National Cross Country Medals for Dylan & Abby
Huge Congratulations
Huge congratulations to Dylan O’Reilly and Abby Smith who both medalled at the National Uneven Ages Cross Country Championships which were held in Cork on Sunday last. It was a tough, hilly course and conditions underfoot were extremely challenging.Shercock’s Dylan O’Reilly and Davy Mc Cormack were both competing in the Boys U11 1500m race as part of the Ulster team. Dylan got off to a great start and was in contention for a top 3 position throughout the race. He battled hard all the way and was just pipped on the final run in to come home in 4th position. Dylan was also first runner home on the Ulster team. Davy also ran a strong race, finishing in 58th position overall and 7th place on the Ulster team. Both boys should be very proud of their performances in their first national cross country event.Next in action was Abby Smith, running out of her age group in the Girls U15 3500m. Abby ran a conservative first half of the race but made great progress in the second half as she worked steadily up through the field and finished in a fantastic 9th position. Abby’s Ulster team were out in force with all six scoring members, including Abby, in the top 16, thus securing the gold medals for Ulster.Mark Kearns was Shercock’s final competitor on the day, competing in the Boys U15 3500m. Mark got off to a great start and was comfortable among the top 20 runners in the early stages of the race. Unfortunately, Mark developed a bad cramp around the half way stage and was unable to finish.This was the final competition in the 2022 juvenile cross country program and the athletes will take a well deserved break over Christmas before they begin to prepare for the Indoor track season in the New year.
