Harriers young guns strike gold in Kilbeggan
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Elise Cusack with her dad John, brother Dan and sister Matilda at the Leinster Cross Country Championships.Image 2 of 3
Kevin Minnock, Jonathan Dunne, Jack Donegan, Barry Mooney and Michael Murphy at the Leinster Senior Cross Country Championships.Image 3 of 3
Annabel Donegan is a picture of concentration when competing in the Leinster Cross Country Championships. Photo: Perri Williams Photography.Tullamore Harriers AC News
Over forty of the Tullamore Harriers juvenile squad made the short journey to Kilbeggan Racecourse on Saturday last to compete in the Leinster Cross Country Championships.
There were some great results on the day, with an individual victory for James Hynes in the Under-13 boys race and team gold for the club’s Under-17 girls team the highlights of the competition.
The Westmeath course was challenging with rolling hills and several sharp turns, but the Harriers squad seemed to thrive in these tough conditions. Four teams (U-13 Boys, U-17 Girls, U-17 Boys and U-19 Girls) and eight individuals (Sophie Hynes, Matilda Cusack, Ally Duffy, Elise Cusack, Adelyn Walsh, Dara McLaughlin, James Hynes and Patrick Duffy) progress to the National Championships next month in Abbotstown, Dublin. Well done to all the club’s athletes.
Results
Under-11 Girls (team finished 11th): 11 - Sophie Hynes; 52 - Niamh O’Brien; 102 - Niamh Daly; 104 - Áedammair Campbell; 135 - Niamh Murtagh; 138 - Emmeline Ferrar; 139 - Emily Dowdall.
Under-13 Girls (team finished 5th): 4 - Matilda Cusack; 31 - Heidi McCarthy; 55 - Kate Minnock; 58 - Annabel Donegan; 86 - Meabh Boland; 116 - Julianne Cleary.
Under-15 Girls (team finished 12th): 20 - Sarah Whitaker; 79 - Roisin O’Brien; 90 - Orlagh O’Brien; 101 - Roisin Loughnane.
Under-17 Girls (team finished 1st): 2 - Ally Duffy; 4 - Elise Cusack; 9 - Adelyn Walsh; 15 - Aurelia Crotty; 20 - Maeve Duffy; 34 - Mia Gallagher.
Under-19 Girls (team finished 4th): 22 - Aoibhe Moore; 26 - Rachel Donegan; 46 - Polly Duffy
Under-11 Boys (team finished 6th): 12 - Dara McLaughlin; 46 - Aidan Herlihy; 47 - Conor Dunne; 57 - Nikodem Banach; 63 - Sean Dunican; 78 - Patrick O’Meara.
Under-13 Boys (team finished 4th): 1 - James Hynes; 35 - Jason McKinney; 43 - Max Ivasenko; 58 - Páidí Scally; 69 - Matthew Berry.
Under-17 Boys (team finished 2nd): 4 - Patrick Duffy; 14 - Daniel Rigney; 33 - Darragh Stewart; 36 - Sean Goodings; 43 - Josh Duffy; 57 - Jack Cowman; 59 - Jack Martin.
Third place for Harriers men
Well done to all of the club’s adult athletes who represented the club at the recent Leinster Cross Country Championships, hosted by Mullingar Harriers AC at the nearby Kilbeggan Racecourse. Following the large programme of juvenile uneven age races, 56 senior and U23 women lined up for the 6000m event. With the Leinster Championships incorporating the Dublin County Championships this year, the field was even stronger than usual. Dublin City Harriers dominated the podium, taking the top three places.
Tullamore Harriers was represented by Evelyn Coughlan and Nita McLoughlin. Both athletes performed strongly, with Evelyn finishing an excellent 6th (22.49) in the senior category and Nita, showing solid progress following injury, placing 40th (26.18).
The final race of the day was the senior & U23 men’s 9000m, featuring a competitive field of nearly 100 athletes. Dublin clubs once again led the individual standings, with Colm Rooney (Clonliffe Harriers AC) taking 1st, Pierre Murchan (Dublin City Harriers AC) 2nd and Danny Nugent (Ace Athletics Club) 3rd.
The Tullamore Harriers men had a great team performance to secure third senior club. Michael Murphy (29.25) led the squad home in 7th place, followed by Kevin Minnock (30.44, 19th), Jack Donegan (31.01, 21st), Barry Mooney (32.29, 39th), and Jonathan Dunne (33.42, 53rd).
Podium place for O’Connor in Colorado
Ava O’Connor, competing on the Adams State cross country team, opened her cross country season in some style at the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championships in Pueblo, Colorado. Ava finished second clocking in at 20:14.7 in her first race of the season. The time is even more impressive when you consider the race was held at 1430m altitude. Ava will race the NCAA Nationals on Saturday, November 22.
Fixtures
Sunday, 16th November: Club League 2 Mile Road Race, Sragh/Burlington circuit, 9.30am.
Sunday, 23rd November: Athletics Ireland National Senior Junior & Juvenile Even-Age Cross Country Championships, Derry.
Saturday, 29th November: Leinster B and Juvenile Mixed Relays, Stradbally.
Sunday, 30th November: Offaly Senior Cross Country Championships, The Faithful Fields, Kilcormac.
Sunday, 7th December: Athletics Ireland National Novice and Juvenile Uneven Age Cross Country Championships, Abbotstown, Dublin.
Training
Senior training on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.40pm to 8.30pm.