Leinster Schools Cross Country 2017 (15th Feb)

A number of the Club’s underage athletes competed for their schools and colleges at the Leinster Schools Cross Country Championships in Santry on Wednesday 15th February in perfect conditions, many securing individual and team qualification for the All-Ireland Schools Finals in Belfast in March.

The top 15 individuals and the top 3 teams in each race qualify automatically for the All-Ireland finals, so advancing to the finals are Jennifer Fidgeon (Loreto Mullingar) 5th junior girl and as the team finished 2nd she will be joined by Meabh Killalea and Karla Cunningham; Colin Smith (Colaiste Mhuire Mullingar) 13th junior boy and as the team finished in 1st place he will be joined by Paul McCool and Ruairi Fagan; intermediate girls Caoimhe O’Brien (Loreto) 7th, Susan Glennon (St. Finian’s Mullingar) 10th and Aoife Darby (St. Joseph’s Rochfortbridge) 15th; from Colaiste Mhuire in the intermediate boys are Jack Moran 5th, John Whitelaw 10th, Andrew Daly 11th and as the team finished 2nd they will be joined by Enda Gaffney, Brian Martin and Eoin Quinn; Claire Fagan (Loreto) 5th senior girl and as the team finished 1st she will be joined by Alanna Bate, Andrea Brady, Daria Fidgeon, Laura Shaw and Niamh Quinn; Cormac Dalton (St. Joseph’s) 2nd senior boy and from Colaiste Mhuire are Jamie Battle 3rd, Ciaran Nolan 8th and Michael Moran, as the team finished 1st.

Also competing but unfortunately missing out on qualification were Colin McGee (St. Joseph’s) in the minor race, Sam Smyth (St. Joseph’s) in the junior race, Loreto intermediate girls Catriona Kennedy, Caoimhe Gaffney and Elysia Greene, and Eoghan Bracken (St. Joseph’s) in the senior race. Colaiste Mhuire capped an excellent day by winning the trophy for best overall boy’s school and Loreto Mullingar was runner-up for the best overall girl’s school trophy.