Leinster Schools XC 2020 (12th Feb)
A sharp overnight frost meant underfoot conditions were treacherous early on Wednesday morning 12th February in Santry Demesne where a good number of the Club’s athletes were competing for their schools and colleges in the Leinster Schools Cross Country, looking for qualification to the All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Finals at the same Santry Demesne venue in March. Thankfully, there was a thaw before the first race, but it meant the course became very muddy and slippery, though the Mullingar athletes were more than up to the challenge. The top 15 individuals and top 3 teams qualified for the All-Ireland finals, so competition was very keen.
Grace Byrne (Loreto Mullingar) continued her recent good form with an excellent 2nd place finish in the Minor Girls 1,500m to secure her place at the finals. Close behind her came the Mercy Kilbeggan trio of Adele Geoghegan (5th), Morgan Corcoran (11th) and Leah Geoghegan (15th), followed by the rest of the Loreto Mullingar team, Jessica Cunningham, Caoimhe Kilmurray, Muireann Donohue, then Ellen Daly (Mercy Kilbeggan), who recovered well from an early fall. Mercy Kilbeggan finished 1st team and Loreto Mullingar was 3rd team, ensuring strong representation for Mullingar in the finals. In the Minor Boys 2,000m, Conor Sherwin (Colaiste Mhuire) raced to a fine 7th place to secure his place in the finals. Luke O’Leary (Clongowes Wood College) was very unlucky to finish just outside the top fifteen and automatic qualification by only a few seconds, followed in by Pablo Lozano (St. Finian’s College) finishing strongly.
Caoimhe Donohue, Shauna Traynor, Lucy Donnelly and Robyn Bates (Loreto Mullingar) competed in the Junior Girls 2,000m but were unlucky to finish out of the qualification places. Ross Killalea (Colaiste Mhuire) finished 6th in the Junior Boys 3,000m and with great support from Tadhg Sheridan and Callum Costello, led the Colaiste Mhuire team to victory and a place in the finals. Phoebe Bate (Loreto Mullingar) was delighted with her 3rd place finish in the Intermediate Girls 3,500m, followed by Meabh Killalea (Loreto) in 6th, Amy Geoghegan (Mercy Kilbeggan) in 13th and Aoife McGouran (Loreto) providing the vital third score to see Loreto finish 1st team. In the corresponding Intermediate Boys 4,500m despite giving away a year, Diarmuid Fagan (Colaiste Mhuire) proved his competitive spirit with a 5th place finish and Lorcan Mullen (Cistercian College Roscrea) in 10th place also secured qualification for the finals. In the final race of the day, the Senior Boys 6,000m, Ruairi Fagan and Tadhg Hunwick (Colaiste Mhuire) competed well but finished out of the medals.
