Dublin University Harriers and Athletics Club (DUHAC) were busy breaking records over the weekend as they took part in the Intervarsity Road Relay Championships in Maynooth University. The women’s team secured the gold medal in their event, making them the first team from Trinity to take first place in the Road Relay since the competitions inception in 1987.
The team comprised of sports scholar and ex-captain Sorcha McAllister, current captain Clíona Murphy, Eavan McLoughlin and Caron Ryan. McAllister showed impressive pace to overtake runners from both University College Cork (UCC) and University College Dublin (UCD). In the end, a nerve-racking performance from McLoughlin, who stood her ground against her nearest rival, a European 800m bronze medallist, allowed the team to claim victory and make history.
The men’s team were also proud of their performance, finishing an impressive eighth, with a final time of 46:50. While not enough to snag a medal, the A team, made up of Alan McGinley, Conall Hayes, Feidhlim McGown, Conor O’Keefe and John Moroney, managed to set a new record for the men’s team and secured a four place improvement on their last outing.
In the men’s event, Dublin City University (DCU) finished first, adding a gold medal to the silver they earned in the women’s event. Second and third place went to UCD and NUI Galway respectively.
Speaking to Trinity News this morning, women’s team captain Clíona Murphy was incredibly proud of not just her team, but all the Trinity athletes: “We are obviously delighted and so proud of all our athletes, especially the ladies’ historic victory. It was a fabulous team on the day, despite being hit by various injuries we still managed to pull off the win.”
“We had huge numbers in the men’s race too, and great performances by everyone,” she continued. “The men played a huge part in the ladies’s victory, rushing around the course to cheer us on at every corner! This is teamwork at its finest, and the gals reciprocated in kind when it came to the second race of the day.”
This is a brilliant result for DUHAC at the first varsity event of the year. Their next big challenge will be the indoor events in February followed by the Cross Country event taking place in Cork in March.
