Updated 4th May

Under testing wet, wind and cold, many of the Club’s underage athletes were competing for their schools and colleges at the various Schools Track and Field Regional Zone Championships on 28th and 29th April, where very many saw their hard work in training pay off as they qualified for the next round of competition. Being the early rounds, many wisely did just enough to qualify and saved their best for the later rounds.

West Leinster
At the West Leinster Schools Championships in Santry on 28th April, despite being below par due to recent illness, Ciara Hewson (Maynooth PPS) was still good enough to win a silver medal in the 800m and qualify for the Leinster Championships.

North Leinster
At the North Leinster Schools Championships the following day, also in Santry, Elizabeth Carr (St. Finian’s, Mullingar) and Lorraine Daly (Mercy Convent, Kilbeggan) shared the spoils, as Elizabeth won the 800m, took silver in the 1,500m while Lorraine won the 1,500m and took silver in the 800m. Linda Conroy (Mercy) was a most convincing winner of the 1,100m, as were Shane Fitzsimons and Jake Byrne (St. Joseph’s, Rochfortbridge) over 1,500m and 3,000m respectively.

Silver medals were won by Liam O’Reilly (St. Joseph’s), Ciara Fogarty (Loreto, Mullingar) and Thomas Lynn (St. Finian’s) and bronze medals were won by Aaron Glynn, Philip Giles and Warren Walsh (St. Joseph’s), Adam Daly and David Moran (St. Mary’s CBS) and Vincent Connolly (Killucan).

Others in action included Amie Giles (St. Joseph’s), Jane Leydon, Eamon Lawlor and Shane Nugent (St. Finian’s), Stephen Nea, Ian McCormack and Shane Kelleher (St. Mary’s CBS). Paul Collins of St. Finian’s College (and North Westmeath AC) also repeated the great double in the shot putt and discus that he achieved last year.

Also it was great to see other local athletes, who are not Club members, display excellent talent, such as Derek Hill (St. Finian’s) winning the shot, and Sean Connolly, Cathal O’Donnell, Aaron Smith, Brian McGowan, Tom Farrell and Shane Barton (St. Finian’s).

East Connaught
Representing Moate Community College with distinction at the East Connaught Schools Championships in Dangan, Galway on 29th April were Arlene Coughlan, Aoife Hogan and Thomas Fagan and representing St. Joseph's College, Summerhill also with distinction was Mairead Sayeh, where they all won medals and qualified for the Connaught Schools Championships next week.

North Connaught
They will be joined by Rachel Yorke (Mercy Convent, Longford) and Robert Yorke (St. Mel's College, Longford) who also won medals, at the North Connaught Schools Championships in Sligo IT, also on 29th April.

Hopefully we will be hearing more of their achievements in the Leinster and Connaught Schools Championships in Santry on 13th/16th April and in Athlone IT on 13th April respectively, and they are all wished the very best of luck.