Main pic: The Rosses AC U14 boys team who secured gold medals and Ulster Champions title in Belfast.
There was great news to start the weekend in that Helen McCready has been selected to represent Ireland at the British and Irish masters cross country international event on the 16th of November in Belfast.
Well deserved for the hard working endurance athlete and huge congratulations from all at the club.
Rosses AC’s Helen McCready who has secured selection for the Ireland Masters Ladies team.
It was another good day for the club last Sunday at the Ulster Even Age Cross Country Championships with the club sending a strong team of juveniles to compete with the best in Ulster. At the end there were medals and qualification for All Irelands for many. The day began with the U10 boys who, despite a few absences, fielded a team with Deacon Parker having his best run to date when he mixed it throughout the race with the leading pack and eventually securing 5th and an Ulster top 12 medal and automatic qualification for the All Irelands. He was backed by Liam McGonagle, Ben Robinson and Tommy Sharkey to finish 6th.
Rosses AC’s Deacon Parker who finished 5th in the boys U10 Ulster Championships and secured an Ulster medal.
On to the u10 girls and great running by Isa Bonner, Katie Sharkey, Sarah Minnock, Lucy Brennan and Elsa Bonner saw the girls team group well and secure bronze medal position much to their delight after a hard race in mucky conditions.
In the u12 girls race Caitlin o Donnell again showed that she is a natural middle distance runner and with an impressive closing 20 she passed 3 competitors to secure her Ulster medal and automatic selection for the All Irelands. She was backed by Claire Minnock who had a busy weekend of sporting activities but that didn’t stop her getting into the top third of the largest race of competitors.
In the u12 boys Ruairi Lynch was our sole competitor and he showed he is training an away under the guidance of his mother as he managed to secure a top half of the race. In the u14 girls Aileen Logue and Molly Sharkey went to the line and Aileen ran a really strong race to secure a top 20 finish and 4th Donegal athlete home. Molly was running a year out of her age group and battled really hard and finished strongly to ensure a mid pack finish.
In the U14 boys, we had hopes for a team medal but this group ran really strong and claimed gold medals and became Ulster champions as a result of having 3 athletes in top 15. Elite Duffy started steady but came through the field to secure a really impressive 5th with team mate Evan Ward close on his tail in 7th place with both securing top 12 Ulster medals and automatic qualification for the All Irelands. Ben McGee just missed a top 12 place but ran an impressive 14th place as he battled all the way to the line. The 3 lads were backed strongly by Aidan Lynch and John Brennan as the they enjoyed their gold medals. In the u16 girls race Aoife McGonagle continued her strong racing and will await to see if she has secured a place on the Donegal team for the All Irelands. In the u18 girls Hannah McGee again showed she was up for the fight over the 4k distance as the weather conditions worsened with high winds making parts of the course very difficult. Hannah dug deep and will be happy with her position and also awaits confirmation if she has made the Donegal team for All Ireland’s.
Overall a really good day and huge thanks to all the parents who travelled and ensured there was plenty of support and cheering for our wee competitors. Big thanks also to the coaches who volunteer their time and on days like this are key to pulling everything together. The next outing is the Ulster Uneven ages cross country championships at Finn Valley in two weeks time. Please note the lights are back on every evening at the track at Carrickfinn from 6:45 pm to 9pm. Great opportunity to get out and get active in a safe well lit environment.
