Athletics Ireland has named a 36-strong team for the upcoming SPAR European Cross Country Championships which take place in Antalya, Türkiye, on Sunday December 8th.
The senior teams will be spearheaded by recent national senior cross country champions Keelan Kilrehill (Moy Valley AC) and Ann Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny AC) who both delivered gold-medal-winning performances over the 7,500m distance in Enniskillen back on November 17th.
Kilrehill will be joined in the senior men’s team by Cormac Dalton (Mullingar Harriers), Efrem Gidey (Clonliffe Harriers), Sean Tobin (Clonmel AC), William Fitzgerald (Craughwell AC), and Pierre Murchan (Dublin City Harriers).
Kilrehill and Dalton both featured on the Irish senior men’s team that finished fourth at last year’s championships in Brussels, with Dalton finishing inside the top ten individually.
McGlynn, who most recently won a team bronze medal at these championships back in 2022 (Turin), will be joined on the senior women’s team by Niamh Allen (Leevale AC), Danielle Donegan (Tullamore Harriers), Fiona Everard (Bandon AC), Mary Mulhare (Portlaoise AC) and Cheryl Nolan (St Abban’s AC).
The women’s U23 team sees Emma McEvoy (Dundrum South Dublin AC) and Amy Greene (Finn Valley AC) earn selection on the back of their top two placings at nationals. They will also be joined Roise Roberts (Candour Track Club) who followed them home in Enniskillen along with Lucy Holmes (West Waterford AC).
Laura Mooney (Tullamore Harriers) who was 56th at the recent NCAA cross country in the USA, is joined by clubmate Ava O’Connor (Tullamore Harriers) who placed 19th in the NCAA Division II cross country in completing the team.
Nick Griggs secured the U20 bronze medal at these championships twelve months ago. The Tyrone teenager will make the step up to the U23 ranks alongside a team consisting of the ever-impressive Niall Murphy (Ennis Track AC) who took the senior silver medal at nationals. They will join an experienced team which also includes Cathal O’Reilly (Kilkenny City Harriers), Matthew Lavery (North Belfast Harriers), Paul Hartnett (East Cork AC), and Callum Morgan (CNDR Track Club).
Griggs was part of the U20 team who claimed gold at these championships last year, and even with some of that team graduating to the U23 ranks, the U20 team once again looks to be one of Ireland’s best hopes of challenging for the leading team placings on Sunday week.
Out to try and defend the men’s U20 title will be national U20 champion Jonas Stafford (UCD AC), Frank McGrath (Lagan Valley AC), Sean Quinn (DSD AC), Noah Harris (Parnell AC), Lughaidh Mallon (UCD AC), and Cormac Dixon (Tallaght AC).
The U20 women’s team looks another talented group with Lucy Foster (Willowfield Harriers), Annabell Morrison (Enniskillen RC), Avril Millerick (Youghal AC), Eva Bartlett (Lagan Valley AC), and Caitlin Hughes (Swinford AC) selected, while Anna Gardiner (East Down AC) also returns having lead the Irish team home in Brussels last year.
Speaking at the announcement, Athletics Ireland National Endurance Co-Ordinator, Mark Kenneally said:
“On the back of last year’s success in Brussels, I am delighted that we travel to Turkey with strong teams again. It is getting harder to make the Irish team for the European Cross Country Championships year on year, and great credit goes to all the athletes who have made this team. We now travel to Turkey in December with realistic medal ambitions and will look for strong performances from athletes across the board.”
SELECTIONS
Event | Athlete | Club | Coach |
U20 Women | Lucy Foster | Willowfield Harriers | Davy Foster |
U20 Women | Annabel Morrison | Enniskillen RC | Tommy Farrell |
U20 Women | Avril Millerick | Youghal AC | Noel Curtin & Joe Ryan |
U20 Women | Eva Bartlett | Lagan Valley AC | Paddy McGrath |
U20 Women | Caitlin Hughes | Swinford AC | Peter Hynes & Matt Lockett |
U20 Women | Anna Gardiner | East Down AC | Ray Treacy |
U20 Men | Jonas Stafford | UCD AC | Feidhlim Kelly |
U20 Men | Frank McGrath | Lagan Valley AC | Michael Woods |
U20 Men | Sean Quinn | DSD AC | Donal Hennigan |
U20 Men | Noah Harris | Parnell AC | Joe Ryan |
U20 Men | Lughaidh Mallon | UCD AC | Mark Kirk |
U20 Men | Cormac Dixon | Tallaght AC | Ray Treacy |
U23 Women | Emma McEvoy | DSD AC | Donal Hennigan |
U23 Women | Amy Greene | Finn Valley | Helen McCready |
U23 Women | Roise Roberts | CNDR Track Club | Mark Kirk |
U23 Women | Lucy Holmes | West Waterford AC | Ian O’Sullivan |
U23 Women | Laura Mooney | Tullamore Harriers | Ray Treacy |
U23 Women | Ava O’Connor | Tullamore Harriers | Damon Martin |
U23 Men | Niall Murphy | Ennis Track AC | Pat Hogan |
U23 Men | Nick Griggs | CNDR Track Club | Mark Kirk |
U23 Men | Cathal O’Reilly | Kilkenny City Harriers | Niamh Richardson & Noel Richardson |
U23 Men | Matthew Lavery | North Belfast Harriers | Jim McGuinness |
U23 Men | Paul Hartnett | East Cork AC | Liam O’Brien |
U23 Men | Callum Morgan | CNDR Track Club | Mark Kirk |
Senior Women | Ann-Marie McGlynn | Letterkenny AC | Emmett Dunleavy |
Senior Women | Niamh Allen | Leevale AC | Donie Walsh / Gary Howard |
Senior Women | Danielle Donegan | Tullamore Harriers | Emmett Dunleavy |
Senior Women | Fiona Everard | Bandon AC | Matt Lockett |
Senior Women | Mary Mulhare | Portlaoise AC | Emmett Dunleavy |
Senior Women | Cheryl Nolan | St Abbans AC | Feidhlim Kelly |
Senior Men | Keelan Kilrehill | Mov Valley AC | Phillip Finnerty |
Senior Men | Cormac Dalton | Mullingar Harriers | Joe Ryan |
Senior Men | Efrem Gidey | Clonliffe Harriers | Andy Hobdell & Peter McDermott |
Senior Men | Sean Tobin | Clonmel AC | Feidhlim Kelly |
Senior Men | William Fitzgerald | Craughwell AC | Mark Davis |
Senior Men | Pierre Murchan | Dublin City Harriers |
Athletics Ireland would like to congratulate all of our athletes and their coaches who have been selected for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships on December 8th, and we must also acknowledge the great work and effort our members, coaches, volunteers, and the wider athletics community has put in to support our athletes in attaining selection.
ENDS
NOTES
European Cross Country Championships
The SPAR European Cross Country Championships is one of the main seasonal appointments of the European Athletics calendar. Antalya 2024 follows last year’s championships in Brussels which saw Ireland’s U20 men’s team claim gold, with Nick Griggs securing individual bronze in the process.
The most important cross country event on the European calendar attracts the best distance running talents from across the continent in the U20, U23 and senior categories for both genders with a mixed relay the most recent addition to the programme.
This year’s SPAR European Cross Country Championships takes place in Antalya, the fifth largest city in Türkiye, on 8 December and will be the 30th edition of the championships.
This will be the first time Türkiye has staged the SPAR European Cross Country Championships and Antalya will be the most southernly venue in the 30-year history of the championships.
This year’s championships take place in the Dokuma Park in the north of the city on a largely flat albeit rhythm-sapping course with sections of sand and mud for the runners to navigate across the seven races.