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