O’Connor Claims Victory As Irish Compete At NCAA Indoor Championships

The NCAA indoor season reached its conclusion over the weekend as the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships took place across all three collegiate divisions in the United States. Irish athletes lined up in Division I, Division II and Division III after qualifying through their respective conference championships earlier in the month, bringing the American indoor campaign to its final act.

Division I NCAA Indoor Championships

Fayetteville, Arkansas | Friday March 13th

Providence middle distance runner Maeve O’Neill competed in the women’s 800 metres heats. O’Neill finished fourth in her heat in 2:03.40, missing automatic qualification for the final by just a fraction as the Providence athlete brought an outstanding indoor season to a close.

In the field events, Elizabeth Ndudi represented the University of Illinois in the women’s long jump final, finishing 14th with a best jump of 6.04m to cap her indoor season that included a new Irish indoor national record earlier in the campaign.

Oregon distance runner Abdel Laadjel competed in the men’s 5000 metres final, closing out his indoor season with a 14th place finish in 14:00.11 after qualifying through the conference championships earlier in the month.

The final Irish involvement in Division I came in the distance medley relay, where Sean Donoghue represented Villanova as part of the Wildcats relay squad that finished 11th overall.

Division II NCAA Indoor Championships

Virginia Beach, Virginia | Friday March 13th – Saturday March 14th

The standout Irish performances of the weekend came at the Division II championships, where Adams State athletes delivered podium finishes and a national title.

Ava O’Connor produced the highlight of the Irish weekend by winning the women’s mile national title, running 4:44.04 to claim gold and edge CSU Pueblo’s Helen Braybrook in a tight finish. Her prelim finish of 5th in a time of 4:47.88 booked her place in the final.

O’Connor later returned to the track for the women’s 3000 metres, where she delivered another strong performance to finish second in 9:19.24, securing a second podium finish across the championships.

Teammate Louis O’Loughlin also reached the podium in the men’s mile final, finishing third in 4:12.07 to claim bronze and All American honours for Adams State. He qualified for the final with a time of 4:05.27 in the prelims.

The final Adams State athlete in action was Claragh Keane, who competed in the women’s 5000 metres as the with the Wexford runner finishing 14th in 17:14.35.

Division III NCAA Indoor Championships

Birmingham, Alabama | Friday March 13th – Saturday March 14th

Sole Irish representation at the Division III championships came from Lucas Fadden, who competed across two sprint events at the Birmingham CrossPlex.

Fadden first lined up in the men’s 60 metres, where he produced a solid performance in the heats. The Irish sprinter finished 2nd in his heat in 6.78 seconds, recording the 6th fastest time overall to secure qualification for the final. In the championship final later in the programme, Fadden slightly improved his mark to 6.77 seconds, finishing 7th overall in a tightly contested race.

He also doubled up in the men’s 200 metres, where he delivered another positive preliminary performance. Fadden won his heat in 21.29 seconds, advancing to the final with the 5th fastest time of the round. Returning to the track for the final, he placed 7th overall in 21.39 seconds, capping a busy championship weekend that saw him contest two national finals.

With Irish athletes competing across all three NCAA divisions, the championships once again highlighted the continued impact of Irish talent within the American collegiate athletics system.

For many of the athletes involved, the NCAA Indoor Championships mark the end of the indoor season before attention turns towards the outdoor campaign across the United States in the weeks ahead.

Image: Adams State Track