Last
updated: 05/03/08
St
Marys enjoy individual success in Swansea
The BUSA Cross Country Championships held in Swansea on Saturday
February 2 saw a changing of the tides in the world of university cross
country running as a number of teams shared the silverware.
In recent times this event has been dominated by Loughborough but in
the last three years Birmingham have become the team to beat under the
leadership of Head Coach Bud Baldaro. This year’s event, however,
was a much closer affair. Each of the big three teams shared the three
team titles on offer as St Mary’s won the men’s ‘A’
race, Birmingham took the women’s race and Loughborough’s
men took the ‘B’ race.
On the day of the event the course could certainly be described as a
‘proper’ cross country circuit with long boggy stretches
and a number of testing hills. This did not deter the leaders in the
women’s race which was packed with talented athletes, none more
so than race winner, Stephanie Twell. Twell, representing St Mary’s
University, was a big name heading into the event having won the European
Junior Cross Country Championships for the last two years and she did
not disappoint here; leading all the way in the women’s 6.9 kilometre
race before finishing in a time of 23 minutes 45 seconds.
She was followed home by the former European Junior 5000m Champion,
Emily Pidgeon (Loughborough University), who clocked 24 minutes 12 seconds.
Stacey Johnson, third in 24 minutes 16 seconds, led Birmingham University
to their third successive women’s team title, with fifteen points,
thanks to support from Andrea Woodvine, fourth in 24 minutes 29 seconds
and Sara Treacy, eighth in 24 minutes 50 seconds. St Mary’s took
the team silver with 21 points, and in third were Loughborough, with
23 points.
St Mary’s outclassed the opposition in the men’s race providing
the individual champion as well as the runner-up in the form of training
partners Andy Vernon and Keith Gerrard respectively.
The two ran as part of the large leading group for most of the 10.4
kilometre race with Gerrard breaking away on the last lap.
Vernon, who won bronze in the Under 23 men’s race at the European
Cross Country Championships in Toro in December and silver in the senior
men’s race at the South of England Athletic Association Cross
Country Championships on Parliament Hill
last month, managed to stay with Gerrard and out-sprint him up the final
hill to strike gold in 33 minutes 16 seconds, just two seconds ahead
of his team mate. UWIC’s Rob Budgen took third in 33 minutes 42
seconds.
St Mary’s took the team title with 34 points, as Loughborough
finished runners-up on 89 points and Birmingham took third with 109
points.
In the men’s ‘B’ race Frank Baddick led Loughborough
to team victory by winning the 7.8 kilometre race in 26 minutes 38 seconds.
He was backed up by Thomas Carter in third in 26 minutes 53 seconds
and St Mary’s’ Bertie Powell finished second in 26 minutes
56 seconds to give St Mary’s the team bronze while Birmingham
won the silver.
by Nick Howard
