Ní Ainiféin runs to gold at intervarsity cross-country championships
Oisin Davis claim silver in men’s event
University of Galway’s Neasa Ní Ainiféin won the women’s title at the IUAA Cross Country Championships in Dundalk on Saturday last, with a dominant front running performance.
Racing at Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ní Ainiféin won in 18:01, 21 seconds clear of UL’s Claire O’Grady. UCC’s Saoirse Twomey was third.
Galway team-mate Caoimhe Flannery finished fifth in 19:20, with Roisin O'Brien and Iona Foley Ellis completing the scoring four. University of Galway’s 62 points were level with UL, but they were placed fourth in a women’s team race won by UCC from DCU.
The men’s race was just as encouraging for Galway. Maynooth’s Tadhg Donnelly won in 24:49, but Oisin Davis of University of Galway and Craughwell AC pushed him all the way and took silver only eight seconds behind. Cathal Kennedy was ninth and Padraig Faherty 12th. Donal Farren, Eoin Tierney and Oisín Dunne completed the six scorers, giving University of Galway team silver on 113 points. That was behind a dominant UL but ahead of DCU.
With both races combined, UL took the overall title from DCU and UCC. University of Galway finished fourth, little more than a point and a half behind UCC. ATU Galway had two runners in the men’s race: Serhii Sylenko finished 74th in 29:57 and Rupert Claisse 106th.
University of Galway also placed second in the mixed relay competition via Joss O'Connor, Aoibheann Reddington, Conor Liston and Holly O'Boyle
Galway cross-country championships
Castlegar AC’s girls dominated the individual races at the Galway Even Ages Cross Country held in Bushfield in Loughrea last Saturday, as 330 runners finished across 12 cross-country races.
Castlegar won four of the five girls’ races. Zara Casserly set the tone in the U-10 Girls, finishing ahead of Amy Devitt of Galway City Harriers and Maeve Linnane of South Galway. Hana Faraj Gheziel then won the U-12 Girls. Suin Ni Chonaill took the U-16 Girls, and Orla Casey completed the set in the U-18 Girls, where Castlegar also won the team race.
Galway City Harriers were strongest in the team events, winning four team titles in the younger grades. Their most striking result came in the U-12 Boys. Dylan Devitt, Iarlaith Friel and James Langan finished first, second and third, and the club won the team race on just 17 points. In the U-12 Girls they edged Craughwell by four points even though nobody from the club made the podium.
The best team performance of the day came from Clare River Harriers in the U-16 Boys. Patrick Lee and Sean Howley finished first and second, and the club filled five of the first six places to win on 12 points.
Several other clubs also had winners. Dara Crimmins of Athenry won the 71-strong U-10 Boys, the biggest field of the day. Kate Whiriskey took the U-14 Girls for South Galway, and Craughwell’s packed finish behind her won them the team title. Matthew Burke won the U-14 Boys for Tuam, but Athenry took that team race thanks to their depth. Harry Barrett of Craughwell won the U-18 Boys. In the adult novice races, Sabrina Regan led Loughrea to a clean sweep of the Novice Women, and Shane Ryan of Tuam won the Novice Men.
Connacht Schools Indoor Combined Events
In the Minor Girls at the CSAA Combined Events, Lauren Kelly of Saint Raphaels College in Loughrea held off Ciara Schmidtmeier of Mercy College Sligo by 34 points, winning the hurdles, high jump and shot.
Galway and Oranmore ETSS won two medals in the Inter Boys. Adill Prochownik Mohamed won with 2,976 points, helped by a 60m hurdles time of 8.52, and Hugo Lynagh took bronze. St Brigid’s College Loughrea’s Ben Naughton split them, running the fastest 800m of the event in 2:02.86. Emily Clyne of Mercy College Roscommon won the Inter Girls, with a 1.60m high jump as her best event.
The largest field was the First Year Girls, with 38 finishers. Aoife Cullinan of Ursuline College Sligo won with 2,197 points, and Clarin College’s Aoife O'Connell and Penny Forde took second and third.
Fixtures
This Sunday sees the Autumn Open Cross Country, incorporating the Masters Cross Country trials to be held in Dublin, where Irelands top masters’ athletes compete for a spot on the team for the Home Internationals in November.
Top Seniors racing include the likes of Thomas McStay of GCH and William Fitzgerald of Craughwell, alongside Juniors of the calibre of Rian Collins, Ciaran Considine, Luke Walsh and David Frazer.
Among the Masters chasing selection are Christine Kennedy, Nora Tierney, and Catherine Thornton of GCH.