Student-Athletes Shine At Track And Field Champs

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Student-Athletes Shine At Track And Field Champs

Massey University student-athletes excelled at the weekend’s New Zealand Track and Field Championships in Auckland.

Sprinter Portia Bing won the women’s 200m final and was second in the 100m hurdles. She also finished second in the long jump, while another Massey student, Sarah Cowley was fourth.

Ms Cowley was second in the high jump, just ahead of Ms Bing in third.

In the men’s competition, Nick Southgate won the pole vault, while Ben Langton-Burnell was second in the men’s javelin to Olympian Stuart Farquhar. Mr Langton-Burnell’s best throw was good enough to qualify for the upcoming World University Games in Russia. Phillip Wyatt won the men’s triple jump with a leap of 15.06m.

Richard Callister was second in the under-20 men’s discus, with a throw of 48.73m. Jordan Peters won the under-20 men’s triple jump with 13.58m. He was also first equal in the under-20 high jump event.

A highlight of the event was Valerie Adams’ 12th national title in the shot put. The Olympic gold medallist threw 20.37m at Mt Smart, beating the second place getter by almost 5m. Massey University campus registrar Andrea Davies presented the medal.

Ms Davies says Massey was proud to be a part of the event.

“The University is proud of the achievements of its student-athletes and every other competitor,” she says. “We strive to provide an environment where high-performance athletes can excel in their sport and in the classroom, and we congratulate them for their success this weekend.”

Massey University is the major supporter of the championships and the Auroroa Series, which continues with events in Hamilton, Dunedin and Christchurch during the year.

Caption 1: Valerie Adams in action at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships. Caption 2: Massey University Albany campus registrar Andrea Davies presents Valerie Adams with her gold medal at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships.

ENDS

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