All eyes are set on the National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown on Saturday, March 7th, for the 34th edition of the Irish University Indoor Track and Field Championships. With over 450 athletes entered, the team points race will be a key focus throughout the day. Competition will be fierce as teams battle for the prestigious John Pius Boland Cup and Maeve Kyle Cup, awarded to the winning men’s and women’s teams.
Team Competition
Defending champions Dublin City University (DCU) claimed both the men’s and women’s team trophies last year and will once again have to fend off strong challenges from the University of Limerick (UL) and University College Dublin (UCD), both of whom boast competitive squads across nearly every event. Other colleges will be eager to disrupt DCU’s dominance, with Munster Technological University (MTU) and South East Technological University (SETU) fielding strong teams in pursuit of top honours.
Sprints
The women’s 60m promises to be a thrilling contest, with last year’s bronze medallist Uchechim Disu (DCU) and 4th place finisher Sarah Millea hoping to battle it out for top honours this year. Fatima Umusa (MTU) returns in the women’s 200m hoping to upgrade her bronze medal from last year, but she won’t have it all her own way with Cara Murphy (UCD) pushing her all the way. In the 400m, DCU look strong contenders with Daisy Walker and Aisling Stratford coming off the back of National Senior finals in the event last with Miriam Daly (UL) hoping to kickstart her season and throwing her name in the mix. The 60m hurdles will see multi-eventer Laura Frawley (UL) take on Okwu Backari (DCU) as two possible title contenders.
The men’s 60m will have National 60m Silver Medallist and last year’s runner up Max O’Reilly (MTU) hoping to claim top spot with Nkemjika Omwumereh (DCU) and Jesse Osas (UCD) looking to push him all the way. The 200m is set to be a highly contested event with Joe Doody (UCD), Dannan Long (SETU), Padraic Hassett (TUS) and Fintan Dewhirst all ready to battle it out. In the 400m, Eoin Kenny (UL) will hope to go strong with Darragh Murphy (UCD) not wanting to let him have it all his own way. In the 60m hurdles, Adam Nolan (SETU) is the clear favourite for the title.
Middle Distance
Renee Crotty (UCD) will be hoping to retain her title in the women’s 800m, though she will face some tough competition from DCU’s Emma Moore looks a likely favourite for gold. Alex Cashman (UCC) and Neasa Ni Anifein (UG) will look to battle it out in the 1500m. In the 3000m, Amy Greene (DCU) and Holly Carroll (UCC) will go head-to-head for the title, while Ciara Wilson Bowen (DCU) appears set to dominate the 1500m walk with Holly Shaughnessy (UL).
University of Limerick will hope to impress after strong showings in both the Cross Country and road relays earlier this year but are sure to face some tough battles in every event. Teammates Finn Woodger and Callum Hurley (DCU) look likely to battle it out for top honours in the 800m. Jonas Stafford (UCD) will hope to retain his 1500m title from last year but with Cian O’Boyle (UL) chasing him down it isn’t going to be an easy title to defend. UL, UG, and UCD will battle it out in the 3000m, with Mark Hanrahan, Oisin Davis, and Lughaidh Mallon among the top contenders.
Jumps
In the women’s jumps, multi-eventer Laura Frawley (UL) will have multiple chances to claim silverware. In the high jump, Aoife O’Sullivan (MTU) is the standout favourite, with Frawley (UL) and Maeve Fleming (UCC) expected to contend for the remaining medals. Daphni Doulaptsi Teeuwen (DCU) looks set to defend her triple jump title, while Abbie O’Neill (QUB) is a strong contender for the pole vault crown in an event featuring a fresh lineup of competitors.
Adam Turner (DCU) and Emmanuel Osas (DCU) look like the favourites in the men’s long jump. Aaron O’Connor (UL) will look to take home the gold medal. In the high jump, Emmanuel Osas looks a strong favourite, but newcomer Eoin Boyle (ATU) could post a challenge on the day. Conor Callinan (DCU) looks a strong favourite to take this year’s Pole vault title.
Throws
Ciara Sheehy (DCU) is the favourite to retain her shot put title, but Kotryna Pacerinskaite (UL) and Ava Anderson (UU) will provide stiff competition for the podium spots. Pacerinskaite will also aim to defend her dominance in the women’s weight-for-distance event after breaking the IUAA record last year, with UL teammate Laura Frawley looking to secure a 1-2 finish.
Defending men’s shot put champion Callum Keating (UL) looks a strong favourite for the title again this year. The men’s weight-for-distance event will be a tightly fought contest between Coil O Miri and Euan Canniffe, both of DCU while IUAA stalwart Eric Brady (UL) will hope to upset all the odds when steps up to the mark.
Combined Events
IUAA Athlete of the Year Laura Frawley (UL) is the favourite to claim the women’s pentathlon title after her dominant performances last year in claiming both indoor and outdoor titles.
In the men’s event, it will look to be a fairly open contest with Emmanuel Osas (DCU) and Taino Adereni (SETU) looking like possible title contenders.
With top-class athletes, intense rivalries, and team glory on the line, the 2025 IUAA Indoor Championships promise an action-packed day of competition in Abbotstown. All of which can be found LIVE on the Athletics Ireland YouTube channel with numerous amounts of fresh commentators, including National 400m Champion Sean Doggett.
