Athletics Ireland – News – Tobin & McGee Win National Novice Titles

The course at Waterford IT provided a tough challenge for all the athletes competing at the Woodie’s DIY Novice and Uneven age group cross country championships today. Officials had to endure the toughest weather when setting up the course yesterday, but thankfully the weather was a bit kinder today.

Athletics Ireland thanks the local organising club of Waterford AC Juvenile section headed by Cait Caulfield and Tom O’Brien and also to Dr. Ruaidhrí Neavyn for providing the excellent course facilities of Waterford Institute of Technology and also Michael Evans, manager of the WIT sports Campus.

Full results can be viewed here: Results

There were some great performances in each of the races providing some very impressive winners.

Cathal O’Donovan (St. Finbarr’s AC) set a strong pace from the start of the men’s novice race and was not overtaken until the last lap when Sean Tobin (Clonmel AC) took over the lead. He didn’t have things all his own way though as he had to overcome a very strong challenge from Andrew Connick (Ferrybank AC) before crossing the line to win his second national title in the space of a month, with a fine ninth place finish in the European junior championships last Sunday. O’Donovan held on for third.

Donore Harriers won the inter club title from Rathfarnham WSAF, with Leevale third, while Dublin won the inter county from Cork in second and Tipperary in third.

The women’s novice race provided a gun to tap winner in Michelle McGee (Brothers Pearse AC). The Longford woman, coached by Longford man Enda Fitzpatrick, won her first national title, and her third race win ever. She only took up running in the last two years and finished twelfth in the Jerry Farnham in October. Kate Cronin (Raheny Shamrock AC) was second and Mary Mulhare (Portlaoise AC) was third.

Raheny Shamrock won the club title from Portlaoise and Leevale were third. Dublin won the county from Cork in second and Laois third.

Con Doherty (Westport AC) was another to record his first ever national win when he won the boys U19 title by front running most of the race. Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC) chased him home in second ahead of Brendan O’Connor (An Riocht AC).

Linda Conroy (Mullingar Harriers) won the girls U19 race with another front running performance, and held off the strong challenge of Sarah Miles (Dundrum South Dublin AC) who closed strongly in the closing stages, with her clubmate Ella Fennelly in third.

Kevin Mulcaire (Ennis Track) returned from European cross country action with a runaway win in the boys U17 race, with Cathal Doyle (Clonliffe Harriers) second and Pierre Murchan (Celtic AC) in third.

Another gun to tape winner came in the girls U17 race where Siobhra O’Flaherty dominated to win comfortably. Isabelle Odlum (Dundrum South Dublin) was second and Isabel Carron (Skerries AC) third.

Athletics Ireland – News

 

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