met. With BUCS indoors looming, it was a chance for our athletes to get a feel for the competition they will face from other strong universities, as well as gaining valuable experience indoors.
The day could not have gotten off to a better start as Jake Burkey and Sam Khogali leaping to a BUAC 1-2 in the long jump. Jake also managed to secure the British championship qualifying standard with a PB 7.48 in his final jump, capping off a fantastic first event in the field. Hannah Jones also jumped 5.61m, a PB for her early on in the season.
Alice Linaker continued this strong start as she equalled her personal best of 1.68m in the high jump. Evan Campbell and Dowan Thomas also jumped very well in the men’s event, clearing 1.88m and 1.84m respectively. Emily Scrivener pipped her competitors to a victory in the pole vault, with Trinity O’Connor also taking a victory in the pole vault B-string.
In the women’s shot, Emma Bakare threw a huge 12.80m, securing a big win in this event for BUAC. Hannah Barnden also threw a PB of 12.00m - a statement of intent before competing at BUCS.
On the track, a highlight was certainly Muslim Habib’s 6.84s in the 60m. Powering to victory in this event, Muslim also achieved the British championship qualifying standard. Darian Moore also ran a searing 6.91s, picking up maximum points in the B race.
Issy Boffey, off the back of a fantastic race across the pond, improved on her own indoor club record in the 400m. Her time of 53.39s meant she cruised to victory, taking maximum points in the A race.
In the women’s 800m, a sea of red led the pack as BUAC secured all top four spots. With the nearest opposition athlete nearly ten seconds back from any of our athletes, this was certainly an illustration of the incredible depth in BUAC’s track side this season in this event. The women’s 1500m was also a BUAC affair, with Charlotte Alexander and Francesca Brint taking the top two spots.
Other highlights on track included Harry Fisher dipping under 50 seconds in the 400m, clinching second spot for BUAC in a very strong field. Tyler Bilyard also ran a strong 3:56.35 in the 1500m - a sign of great things to come from him.
Overall, a clear BUAC team win illustrates the strength of the 2022 BUAC cohort. Standout performances from club president Jake Burkey and Muslim Habib certainly do not go amiss, but the ability to pick up points across the board against strong opporition bodes well with BUCS indoors coming up in the very near future.
