Siofra Cleirigh Buttner of Colaiste Iosagain set a small piece of history when she won the senior girls race at the Aviva All Ireland Schools Cross-Country in the Cork Institute of Technology for a record sixth time.
Buttner started her schools career at the age of 12 when she won the first of two junior titles. She then took two intermediate and then two senior titles. “I started thinking about this when I won the fourth title, so it’s relief to have finally done it. I’m over the moon!” she said.
Typically, she struck out early and left the battle for second place to her team mate Sarah Ni Mhaolmhuire and Sarah Healy of the Institute of Education. Ursuline Thurles, led by Eileen Rafter in fifth place, proved best of the teams ahead of Colaiste Iosagain, whose third runner lost ground after a fall.
In the boy’s senior race, Andrew Coscoran of St Mary’s Drogheda couldn’t keep the smile off his face when he beat his more fancied team mate Aaron Hanlon for the boy’s senior title. On a tough 6.5km course which was well churned up after the seven previous races, Coscoran’s decision to miss the National Junior Championships six days earlier proved a wise one. His plan was to sit on Hanlon’s shoulder and then sprint it at the end and that is exactly how the race worked out.
There was another great battle in the girls’ inter race when Rhona Pierce of Skerries beat the more favoured Clodagh O’Reilly of Loreto Cavan. No surprises in the boy’s inter race when Kevin Mulcaire of St Flannan’s in Ennis, winner of the national junior title last weekend when he beat Aaron Hanlon, made it all look very easy indeed. Mulcaire also had the satisfaction of leading his school to a narrow two point team victory over St Aidan’s CBS Whitehall.
Leinster champion Paddy Maher of Dunshaughlin added the junior boy’s title to his collection, with Caoimhe Harrington of Col Pobail Bheanntrai just edging it from Rathdown’s Jodie McCann in the girls’ race. Minor winners were Sarah Healy of Holy Child Killiney and Sean Corry of Omagh CBS.
* A few pics at www.flickr.com/lindie. More on Zenfolio – minor and junior races now uploaded; inter senior to come.
* Maria O’Sullivan of Trinity and DCU’s John Coghlan won the Irish University titles, also in CIT. Both were leading their teams to victory, with the Trinity women winning for a second year.
Aviva All-Ireland Schools Cross-Country Championships, CIT
Girls – Minor 2000m: 1 Sarah Healy (HC Killiney) 7:48, 2 Olivia Nelson (Streathearn College) Belfast 8:09, 3 Tamzin Muldowny (St Mary’s Midleton) 8.112, 4 Lara Gillespie (Wesley) 8.12, 5 Anna Yeates (St Joseph’s Foxford) 8.14, 6 Natasha Twomey (Mt Anville) 8.16. Teams – 1 Mount Anville 57, 2 Strathearn Belfast 67, 3 Ursuline Thurles 69, 4 Holy Child Killiney 70.
Junior 2,500m: 1 Caoimhe Harrington (Col Pobail Bheanntrai) 10.44, 2 Jodie McCann (Rathdown) 10.47, 3 Nicola Duffy (St Peter’s Dunboyne) 10.55, 4 Abigail McBroom (Loreto Coleraine) 11.01, 5 Laura Ward (Pres Carlow) 11.04, 6 Hanna Black (East Glendalough) 11.10. Teams – 1 Loreto Coleraine 45, 2 Bandon Grmmar School 102, 3 Sacred Heart OMagh 103, 4 Holy Child Killiney 110.
Inter 3,500m: 1 Rhona Pierce (Skerries CC) 14.04, 2 Clodagh O’Reilly (Loreto Cavan) 14.14, 3 Fiona Everard (Maria Immaculata Dunmanway) 14.20, 4 Emma O’Brien (Dom Wicklow) 14.23, 5 Alanna Bate (Loreto Mullingar) 14.23, 6 Eimear Fitzpatrick (OL Terenure) 14.24. Teams – 1 Skerries CC 40,2 Dominican Wicklow 60, 3 Rathmore GS Belfast 100, 4 St Augustine’s Dungarvan 111.
Senior 2,500m: 1 Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (Col Iosagain) 10.34, 2 Sarah Ni Mhaolmhuire (Col Iosagain) 10.43, 3 Deirdre Healy (Inst of Ed) 10.52, 4 Linda Conroy (Mercy Kilbeggan) 11.00, 5 Eileen Rafter (Ursuline Thurles) 11.03, 6 Niamh Cotter (Col Pobail Bheanntrai) 11.04. Teams – 1 Ursuline Thurles 49, 2 Colaiste Iosagain 53, 3 Loreto Kilkenny 69, 4 Loreto Clonmel 78.
Boys – Minor 2,500m: 1 Sean Corry (Omagh CBS) 9.39, 2 Darragh McElhinney (Col Pobail Bheanntrai) 9.52, 3 Oiin Lyons (Calasanctius Oranmore) 10.03, 4 Adam Fitzpatriuck (St Kieran’s Kilkenny) 10.07, 5 Padraig Purcell (Col Eoin) 20.10, 6 Cathaoir Donnelly ( Omagh CBS) 10.18. Teams – 1 St Colman’s Newry 57, 2 St Kierna’s Kilkenny 80, 3 Willow Park 118, 4 Colaiste Eoin 118.
Junior 3,500m: 1 Paddy Maher (Dunshaughlin CC) 12.24, 2 James Maguire (St Benildus) 12.45, 4 Niall Harvey (Pres Carlow) 12.57, 4 Ciaran Brolly (Omagh CBS) 12.59, 5 Patrick McNiff (Banbrodge Academy) 13.02, 6 Jarlath Jordan (Dunshaughlin CC) 13.05. Teams – 1 Colaiste Mhuire Mullingar 121, 2 Rice College Westport 124, 3 St Colman’s Newry 154, 4 Abbey CBS Newry 157
Inter 5000m: 1 Kevin Mulcaire (St Flannan’s Ennis) 17.33, 2 Shane Hughes (Col Mhuire Mullingar) 17.50, 3 Barry Keane (St Declan’s Kilmacthomas) 17.50, 4 Peter Lynch (St Kieran’s Kilkenny) 17.52, 5 James Edgar (Friends Lisburn) 17.54, 6 Christy Conlon ( Rathmore GS Belfast) 17.59. Teams – 1 St Flannan’s Ennis 66, 2 St Aidan’s CBS Whitehall 68, 3 Rathmore GS Belfast 122, 3 St Malachy’s Belfast 131.
Senior 6,500m: 1 Andrew Coscoran ( St Mary’s Drogheda) 21.58, 2 Aaron Hanlon (St Mary’s Drogheda) 22.01, 3 David Harper ( Rose College Westport) 22.35, 4 Padraig Moran (Col Mhuire Mullingar) 23.00, 5 Kyle Larkin ( Ard Scoil Ris Limerick) 23.15, 6 Con Doherty (Rice College Westport) 23.17. Teams – 1 Rice College Westport 84, 2 St Fintan’s Sutton 117, 3 St Malachy’s Belfast 125, 4 Colaiste Mhuire Mullingar 188.
Irish University Cross-Country Championships, CIT
Women’s 5km (67 finishers) : 1 Maria O’Sullivan (TCD) 19.23, 2 Becky Woods (TCD) 19:30, 3 Ellie Hartnett (UCD) 19.48, 4 Orla Drumm (UCC) 19.52, 5 Sinead O’Connor (UCC) 20.01, 6 Mary Mulhare (DCU) 20.17. Teams – 1 Trinity College Dublin (1,2,8,10) 21, 2 DCU (6,7,11,15) 39, 3 UCC (4,5,17,23) 49.
Men’s 8km (110 finishers) : 1 John Coghlan (DCU) 26.49, 2 Ben Thistlewood (UCC) 29.09, 3 John Travers (AIT) 27.12, 4 Andrew Connick (WIT) 27.33, 5 Darragh Rennicks (AIT) 28.01, 6 Eoin Everard (AIT) 28.17. Teams – 1 DCU (1,10,11,13,16,17) 68, 2 UCD (7,8,12,14,15,18) 74, 3 AIT (3,5,6,22,35,51) 122.
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