Top award for Elizabeth Morland

Cushinstown athlete Elizabeth Morland scooped the ‘University Athlete-of-the-Year’ award at the Irish Life Health National Athletics Awards at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown last Thursday.

The DCU student was nominated at the national athletics awards and was presented with ‘University Athlete of the Year’ award having competed in several athletic events representing DCU.

In the outdoor category she was in action in the javelin and shot taking silver in both while her indoor schedule was more hectic. 

There was gold in the pentathlon where she set a record and she also won the long jump and high jump. Added to that haul was silver medals in the 60m hurdles and shot.

In addition to the all those achievements, Athletics Ireland also recognised her achievement for a new senior national record in the heptathlon that earned qualification for the u-23 European Athletic Championships next year. 

Morland was the 2013 Meath ‘Young Athlete of the Year’ and has continued to set high standards. This year she won three Irish senior titles, 60m hurdles (indoor), the long jump and javelin (outdoor) and bronze in the 100m hurdles in a remarkable debut.

She produced a stunning throw of 43.41m to win the javelin ahead of Grace Casey (41.70m) and Laura Dolan (34.48m). She followed that with a leap of 6.10m to claim the national long jump title ahead of Sarah Buggy (St Abban's) who jumped 5.85m and Sophie Meredith (St Mary's Limerick) who cleared 5.75m. 

In the 100m hurdles she finished third in 13.80 seconds behind winner Sarah Lavin from UCD (13.62) and Kate Doherty (DSD) in 13.72.