It was another buy weekend for Irish running with key events taking place across university, masters and international levels. Strong results at the NCAA Division I Regionals confirmed a significant Irish presence at next weekend’s NCAA Championships in Columbia Missouri. At home, the IUAA Road Relay Championships brought high quality racing in Maynooth, while Team Ireland delivered an impressive medal return at the British and Irish Masters Cross Country Championships in Leeds
Irish athletes secure places at NCAA Nationals
Friday’s NCAA Division I Regional Championships saw several Irish athletes book their places at next weekend’s NCAA National Championships, taking place in Columbia, Missouri.
In the Northeast region, Anna Gardiner and Cara Laverty placed 6th and 7th for Providence, helping the team to 2nd place and progression to Nationals, supported by solid runs from Niamh O' Mahony and Jane Buckley.
In the West, Anika Thompson placed 7th for Oregon and contributed to a first place team finish, with Abdel Laadjel also inside the top ten in 9th, with both the men's and women's teams qualifying for the
Syracuse advanced through the Northeast with Matthew Neill finishing in 7th place.
Dean Casey also impressed in the Mountain region with 22nd for Colorado, punching their ticket for next weekend.
The collective outcome ensures a strong Irish presence at the NCAA Championships next weekend,
Full Individual Results
South
Nicole Dinan – Florida State – 49th
Midwest
Roisin Treacy – Loyola – 22nd
Alexandra Joyce – Nebraska – 43rd
Sarah Hosey – Tulsa – 170th
Shay McEvoy – Tulsa – 19th
Tadhg Donnelly – Texas – DNF
Northeast
Anna Gardiner – Providence – 6th (Nationals Q)
Cara Laverty – Providence – 7th (Nationals Q)
Niamh O Mahony – Providence – 24th (Nationals Q)
Jane Buckley – Providence – 40th (Nationals Q)
Muireann Duffy – Iona – 78th
Matthew Neill – Syracuse – 7th (Nationals Q)
Liam Lyons – Holy Cross – 45th
Cormac Dixon – Providence – 50th
Mid Atlantic
Jack Fenlon – Villanova – 46th
West
Anika Thompson – Oregon – 9th (Nationals Q)
Ailish Hawkins - UCLA - 72nd
Abdel Laadjel – Oregon – 6th (Nationals Q)
Oisin Spillane – St Marys California – 68th
Mountain
Dean Casey – Colorado – 22nd (Nationals Q)
Strong outing in France for Efrem Gidey
Efrem Gidey recorded another top ten finish on Saturday at the Urban Trail de Lille 10 km in France. The Clonliffe athlete placed eighth in a highly competitive field, stopping the clock at 28:11. It continues a consistent run of form for Gidey this season both on and off the track and serves as valuable preparation ahead of next weekend's cross country national's in Derry, where Gidey is included in the starting list for the senior men’s race.
Big performances in Maynooth as UL top the men and DCU lead the women
Back in Ireland, the Irish University Athletics Association Road Relay Championships took place in Maynooth University on Saturday the fifteenth of November. The event followed the traditional relay format, with the women racing over four legs of one mile, two miles, two miles and one mile. The men competed over five legs of one mile, two miles, three miles, two miles and one mile.
In the women’s race, Dublin City University A secured the title in a time of 34:05. The winning quartet featured Aimee Wallace on the opening mile, followed by Faye Dervan, Amy Greene and Emma Moore on the anchor leg. University College Cork A placed second in 34:41, with the team of Eimear Maher, Holly Carroll, Lucy O'Flynn and Sarah Lane. University College Dublin A completed the podium in third with 35: 03, led by Sadhbh Mohan, Fiona Hawkins, Hannah Kehoe and Renee Crotty.
The men’s fixture produced an impressive victory for the University of Limerick E team who finished in 44; 20. Their line up consisted of Cian Hodgins, Niall Murphy, Mark Hanrahan, Luke Purcell and Cian O Boyle. The University of Galway C team secured second place in 45:17, represented by Roland Surlis, Oisin Davis, Oisin Murray, Padraig Faherty and Kyle Moorehead. Dublin City University A placed third in 46:01 with the team of Ben Clavin, Cian Murray, Michael O Shea, Christian Finn and Rahul Raj.
British & Irish Masters Cross Country Championship
The British and Irish Masters Cross Country Championships took place at Roundhill in Leeds over the weekend, bringing together some of the most experienced athletes from across the islands. While Team Ireland didn't the overall title claimed in Belfast last year, a series of impressive results secured second place in both the men’s and women’s team standings.
Category victories arrived in the W60 group and the W75 group, supported by an excellent overall medal return for the squad.
Full report to follow in the coming days.