In late November, Abby Smith steamed home to finish 4 th in the U14 girls 3K at the all
Ireland Cross Country Championships. This event was hosted by Cranford AC at
Rosapena Golf Course, Co. Donegal. Abby was the first Ulster athlete home on the day
- a fantastic achievement!
Then on Sunday, 4 th of December, our athletes travelled South to Cork for the National
Uneven Ages Cross Country Championships. It was a tough, hilly course with
conditions underfoot extremely challenging. A huge congratulations to Dylan O’Reilly
and Abby Smith who both medalled at the event.
Shercock’s Dylan O’Reilly and Davy McCormack 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, we are so
proud of our athletes and all that they have achieved this season. We are looking
forward to building on this success in 2023!
