Healy delights at Leinster Schools

Healy delights in Santry

There was a great day of racing at the Irish Life Health Leinster Schools Cross Country Championships in Santry Demesne today.

Sarah Healy (Holy Child Killiney) was the star of the show in a high-quality intermediate girls 3,500m race. Abbie Taylor (Wesley) pushed out a hard pace to split the field wide open but she couldn’t shake Healy from the shoulder. In the closing stages Healy showed her class to romp home to comfortable victory with Annie McEvoy (Loreto Kilkenny) getting up for third. Taylor had the consolation of guiding Wesley to team gold.

Sophie Murphy (Mount Anville) was equally dominant in the senior girls 2,500m as she pushed the pace hard from the gun. Jodie McCann (Institute of Education) ran strongly for second with Emma O’Brien (DCW) third.

There were close battles throughout with the top 15 individuals and top three teams advancing to the Irish Life Health All Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships in Mallusk on March 11th.

Aine Kirwan came from behind to pip Neasa Reilly (St Vincent’s Dundalk) on the line in the junior girls 2,000m. Kirwan guided Loreto Kilkenny to the team title and the best overall girls’ school on the day. Ava O’Connor (Scoil Chriost Ris) won the first race of the day in the minor girls’ 1500m.

The intermediate boys’ 4,500m had another thrilling finish with St Kieran’s College Kilkenny duo Adam Fitzpatrick and Shay McEvoy duking it out to the line. Fitzpatrick held off the fast finishing McEvoy as they dominated the team race.

Victor Esosa (St Joseph’s Drogheda) powered his way to victory in the minor boys’ 2,000m and had the pleasure of guiding his school to the team title also.

Sean Donoghue (St Declan’s) paced himself perfectly to win the junior boys 3,000m while Sean O’Leary (St Aidan’s) was a classy winner of the senior boys’ 6,000m.

 

Colaiste Mhuire Mullingar won the senior boys team race and with it the best overall boys school.  

Girls

Minor

Ava O’Connor (Scoil Chriost Ri), 2. Eimear Maher (Mount Anville), 3. Doireann Ni Fhlatharta (St Peter’s Dunboyne)

Team

St Dominic’s Cabra, 2. Scoil Chriost Ri, 3. Mount Sackville

Junior

Aine Kirwan (Loreto Kilkenny), 2. Neasa Reilly (St Vincent’s Dundalk), 3. Orla Reidy (Maynooth PP)

Team

Loreto Kilkenny, 2. Loreto Mullingar, Loreto St Stephen’s Green

Intermediate

Sarah Healy (Holy Child Killiney), 2. Abbie Taylor (Wesley), 3. Annie McEvoy (Loreto Kilkenny)

Team

Wesley, 2. Loreto Kilkenny, 3. Loreto Balbriggan

Senior

Sophie Murphy (Mount Anville), 2. Jodie McCann (Institute of Education), 3. Emma O’Brien (DCW)

Team

Loreto Mullingar, 2. East Glendalough, 3. Loreto St Stephen’s Green

Best overall

Loreto Kilkenny, 2. Loreto Mullingar, 3. Dominican College Cabra

Boys

Minor

Victor Esosa (St Joseph’s Drogheda), 2. Joseph Prendergast (Temple Carrig), 3. Peter Hamilton (Newbridge College)

Team

St Joseph’s Drogheda, 2. Salesian College, 3. Castleknock CC

Junior

Sean Donoghue (St Declan’s Cabra), 2. Alex O’Floinn (Colaiste Eoin), 3. Matthew Whelan (Naas CBS)

Team

Colaiste Mhuire Mullingar, 2. St Aidan’s CBS, 3. CBS Naas

Intermediate

Adam Fitzpatrick (St Kieran’s Kilkenny), 2. Shay McEvoy (St Kieran’s Kilkenny), 3. Shane Coffey (Naas CBS)

Team

St Kieran’s Kilkenny, 2. Colaiste Mhuire Mullingar, 3. St Aidan’s CBS

Senior

Sean O’Leary (St Aidan’s CBS), 2. Cormac Dalton (St Joseph’s Rochfortbridge), 3. Jamie Battle (Colaiste Mhuire Mullingar)

Team

Colaiste Mhuire Mullingar, 2. St Aidan’s, 3. Knockbeg

Best Overall

Colaiste Mhuire Mullingar, 2. St Aidan’s, 3. St Kieran’s Kilkenny