COMBINED EVENTS : CROSS-COUNTRY : TRACK AND FIELD

Connacht Combined Events Championships 2008

Three Connacht titles for St. Marys Athletes

Each of the St. Marys athletes involved in the Connacht Schools Combined events championships held at Dangan on September 18^th performed brilliantly in the face of stiff opposition to capture the first Connacht titles of the year for the College.

At U-14 level (Minor) Anthony Hebron showed what a talented athlete he is when winning the title ahead of a large field of 21 athletes from all across the province. Along the way he finished second in the 80m Hurdles, third in the Shot Putt and fourth in the Long jump before literally running away with the 800m, crossing the line a full 14 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. Combined events are based on scoring points for performances, and Anthony’s combined score of 1823 points placed him almost 300 points ahead of the second placed competitor.

In the U-17 (Intermediate) event three athletes, Peter Roche, Keith Fallon and David Wynne represented the school. Of these Roche produced the outstanding performances of the day, and made up for the disappointment of finishing runner-up in last season’s event by capturing the second title of the day for the college. In doing so he turned the tables on his erstwhile conqueror from the previous year, Simon Callaghan from Presentation Headford, when winning by 40 points. This event involved competitions in the 100m hurdles, 200m, Shot Putt, High Jump, Long Jump and 800m and Roche succeeded in finishing amongst the top four competitors in each discipline, actually winning the 200m and Long Jump. His teammate  David Wynne put in a sterling performance but finished just out of the medals in fourth place. Nevertheless, this was good enough to qualify for the national finals which will be held in Santry.

At U-19 (Senior) level the competition was much more competitive than usual, with a total of 15 athletes lining up to compete. The three St. Marys athletes, Naoise Leonard, Neil Hyland and Kosta Gannon, were to the fore in each of the events, and when the points totals were calculated Leonard emerged as St. Marys’ third title winner of the day. Competition throughout was intense but Leonard emerged as top of the pile, helped along the way by victories in the 200m and 110m Hurdles, and third place finishes in the Long jump and High Jump. Neil Hyland, despite feeling unwell on the day, finished in fourth place, one place ahead of teammate Kosta Gannon. Both athletes performed excellently, producing a number of personal best performances along the way.

 

St. Marys College Combined Events Squad

 

CROSS-COUNTRY

St. Mary’s College stage successful Cross-Country event

Thursday afternoon last saw athletes from all over the province gather in St. Mary’s College for the inaugural staging of the St. Marys College Invitational Cross-country Competition. The weather was absolutely perfect for cross-country, with just the right amount of biting wind and cold showers, and the demanding course meandering through the college’s spacious grounds proved a daunting obstacle for the many athletes gathered.

First into action were the Minor (U-14) boys. With over 80 athletes entered the start was hectic, but soon settled down and emerged into a good battle between two Bish runners, Colm Hughes and Ben Murphy. Hughes eventually got the measure of his team-mate and came home a clear winner, leading his school to the team gold medals for good measure. Next into action were the Junior (U-15) boys. This race proved to be a compelling individual battle between David Harper from Rice College in Westport and Domhnaill Rodgers from Gort Community School. Both athletes were practically neck and neck throughout the entire 3000m race, but Harper somehow managed to find the extra kick in his legs to run away from his challenger in the home straight. In third place Patrick Hannon from Presentation College Athenry ran a long and lonely race to finish ahead of the St. Marys College athletes, Anthony Hebron, Gary O’Connell, Keith Collins and Colin McDonagh, who grouped well together to capture the next four places, and subsequently annex the team prize for the host school.

The Intermediate (U-17) race proved to be closest team event of the day, with local rivals the Bish battling it out against reigning Connacht champions St. Marys to take the honours. On the day however it was the Bish who emerged victorious as the St. Marys athletes, led home by Dean Higgins in 3^rd place, fell just short of the mark, losing out by a single point. The individual race was one by the very impressive Thomas Fagan from Moate Community College, finishing almost 150m ahead of his nearest challenger Anthony Chambers from Rice College. The final race of the day saw the Senior (U-19) athletes battle the elements and aching limbs over 6000m. Westport athletes dominated the leading positions here, James Brady leading home his team-mate Cian McMenamon to compel their school to the overall team prize. Fergal Barry from St. Marys just beat his team-mate Gearoid O’Connor in the race for the bronze medal, their fine performance helping St. Marys to the silver medal position in the team event.

Overall Results:

Minor (U-14)

Individual: 1^st C. Hughes (St. Josephs College), 2^nd B. Murphy (St. Josephs College) 3^rd A. Molloy (Rice College, Westport)

Team: 1^st St. Josephs College Galway (26 pts), 2^nd Rice College Westport (46 pts), 3^rd St. Marys College Galway (61 pts)

Junior (U-15)

1^st D. Harper (Rice College), 2^nd D Rodgers (Gort CS) 3^rd P. Hannon (Presentation Athenry)

Teams: 1^st St. Marys College Galway (23 pts), 2^nd Rice College (55 pts)

3^rd Presentation Athenry (71 pts)

Intermediate (U-17)

1^st T. Fagan (Moate CC), 2^nd A. Chambers (Rice Westport) 3^rd D. Higgins (St. Marys Galway)

Teams: 1^st St. Josephs Galway (34 pts), 2^nd St. Marys Galway (35 pts) 3^rd Moate CC (73 pts)

Senior (U-19)

1^st J. Brady (Rice College), 2^nd C. McMenamon (Rice College) 3^rd F. Barry (St. Marys)

Teams: 1^st Rice College (14 pts), 2^nd St. Marys (20 pts) 3^rd Marist College Athlone (36pts)

 

St. Mary’s College solidify their position as top athletics school in Connacht

St. Mary’s College Galway re-established themselves as the top athletics school in the province following a commanding all round performance at the Connacht Schools Cross-country championships held in cold breezy conditions in Dangan on Sunday February 1^st .In the face of stiff opposition the college came away with two team titles, one second place and a third place from the four races entered.

First into action were the Minor boys (U-14), and this race proved to be a classic confrontation between the two Galway schools, St. Mary’s and St. Josephs. The individual title was won by the excellent Colm Hughes from St. Joseph’s College, who led from gun to tape, running a very commanding race throughout to finish almost 40m ahead of his nearest rival. However, the quest for the team title was much closer, with both Marys and Josephs ending up on the same points total, but by virtue of countback the title went to the Mary’s lads. Thomas Donovan (7^th), Eamon Buckley (9^th), Liam Buckley(10^th), Kevin Cunningham(15^th) and Gaelen O’Toole (17^th) all ran excellently for the black and red to annex the title for St. Mary’s for the second year in a row.

The Junior Boys (U-15) team race proved to be a much more clear-cut victory for the city school, as Mary’s literally ran away with the title, finishing almost 50 points ahead of their nearest rivals St. Colman’s College, Claremorris. First home for Mary’s was Colin McDonagh in 5^th place and he was closely followed by Eoin Molloy (7^th), Keith Collins (14^th), Gary O’Connell (17^th) and Daniel Kerr (20^th). Next up for this team will be the All-Ireland Finals to be held in Belfast on March 7^th, and with the addition of Anthony Hebron and Osaze Osagie to the team they will be hoping to be in with a shout when the medals are handed out.

The Intermediate Boys (U-17) team were defending the title they won last year but found themselves up against some formidable opposition in the shape of Sligo Grammar School who turned in a fantastic performance on the day to convincingly win the team title being led home by the impressive individual winner, Tommy Casey. The race for the minor team medals was much closer, with St. Josephs just pipping St. Mary’s to the silver medals by virtue of a brave last gasp burst to the line by Kevin Tobin from Josephs which took him past the Marys man Martin Mulkerrins, and consequently to a one point win.

Last into action were the Senior Boys (U-19), and, as was the case last year, the St. Mary’s College team found themselves just beaten to the Connacht title by the slimmest of margins. This was a tough 6000m race on an energy-sapping course that had been well ground up over the day, but all the competitors showed their mettle to provide a very interesting race for the on-lookers. Following in the footsteps of some great Gort runners of the past Keith Mee was the convincing race winner, while Mercy Ballymahon just held on to record a one point team victory over St. Marys.

Results:

Minor Boys (U-14)

1^st St. Mary’s College Galway                 49pts

2^nd St. Josephs College Galway                49pts

3^rd Rice College Westport                        94pts

Junior Boys (U-15)

1^st St. Mary’s College Galway                 44 pts

2^nd St. Colman’s College Claremorris       92pts

3^rd Mercy Ballymahon                              98pts

Intermediate Boys (U-17)

1^st Sligo Grammar School            29 pts

2^nd St. Joseph’s College, Galway 65pts

3^rd St. Marys College, Galway     66pts

Senior Boys (U-19)

1^st Mercy Ballymahon                  47pts

2^nd St. Mary’s College, Galway    48pts

3^rd Glenamaddy C.S.                   68pts

 

 

 

All-Ireland Cross-Country UU Jordanstown, March 2009

Unfortunately the long trip north to Belfast ultimately proved fruitless as our Junior team performed well below par to finish outside the medals in fifth place. They did, however, finish ahead of both the Munster and Leinster champions to show the pedigree they have. Running an excellent in demanding conditions the first man home was Colin McDonagh in 24th place, making him the second Connacht finisher on the day. He was followed by Eoin Molloy (34th), Gary O’Connell (59th) and Anthony Hebron (65th). These positions were just not good enough,unfortunately, giving us a total of 182, just 28 points off the third place team St. Aidan’s CBS Whitehall.

 

TRACK AND FIELD

Track and Field Connacht Finals 2009

In what has been another marvellous year for St. Mary’s athletes they have been once more crowned top Athletics school in Connacht following the recent staging of the Connacht Schools Track and Field Finals in Athlone. For the third year running the Galway school emerged as the top school, following an impressive performance which saw athletes from the college capture 39 Connacht medals, including 16 Golds. On this occasion they were successful in capturing the Best overall shields at Minor (U-14), Junior (U-15) and Senior (U-19) levels, while finishing a close second in the remaining shield, the Intermediate (U-17).

In a day of excellent performances pride of play must go to star performer, 14 year old, Osaze Osagie, who did a Carl Lewis when winning the Junior 100m, 200m and Long Jump, as well as anchoring the relay team to first place. Osaze now must have high hopes of achieving success at the All-Ireland finals will be held in Tullamore at the end of May. Also putting in a sterling performance on the day was senior athlete Fergal Barry who showed his versatility when winning both the 400m H and the 2000m Steeplechase. Another star Junior was Anthony Hebron, who struck gold in the 80m hurdles, and as a member of the successful relay team, to add to the silvers he won in the 200m and the 800m. First year student Dylan Duffy emerged as the fastest first year in the west when he won the minor 100m, before successfully anchoring his team-mates to victory in the 4X100m relay.

GBC rower Alan Murtagh showed his strength when annexing the Minor shot putt and hammer titles while Peter Roche put in an excellent finish to just pip his team-mate Keith Fallon in a fine intermediate 400m race. In his last individual race for the college Leaving Cert student Neil Hyland finally got the gold medal he had been trying for throughout his school career when running an excellently timed race to take the 400m senior title. The triple jump competitions proved fruitful for the Marys boys too, with the Junior title going to Conor O’Reilly, while Sean Glynn won the senior title, just pipping his team-mate Arthur Zokli. Indeed Glynn had a very good championship, winning silver in both the long jump and the relay, while taking the bronze medal in the 110m Hurdles. Galwegians rugby star Chris Feeney took the Senior Hammer title, while Kosta Gannon was just unlucky when trying to retain his senior Javelin title, losing out by a mere 7cm on what was a very windy day for the javelin throwers.

Next up for the college will be the national finals on May 30^th

Overall Schools Shields Competition Results

Minor                                                                          Junior

1. St. Marys       23 pts                          1. St. Marys   43 pts
2. St. Joseph’s Galway 8pts           2.St. Geralds Castlebar 15 pts
3. Gortnor Abbey 7 pts                    3. Rice College Westport 12 pts

 

Senior                                                                         Inter

1. St. Marys 46 pts                                1. Sligo Grammar 30 pts
2. Marist Athlone 17 pts                  2. St. Marys 25 pts
3. Sligo Grammar 17pts                   3. Rice College Westport 19pts
   

Best overall Boys school: St. Mary’s College Galway

St. Mary’s College Athletics team seen here pictured with the Connacht Minor, Junior and Senior Best school Track and Field Shields, the Connacht Minor and Junior Cross-country shields, and the best overall Connacht Boys Athletics school trophy.

 

Back: Chris Feeney, Colin McDonagh, Osaze Osagie, David Higgins, John Elwood, David Mooney, Peter Roche, Alan Murtagh, Kosta Gannon, Keith Fallon, Fergal Barry

Middle: Paul Connolly, Ruari Lavelle, Gearoid O’Connor, James Wynne, Eoin Molloy, David Tarpey, Sean Glynn, Anthony Hebron, Greg Bohan, Fergal O’Hanlon

Front: Shane Walsh, Joe Healy, Dylan Duffy, Kevin Cunningham, Thomas Donovan, Liam Buckley, Gaelen O’Toole, Conor O’Reilly, Keith Collins, Gary O’Connell

 

 

 

Connacht Athletics Finals Results 2009

 

Event	Minor(U-14)	Junior (U-15)	Inter (U-17	Senior (U-19)
100m	Dylan Duffy 1	Osaze Osagie 1	–	–
200m	Kevin Derrane 2	Osaze Osagie 1Anthony Hebron 2	–	–
400m	–	–	Peter Roche 1Keith Fallon 2	Neil Hyland 1Fergal Barry 4
800m	Thomas Donovan 3	Anthony Hebron 2	–	Neil Hyland 4
1500m	Gaelen O’Toole 5	Colin McDonagh 6	–	–
3000m	–	–	Dean Higgins 3Philip Ezergailis 4	–
1500 s/c	–	–	Dean Higgins 3Philip Ezergailis 4
2000m s/c				Fergal Barry 1Gearoid O’Connor 2
80m Hurdles	–	Anthony Hebron 1	–	–
100m Hurdles	–	–	Peter Roche 3	–
110m Hurdles				Sean Glynn 3Greg Bohan 4
400m Hurdles	–	–	Peter Roche 4Paul Connolly 7	Fergal Barry 1Fergal O’Hanlon 3
Relay	Dylan Duffy, Kevin Cunningham, Thomas Donovan, Kevin Derrane 1	Anthony Hebron, Eoin Molloy, Gary O’Connell, Osaze Osagie 1	Shane Gallagher, Cian O’Ceallaigh, Dean Higgins, Peter Roche 5	Greg Bohan, Fergal O’Hanlon, Sean Glynn, Neil Hyland, 2
Long Jump	Kevin Derrane 2	Osaze Osagie 1Conor O’Reilly 4	–	Sean Glynn 2
Triple Jump	–	Conor O’Reilly 1Eoin Molloy 3	David Higgins 7Philip Ezergailis 6	Sean Glynn 1Arthur Zokli 2
High Jump	–	–	–	Ronan Burke 3
Javelin	–	–	–	Kosta Gannon 2Oscar Becs 4
Hammer	–	Alan Murtagh 1Ruari Lavelle 2	John Elwood 2Shane Walsh 3	Chris Feeney 1Georgie Mosulishvili 2
Discus	–	–	–	Chris Feeney 4
Shot Putt	Alan Murtagh 1Dylan Duffy 6	Ruari Lavelle 8	–	–
2000m Walk			David Tarpey 3James Wynne 4
3000m Walk				Gearoid O’Connor 2

 

All-Ireland Athletics May 2009

Congratulations to second year student Osaze Osagie shown here with the medals he won at the All-Ireland Schools Track and Field finals held in Tullamore over the weekend.

These medals were the first won by any Mary’s athlete since 1999. Following on from his four gold medal haul at the Connacht finals Osaze maintained his form to capture the silver medal in the Junior 200m, and the bronze in the 100m. His performance in finishing a close second in the 200m was remarkable when it is considered that the winner, from Carlow CBS, ran 22.80s, a time that shattered the 32 year old national record held previously by Galway man Colman O’Flaherty. Along with Anthony Hebron, Kevin Derrane and Eoin Molloy, Osaze was also a member of the Junior relay team that finished in fifth place, missing out on the medals by a mere 0.7 seconds. Other Marys athletes who performed very well on the day included Peter Roche, who finished sixth in the Inter 400m, Anthony Hebron in the Junior 200m, and Alan Murtagh, and Ruari Lavelle in the Junior Hammer, and Shane Walsh in the Intermediate hammer.

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