The NCAA indoor season continued to gather momentum over the first full weekend of February, with Irish athletes again spread across the United States and delivering a mix of strong placings, personal bests, and statement performances.
Action began on Friday in Virginia at the Doc Hale Invitational, where Waterford’s Emer McGlynn lined up in the Women’s Mile for Catawba. McGlynn clocked 5:21.98 in a competitive distance field.
Also on Friday, fellow Déise native Danny Hagan was in field action at the UAB Green & Gold Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama. Representing the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Hagan recorded a best jump of 5.64 metres in the Men’s Long Jump.
Friday evening also saw Irish involvement at the Windy City Invitational in Wisconsin. Representing North Carolina, 2023 Irish U20 champion Killian Fahy finished second in his section and seventh overall in the Men’s 400m with a time of 47.81.
On Saturday at the same Wisconsin meet, Kildare’s Cillian Gleeson enjoyed a productive double outing. He finished second in the Men’s Mile in 4:07.14 before returning later in the day to place seventh in the Men’s 5000m with a time of 14:34.67.
Further south in Texas, the Charlie Thomas Invitational featured a trio of Irish athletes competing across Friday and Saturday.
University of Houston sprinter Seán Aigboboh continued his impressive early season form on Friday, finishing fifth in the Men’s 200m with a time of 21.00. The run chopped a sizeable margin off his previous national lead set just a week earlier and moves Paul Hession’s long standing Irish U23 record of 20.80 firmly into view.
Friday also saw Limerick’s Victoria Amidamen in action for Texas State, where she recorded 56.55 in the Women’s 400m.
Aigboboh returned to the track on Saturday for the Men’s 60m, finishing eighth fastest in the heats in 6.86 to secure qualification for the final. He improved slightly in the final, clocking 6.85 to finish fifth overall.
Rounding out Irish involvement in Texas was a personal best performance from Dubliner Susie Nestor. Competing for Rice University, Nestor finished second in her section and tenth overall in the Women’s 800m with a time of 2:10.84.
Saturday also saw action in North Carolina at the Camel City Distance Classic. Sarah Bradley represented Queens University of Charlotte in the Women’s Mile, posting a time of 5:22.78.
In the Men’s 1000m, Limerick’s Nathan Cremin produced a standout performance for Montreat College, winning both his heat and the overall event with a time of 2:24.39.
The weekend concluded back on the east coast at the Penn Classic in Philadelphia, where Villanova’s Sean Donoghue secured another Irish NCAA victory. Donoghue took top spot in the Men’s 5000m, crossing the line in 2:22.90.
Image: Sideline Photos
