Our Record-Breaking Running Alumna

The 19-year-old has just been awarded The Avery H. Broadbent Scholarship for scholar athletes in recognition of her contribution to her sport at Oxford University and recently smashed an Oxford record at the British Universities national athletics championships this month.

“It’s been incredibly hectic, but I’m having such an amazing time,” says Ella. “We were so excited when my Oxford 4x400m relay team came third, only beaten by the two biggest athletics universities in the country where people are sometimes recruited solely for athletics (Loughborough and Birmingham), in a new Oxford record by nearly three seconds. Then a week later at Varsity we broke the 31-year-old match record by over a second, despite all of us having run at least two other events that day!”

Ella’s other achievements include: -

• Being awarded the Achilles Freshmen’s Medal for best female performance at the Freshmen’s Varsity
• Gaining a place on the Oxford Blues Performance Programme
• Awarded a Blue for athletics and elected as athletics Women’s Vice-Captain for 2023/24 as a fresher
• Selection for the combined Oxford/Cambridge Achilles team for the Transatlantic Series Tour of US Ivy League universities in April 2023

Head Mistress Heather Hanbury says: “Huge congratulations from all of us at LEH. I can't help thinking we will see Ella's name in lights at some stage. Her drive and commitment are truly inspirational. We are very proud.”

If you are logged into your Holles Connect account, you will be able to see some more photos of Ella’s sporting success below.